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Metabolism is the sum of all the enzyme-catalyzed chemical reactions that occur in a living organism. In anabolic reactions complex organic molecules are build from simpler ones using energy, for example photosynthesis. In catabolic reactions complex organic molecules are broken down with the release of energy, for example cellular respiration.
Metabolism = anabolism + catabolism.
Metabolic Pathways...
Metabolism consists of chains and/or cycles of enzyme-catalyzed reactions. These reactions occur in specific sequences and are called metabolic pathways. The specificity of enzymes means that a reaction only occurs in the presence of a specific enzyme.
End-Product Competitive Inhibition...
Sometimes, the final product in a metabolic pathway will act as an inhibitor for the first enzyme, meaning that if the concentration of the end product in the pathway's environment increases, the pathway will shut down, until the concentration decreases once more, allowing for homeostasis, and avoiding over-production of the final product.
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