Molecular properties of pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase from potato tuber

Pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase (PFP) from potato tubers has been purified to homogeneity. The enzyme contains two polypeptides with apparent relative molecular mass (Mr) values of 65,000 and 60,000. These polypeptides give different peptide fragments after limited proteolytic digestion. Antibodies raised against each polypeptide separately are specific for that polypeptide, but both antisera are capable of immunoprecipitating native PFP activity. These antibodies also recognize similar pairs of polypeptides in a range of other plant tissues that contain PFP activity. Based on gel filtration, the Mr value of potato tuber PFP is 265,000. This suggests that the enzyme is a heterotetramer composed of two polypeptides with Mr values of 65,000 and 60,000. In the presence of pyrophosphate, potato PFP dissociates into a 130,000 dimer.     

Wound-induced respiration and pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase in potato tubers

A seven fold increase in the rate of respiratory O2 uptake was observed 24 h after slicing of potato tuber disks. The maximum activity of pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase (PFP) was 5-7 times greater than that of ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase (PFK) in fresh or aged potato slices. Thus, PFP may participate in glycolysis which supplies respiratory substrate in potato tubers. The PFP activity of desalted extracts determined in the absence of fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (F2,6BP) increased by 4.5 fold 24 h after slicing. However, maximal PFP activity determined with saturating (1 microM) F2,6BP was not changed. The Ka values of PFP for F2,6BP was lowered from 33 to 7 nM after 24 h of aging treatment. This increased susceptibility of the PFP activity to its allosteric activator, F2,6BP, may be involved in the increased respiration in wounded disks of potato tubers. Immunoblotting experiments indicated that both the alpha (66 kDa) and the beta (60 kDa) subunits of PFP were present in fresh or 24 h aged tuber slices.     

High-yield purification of potato tuber pyrophosphate: fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase.

The procedure of Yuan et al. (1988, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 154, 111-117) for the isolation of potato pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase (PFP) has been modified so that a high yield of homogeneous enzyme could be obtained. Modifications included a lower temperature heat step, a lower percentage initial polyethylene glycol fractionation step (0 to 4%, w/v), stepwise elution following an increase from 30 to 50 mM pyrophosphate during affinity chromatography on Whatman P11 phosphocellulose, anion-exchange chromatography using Q-Sepharose "Fast Flow," and gel filtration chromatography with Superose 6 "Prep grade." Our procedure resulted in an overall 42% yield and a final specific activity of 87 mumol fructose 1,6-bisphosphate produced per minute per milligram protein. Rabbit anti-(potato PFP) polyclonal antibodies effectively immunoprecipitated the activity of both the pure enzyme and the enzyme from a crude extract. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the antibodies were monospecific for PFP. A survey of various potato cultivars demonstrated significant differences in PFP activity with respect to fresh weight. This observation should be taken into consideration before any purification of potato PFP is undertaken.     

Kinetic properties of pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase from germinating castor bean endosperm

Pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase (PFP) was purified over 500-cold from endosperm of germinating castor bean (Ricinus commiunis L. var. Hale). The kinetic properties of the purified enzyme were studied. PFP was specific for pyrophosphate and had a requirement for a divalent metal ion. The pH optimum for activity was 7.3 to 7.7. The enzyme had similar activities in the forward and reverse directions and exhibited hyperbolic kinetics with all substrates. Kinetic constants were determined in the presence of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, which stimulated activity about 20-fold and increased the affinity of the enzyme for fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, and pyrophosphate up to 10-fold. Half-maximum activation of PFP by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate was obtained at 10 nanomolar. The affinity of PFP for this activator was reduced by decreasing the concentration of fructose 6-phosphate or increasing that of phosphate. Phosphate inhibited PFP when the reaction was measured in the reverse direction, i.e. fructose 6-phosphate production. In the presence of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, phosphate was a mixed inhibitor with respect to both fructose 6-phosphate and pyrophosphate when the reaction was measured in the forward direction, i.e. fructose 1,6-bisphosphate production. The possible roles of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, fructose 6-phosphate, and phosphate in the control of PFP are discussed.     

Substrate specificity of pyrophosphate:fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase from potato tuber

The aim of this work was to establish the precise ionic form of the reactants used by pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase. The enzyme was purified to near-homogeneity from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers. Changes in enzyme activity when the pH of the assay and the concentration of fructose 6-phosphate, pyrophosphate, and magnesium are varied independently indicate that fructose 6-phosphate²⁻ and MgP₂O₇²⁻ are the reacting species in the glycolytic direction. Analogous experiments with fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, inorganic phosphate, and magnesium demonstrate that the enzyme uses fructose 1,6-bisphosphate⁴⁻, HPO₄²⁻, and Mg²⁺ in the gluconeogenic direction. The ionic species used in the glycolytic direction are comparable with those required by bacterial ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase. This is consistent with the proposal that the active site of pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase in plants is equivalent to that of the bacterial phosphofructokinase (SM Carlisle et al. [1990] J Biol Chem 265: 18366-18371).     

