Entner-Doudoroff Pathway

The Entner-Doudoroff pathway describes a series of reactions that catabolize glucose to pyruvate using a different set of enzymes from those used in either glycolysis or the pentose phosphate pathway. This pathway can occur only in prokaryotes. Most bacteria use glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. There are a few bacteria that substitute glycolysis with the Entner-Doudoroff Pathway. Distinct feature of Entner-Doudoroff pathway is that it uses 6-phosphogluconate dehydrase and 2-keto-3-deoxyglucosephophate aldolase to create pyruvates from glucose. Microorganisms of this species do not produce gases during its metabolic process, distinguishing them from microorganisms of enteric species.

Glycolysis has a net yield of 2 ATP for every one glucose molecule processed. The Entner-Doudoroff Pathway has a net yield of 1 ATP for every glucose molecule processed, as well as 1 NADH and 1 NADPH.

The gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the gram-positive Enterococcus faecalis utilizes the Entner-Doudoroff Pathway. Other gram-negative bacteria that use this pathway are Azotobacter and Rhizobium.

Zymomonas mobilis is one of the few known anaerobic organisms capable of living off of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway. Most organisms that use the pathway are aerobes due to the low ATP yield per glucose.