What is the Difference Between De Novo and Salvage Pathway?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The difference between the de novo and salvage pathways lies in the way they synthesize nucleotides:
- De Novo Pathway: This pathway synthesizes nucleotides from amino acids and glucose. It is responsible for creating new nucleotides from small molecules, amino acids, CO2, and one-carbon units. De novo pathway is the major pathway of nucleotide synthesis.
- Salvage Pathway: This pathway recycles nucleotides or bases formed during DNA or RNA degradation. The salvage pathway uses free bases via a reaction with phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) to generate nucleotides. It is a minor pathway of nucleotide synthesis.
Both pathways assemble ribonucleotides that can be used to synthesize deoxyribonucleotides for DNA, and feedback inhibition regulates both pathways. While high proliferating non-malignant cells are highly dependent on the de novo synthesis, cancer cells can switch to the nucleoside salvage pathway to maintain efficient DNA replication.
Comparative Table: De Novo vs Salvage Pathway
Here is a table comparing the De Novo and Salvage Pathways:
| Feature | De Novo Pathway | Salvage Pathway |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | De novo pathway is a metabolic pathway that synthesizes new complex compounds from small molecules. | Salvage pathway is a pathway that utilizes previously made compounds to synthesize complex compounds. |
| Purpose | De novo pathway is the main pathway for purine nucleotide synthesis. | Salvage pathway is a minor pathway for nucleotide synthesis, important for purine nucleotide synthesis in the brain and bone marrow. |
| Synthesis | De novo synthesis of purine nucleotides refers to the process that utilizes small molecules, amino acids, CO2, and one carbon unit to produce new purine nucleotides. | Salvage pathway synthesis refers to the process of utilizing free bases via a reaction with phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) to generate nucleotides. |
| Energy Efficiency | De novo pathways are less energy-efficient than salvage pathways, requiring 5 moles of ATP for pyrimidine synthesis and 6 moles of ATP for purine synthesis. | Salvage pathways are considerably more energy-efficient than de novo pathways. |
| Regulation | The balance between de novo and salvage purine synthesis pathways is critical for healthy brain development. | The switch from de novo to salvage pathways is driven by factors that are not yet fully understood. |
The de novo pathway is responsible for synthesizing new purine nucleotides from small molecules, while the salvage pathway recycles pre-existing nucleotide bases to form new nucleotides. The de novo pathway is more energy-intensive than the salvage pathway, which is more energy-efficient. The balance between these two pathways is crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis and healthy brain development.
- Biosynthetic vs Degradative Pathways
- De Novo Methylation vs Maintenance Methylation
- Embden Meyerhof Pathway vs Entner Doudoroff Pathway
- Symplast vs Vacuolar Pathway
- Canonical vs Noncanonical WNT Pathway
- Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Pathway of Apoptosis
- Base Excision Repair vs Nucleotide Excision Repair
- Classical Alternative vs Lectin Pathway
- Mismatch Repair vs Nucleotide Excision Repair
- Scavenger vs Decomposer
- Pentose Phosphate Pathway vs Glycolysis
- Biodegradation vs Bioremediation
- Transamination vs Deamination
- Synthesis vs Retrosynthesis
- Synthesis vs Decomposition
- Oxidative vs Nonoxidative Pentose Phosphate Pathway
- Autophagy vs Apoptosis
- Autotomy vs Regeneration
- Salvage Value vs Book Value