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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Apr 10.
Published in final edited form as: Mol Cell. 2014 Apr 10;54(1):5–16. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2014.03.027

Figure 2. The reactivity of functional groups in biology.

Figure 2

(A) (Left) Carbonyl-containing functional groups commonly used in biological systems are ranked according to their inherent reactivity. (Right) Specific examples of cellular metabolites containing the select carbonyl compounds are listed along with the biological processes in which they are generated or consumed. Carbonyl groups are highlighted in blue and leaving groups are highlighted in red. (B) Reactive acyl-containing metabolites and the mechanisms leading to non-enzymatic protein modification. AGE, advanced glycation end products.