A kinetic study of pyrophosphate: fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase from potato tubers. Application to a microassay of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate

Pyrophosphate : fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase (PPi-PFK) has been purified 150-fold from potato tubers and the kinetic properties of the purified enzyme have been investigated both in the forward and the reverse direction. Saturation curves for fructose 6-phosphate and also for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate were sigmoidal whereas those for PPi and Pi were hyperbolic. In the presence of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, the affinity for fructose 6-phosphate and for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate were greatly increased and the kinetics became Micha?lian. The effect of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate was increased by the presence of fructose 6-phosphate and decreased by the presence of Pi. Consequently, the Ka for fructose 2,6-bisphosphate was as low as 5 nM for the forward reaction and reached 150 nM for the reverse reaction. On the basis of these properties, a procedure allowing one to measure fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in amounts lower than a picomole, is described.     

Inorganic pyrophosphate: fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase of the potato tuber is related to the major ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase of E. coli

A procedure was developed for the purification of inorganic pyrophosphate: fructose-6-phosphate 1-phospho-transferase (PPi-PFK) from potato tubers. The enzyme has the structure alpha 4 beta 4 with a subunit of 68 kDa and a beta subunit of 60 kDa. The structural relationship of this enzyme to other PFKs and to fructose bisphosphatase was examined by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. Antibodies to the plant enzyme did not react with E. coli PFK. No cross-reaction was seen among the following enzymes or their antibodies: yeast fructose bisphosphatase; rabbit PFKs A, B, or the enzyme from brain; and the two subunits of the potato PPi-PFK. On the other hand, antibody to E. coli PFK-1 strongly cross-reacts with the 60 kDa polypeptide but not 68 kDa peptide.     

Distribution of pyrophosphate:fructose 6-phosphate phosphotransferase in maize leaves

In leaves of maize (Zea mays) the activity of pyrophosphate:fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase (PFP) is much less than that of ATP:fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase. A sequential extraction technique was used to study the location of PFP in this tissue. When compared with enzymes known to be restricted to specific locations in maize, the distribution of PFP activity in the sequential extracts indicated that PFP is located predominantly, if not exclusively, in the mesophyll cytoplasm. Although confined to the same site as sucrose synthesis, the level of PFP activity is inadequate to contribute significantly to the gluconeogenic flux from fructose 1,6-bisphosphate to fructose 6-phosphate. The absence of PFP activity from the bundle-sheath demonstrates that this activity is not essential for glycolysis in higher plants.     

Transgenic potato plants with strongly decreased expression of pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase show no visible phenotype and only minor changes in metabolic fluxes in their tubers

