Xylulose 5-phosphate
Encyclopedia
D-Xylulose 5-phosphate is an intermediate in the Pentose Phosphate Pathway
Pentose phosphate pathway
The pentose phosphate pathway is a process that generates NADPH and pentoses . There are two distinct phases in the pathway. The first is the oxidative phase, in which NADPH is generated, and the second is the non-oxidative synthesis of 5-carbon sugars...

. It is a ketose
Ketose
A ketose is a sugar containing one ketone group per molecule.With 3 carbon atoms, dihydroxyacetone is the simplest of all ketoses and is the only one having no optical activity. Ketoses can isomerize into an aldose when the carbonyl group is located at the end of the molecule...

 sugar formed from ribulose-5-phosphate. Although previously thought of mainly as an intermediary in the Pentose Phosphate Pathway, recent research has shown that the sugar has a role in gene expression, mainly by promoting the ChREBP transcription factor
Transcription factor
In molecular biology and genetics, a transcription factor is a protein that binds to specific DNA sequences, thereby controlling the flow of genetic information from DNA to mRNA...

 in the well-fed state
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....

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