Adenoviruses are human pathogens increasingly used as gene therapy and vaccination vectors. However, their impact on cell metabolism is poorly characterized. We performed carbon labeling experiments with [1,2-C-13] glucose or [U-C-13] glutamine to evaluate metabolic alterations in the amniocyte-derived, E1-transformed 1G3 cell line during production of a human adenovirus type 5 vector (AdV5). Nonstationary C-13-metabolic flux analysis revealed increased fluxes of glycolysis (17%) and markedly PPP (over fourfold) and cytosolic AcCoA formation (nearly twofold) following infection of growing cells. Interestingly, infection of growth-arrested cells increased overall carbon flow even more, including glutamine anaplerosis and TCA cycle activity (both over 1.5-fold), but was unable to stimulate the PPP and was associated with a steep drop in AdV5 replication (almost 80%). Our results underscore the importance of nucleic and fatty acid biosynthesis for adenovirus replication. Overall, we portray a metabolic blueprint of human adenovirus infection, highlighting similarities with other viruses and cancer, and suggest strategies to improve AdV5 production. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.