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants were transformed with antisense constructs to the genes encoding the -and -subunits of pyrophosphate: fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase (PEP), their expression being driven by the constitutive CaMV 35S promotor. (i) In several independent transformant lines, PFP expression was decreased by 70–90% in growing tubers and by 88–99% in stored tubers. (ii) The plants did not show any visual phenotype, reduction of growth or decrease in total tuber yield. However, the tubers contained 20–40% less starch than the wild type. Sucrose levels were slightly increased in growing tubers, but not at other stages. The rates of accumulation of sucrose and free hexoses when tubers were stored at 4° C and the final amount accumulated were the same in antisense and wild-type tubers. (iii) Metabolites were investigated at four different stages in tuber life history; growing (sink) tubers, mature tubers, cold-sweetening tubers and sprouting (source) tubers. At all stages, compared to the wild type, antisense tubers contained slightly more hexose-phosphates, two- to threefold less glycerate-3-phosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate and up to four-to fivefold more fructose-2,6-bisphosphate. (iv) There was no accumulation or depletion of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), or of UDP-glucose relative to the hexose-phosphates. (v) The pyruvate content was unaltered or only marginally decreased, and the ATP/ADP ratio did not change. (vi) Labelling experiments on intact tubers did not reveal any significant decrease in the unidirectional rate of metabolism of [U-¹⁴C]sucrose to starch, organic acids or amino acids. Stored tubers with an extreme (90%) reduction of PFP showed a 25% decrease in the metabolism of [U¹⁴-C] sucrose. (vii) Metabolism (cycling) of [U-¹⁴C]glucose to surcrose increased 15-fold in discs from growing antisense tubers, compared with growing wild-type tubers. Resynthesis of sucrose was increased by 10–20% when discs from antisense and wild-type tubers stored at 4° C (cold sweetening) were compared. The conversion of [U-¹⁴C]glucose to starch was decreased by about 30% and 50%, respectively. (viii) The randomisation of [1-¹³C]glucose in the glucosyl and fructosyl moieties of sucrose was decreased from 13.8 and 15.7% in the wild type to 3.6 and 3.9% in an antisense transformant. Simultaneously, randomisation in glucosyl residues isolated from starch was reduced from 14.4 to 4.1%. (ix) These results provide evidence that PFP catalyses a readily reversible reaction in tubers, which is responsible for the recycling of label from triose-phosphates to hexose-phosphates, but with the net reaction in the glycolytic direction. The results do not support the notion that PFP is involved in regulating the cytosolic PPi concentration. They also demonstrate that PFP does not control the rate of glycolysis, and that tubers contain exessive capacity to phosphorylate fructose-6-phosphate. The decreased concentration of phosphoenolpyruvate and glycerate-3-phosphate compensates for the decrease of PFP protein by stimulating ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase, and by stimulating fructose-6-phosphate,2-kinase to increase the fructose-2,6-bisphosphate concentration and activate the residual PFP. The decreased starch accumulation is explained as an indirect effect, caused by the increased rate of resynthesis (cycling) of sucrose in the antisense tubers.Abbreviations Fru1,6bisP fructose-1,6-bisphosphate - Fru2,6bisP fructose-2,6-bisphosphate - Fru6P fructose-6-phosphate - Glc1P glucose-1-phosphate - Glc6P glucose-6-phosphate - NMR nuclear magnetic resonance - 3PGA glycerate-3-phosphate - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - PEP pyrophosphate: fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase - PFK phosphofructokinase - UDPGlc UDP glucose - WT wild type This research was supported by the Bundesministerium for Forschung and Technology (M.S., U.S.), the Canadian Research Council (S.C., D.D.), the Agricultural and Food Research Council (R.V.) and Sandoz Agro Ltd. (M.H., M.S.).     

Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate activates pyrophosphate: fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase and increases triose phosphate to hexose phosphate cycling in heterotrophic cells

The aim of this work was to establish the influence of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2,6-P₂) on non-photosynthetic carbohydrate metabolism in plants. Heterotrophic callus lines exhibiting elevated levels of Fru-2,6-P₂ were generated from transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants expressing a modified rat liver 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase. Lines containing increased amounts of Fru-2,6-P₂ had lower levels of hexose phosphates and higher levels of 3-phosphoglycerate than the untransformed control cultures. There was also a greater redistribution of label into the C6 position of sucrose and fructose, following incubation with [1-¹³C]glucose, in the lines possessing the highest amounts of Fru-2,6-P₂, indicating a greater re-synthesis of hexose phosphates from triose phosphates in these lines. Despite these changes, there were no marked differences between lines in the metabolism of ¹⁴C-substrates, the rate of oxygen uptake, carbohydrate accumulation or nucleotide pool sizes. These data provide direct evidence that physiologically relevant changes in the level of Fru-2,6-P₂ can affect pyrophosphate: fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase (PFP) activity in vivo, and are consistent with PFP operating in a net glycolytic direction in the heterotrophic culture. However, the results also show that activating PFP has little direct effect on heterotrophic carbohydrate metabolism beyond increasing the rate of cycling between hexose phosphates and triose phosphates. Received: 29 March 2000 / Accepted: 13 June 2000     

A source of apparent pyrophosphate:fructose 6-phosphate phosphotransferase activity in rabbit muscle phosphofructokinase

In the presence of UDPglucose, rabbit muscle phosphofructokinase appeared to use PPi as a phosphoryl donor, as reported previously (Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 121, 842-847). This apparent activity was due to conversion of UDPglucose and PPi to glucose 1-phosphate and UTP, the latter being metabolized by phosphofructokinase. Auxiliary enzymes used in the assays were contaminated by UDPglucose pyrophosphorylase. This contamination was sufficient to account for, and had similar properties to, the apparent PPi-dependent activity. Without auxiliary enzymes phosphofructokinase could not use PPi. These findings indicate that the apparent interconversion of phosphofructokinase and PPi:fructose 6-phosphate phosphotransferase must be re-assessed.     

