Taurine pathway

The taurine pathway refers to the network of biochemical reactions that synthesize, transport, and metabolize taurine, a sulfur-containing beta-amino acid involved in numerous physiological processes, including osmoregulation, antioxidative defense, modulation of calcium signaling, and conjugation of bile acids[1][5]. Taurine is synthesized primarily from cysteine via the cysteine sulfinic acid pathway, and its levels are maintained by both endogenous synthesis and transport via the high-affinity taurine transporter (TauT/SLC6A6)[1][3]. Pathway components, especially the taurine transporter and various biosynthetic enzymes, play critical roles in physiology and in the pathology of certain diseases, but "taurine pathway" as a whole is not a classical therapeutic target[3][4][5].

Other names

Taurine biosynthesis pathwayTaurine metabolic pathway

Antioxidant activity Calcium channel inhibition Suppression of ER stress pathways Regulation of cellular osmosis Regulation of mitochondrial function Inhibition of pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic signaling