Riboflavin biosynthesis pathway

The riboflavin biosynthesis pathway is a highly conserved metabolic route in bacteria, fungi, plants, and some protists, but absent in animals. It synthesizes riboflavin (vitamin B2) from basic metabolic precursors, typically GTP and ribulose-5-phosphate, through a sequence of enzymatic reactions that vary in organization across species. The final step is catalyzed by riboflavin synthase, which forms riboflavin that can then be converted to the essential cofactors flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), vital for multiple cellular redox reactions. While each enzymatic step involves specific genes (e.g., ribAB, ribH, ribE in Bacillus subtilis), the pathway as a whole is not itself a drug target. However, its constituent enzymes are studied as antimicrobial targets, especially against pathogens that rely on this pathway for survival in riboflavin-scarce environments.

Other names

Vitamin B2 biosynthesis pathwayRiboflavin synthesis pathway

Drugs targeting this pathway would typically act via enzyme inhibition of specific pathway enzymes (e.g., GTP cyclohydrolase II, riboflavin synthase), impairing riboflavin production and thus FMN/FAD-dependent metabolism in microbes