L-malic acid is metabolized through 3 possible ways: NAD driven malate dehydrogenase resulting in oxalacetic acid, NADP driven malate dehydrogenase B resulting pyruvic acid or malate dehydrogenase, NAD-requiring resulting in pyruvic acid. Oxalacetic acid is processed by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (ATP driven) while pyruvic acid is processed by phosphoenolpyruvate synthetase resulting in phosphoenolpyruvic acid. This compound is dehydrated by enolase resulting in an 2-phosphoglyceric acid. This compound is then isomerized by 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate-independent phosphoglycerate mutase resulting in a 3-phosphoglyceric acid which is phosphorylated by an ATP driven phosphoglycerate kinase resulting in an glyceric acid 1,3-biphosphate. This compound undergoes an NADH driven glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase reaction resulting in a D-Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate which is first isomerized into dihydroxyacetone phosphate through an triosephosphate isomerase. D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and Dihydroxyacetone phosphate react through a fructose biphosphate aldolase protein complex resulting in a fructose 1,6-biphosphate. This compound is metabolized by a fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase resulting in a Beta-D-fructofuranose 6-phosphate which is then isomerized into a Beta-D-glucose 6-phosphate through a glucose-6-phosphate isomerase.

Gluconeogenesis from L-Malic Acid References