Flux (biochemistry)
Encyclopedia
Flux, or metabolic flux is the rate of turnover of molecules through a metabolic pathway
Metabolic pathway
In biochemistry, metabolic pathways are series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell. In each pathway, a principal chemical is modified by a series of chemical reactions. Enzymes catalyze these reactions, and often require dietary minerals, vitamins, and other cofactors in order to function...

. Flux is regulated by the enzymes involved in a pathway. Within cell
Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....

s, regulation of flux is vital for all metabolic pathways to regulate the metabolic pathway's activity under different conditions. Flux is therefore of great interest in metabolic network modelling
Metabolic network modelling
Metabolic network reconstruction and simulation allows for an in depth insight into comprehending the molecular mechanisms of a particular organism, especially correlating the genome with molecular physiology...

, where it is analysed via flux balance analysis
Flux balance analysis
Flux balance analysis is a mathematical method for analysing metabolism. It does not require knowledge of metabolite concentration or details of the enzyme kinetics of the system...

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