Studies of the structure of fructose-6-phosphate 2-kinase:fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase

Some physicochemical properties of a homogeneous preparation of a bifunctional enzyme, fructose-6-phosphate 2-kinase:fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase, were determined. The molecular weight of the enzyme is 101 000 as determined by high-speed sedimentation equilibrium. The molecular weight of dissociated enzyme is 55 000 in 6 M guanidinium chloride by sedimentation equilibrium and in sodium dodecyl sulfate by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A value of 4.7 was observed for the isoelectric point. Tryptic peptide maps and high-performance liquid chromatography of the trypsin-digested enzyme revealed approximately 60 peptides. Amino acid analysis of the enzyme shows that it contains 27 lysine and 36 arginine residues per 55 000 daltons. No free N-terminal amino acid residue was detectable, suggesting that it is blocked. Hydrolysis of the enzyme by carboxypeptidases A and B releases tyrosine followed by histidine and arginine, indicating that the amino acid sequence at the carboxyl terminus is probably -Arg-His-Tyr. Tryptic digestion of [32P]phosphofructose-6-phosphate 2-kinase:fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase yields a 32P-labeled peptide detected by tryptic peptide mapping and high-performance liquid chromatography. Thermolysin digestion of CNBr-cleaved 32P-enzyme also yields a single 32P-peptide. These results indicate that fructose-6-phosphate 2-kinase:fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase is a dimer of 55 000 daltons and the subunits are very similar, if not identical.     

Hexose phosphate binding sites of fructose-6-phosphate,2-kinase:fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase. Interaction with N-bromoacetylethanolamine phosphate and 3-bromo-1,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone 1,4-bisphosphate

N-Bromoacetylethanolamine phosphate and 3-bromo-1,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone 1,4-bisphosphate have been tested in order to study the hexose phosphate binding sites of a bifunctional enzyme, fructose-6-P,2-kinase:fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase. N-Bromoacetylethanolamine phosphate is a competitive inhibitor with respect to fructose-6-P (Ki = 0.24 mM) and a noncompetitive inhibitor with ATP (Ki = 0.8 mM). The reagent inactivates fructose-6-P,2-kinase but not fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase, and the inactivation is prevented by fructose-6-P. The inactivation reaction follows pseudo first-order kinetics to completion and with increasing concentrations of N-bromoacetylethanolamine phosphate a rate saturation effect is observed. The concentration of the reagent giving the half-maximum inactivation is 2.2 mM and the apparent first order rate constant is 0.0046 s-1. The enzyme alkylated by N-bromoacetylethanolamine-P has lost over 90% of the kinase activity, retains nearly full activity of fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase, and its inhibition by fructose-6-P is not altered. 3-Bromo-1,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone 1,4-bisphosphate is also a competitive inhibitor of fructose-6-P,2-kinase with respect to fructose-6-P in the forward reaction and fructose-2,6-P2 in the reverse direction. This reagent inhibits 93% of fructose-6-P,2-kinase but activates fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 3.7-fold. 3-Bromo-1,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone 1,4-bisphosphate alters the fructose-2,6-P2 saturation kinetic curve from negative cooperativity to normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics with K0.5 of 0.8 microM. The reagent, however, has no effect on the fructose-6-P inhibition of the phosphatase. These results strongly suggest that hexose phosphate binding sites of fructose-6-P,2-kinase and fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase are distinct and located in different regions of this bifunctional enzyme.     

The murine glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase-encoding cDNA sequence

Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) is the rate-limiting enzyme in hexosamine synthesis and has been implicated in the control of growth factor gene expression. We cloned a mouse cDNA which is 91% homologous to the human sequence. The deduced amino-acid sequence shows 98.6% identity to human GFAT. The cDNA is derived from a 7-kb mRNA in the mouse, while there are multiple-sized human mRNAs.     

A radiometric assay for glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase

Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of amino sugars by transferring the amino group from l-glutamine to the acceptor substrate, fructose 6-phosphate, generating the products glucosamine 6-phosphate and glutamic acid. We describe a method for the synthesis and purification of the substrate, fructose 6-phosphate, and methods for a radiometric assay of human GFAT1 that can be performed in either of two formats: a small disposable-column format and a high-throughput 96-well-plate format. The method performed in the column format can detect 1 pmol of glucosamine 6-phosphate, much less than that required by previously published assays that measure GlcN 6-phosphate. The column assay demonstrates a broad linear range with low variability. In both formats, the assay is linear with time and enzyme concentration and is highly reproducible. This method greatly improves the sensitivity and speed with which GFAT1 activity can be measured and facilitates direct kinetic measurement of the transferase activity.