Disequilibrium in the triose phosphate isomerase system in rat liver

1. The equilibrium constant at 38 degrees and I 0.25 of the triose phosphate isomerase reaction was found to be 22.0 and that of the aldolase reaction, 0.99x10(-4)m. The [dihydroxyacetone phosphate]/[glyceraldehyde phosphate] ratio was found to be 9.3 in rat liver. The causes of the apparent deviation of the triose phosphate isomerase system from equilibrium in vivo have been investigated. 2. The equilibria of the triose phosphate isomerase and aldolase reactions were studied with relatively large concentrations of crystalline enzymes and small concentrations of substrates, approximating to those found in rat liver and muscle. There was significant binding of fructose diphosphate by aldolase under these conditions. There was no evidence that binding of glyceraldehyde phosphate by either enzyme affected the equilibria. 3. The deviation from equilibrium of the triose phosphate isomerase system in rat liver can be accounted for by the low activity of the enzyme, in relation to the flux, at low physiological concentrations of glyceraldehyde phosphate (about 3mum). It has been calculated that a flux of 1.8mumoles/min./g. wet weight of liver would be expected to cause the measured degree of disequilibrium found in vivo. 4. The conclusion that the triose phosphate isomerase is not at equilibrium is in accordance with the situation postulated by Rose, Kellermeyer, Stjernholm & Wood (1962) on the basis of isotope-distribution data. 5. The triose phosphate isomerase system is closer to equilibrium in resting muscle probably because of a very low flux and a high enzyme concentration. 6. The aldolase system deviated from equilibrium in rat liver by a factor of about 10 and by a much greater factor in resting muscle. 7. The measurement of total dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde phosphate content indicates the concentrations of the free metabolites in the tissue. This may not hold for fructose diphosphate, a significant proportion of which may be bound to aldolase.     

NADPH-D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate oxidoreductase activity in muscle and other tissues of the rat

Rat muscle was found to contain a NADPH-D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate oxidoreductase. Of the ten tissues studied, muscle contained the highest activity at 0.90 ± 0.06 units/g. The activity was not due to L-glycerol 3-phosphate-NAD⁺ oxidoreductase utilising NADPH as a hydrogen donor, nor to coupling of the latter with a NADPH-NAD⁺ oxidoreductase. After partial inhibition of contaminating triose phosphate isomerase with glycidol phosphate, the oxidoreductase rate was faster with glyceraldehyde phosphate than with dihydroxyacetone phosphate as a substrate. Apparent K_m values of 14 μM for D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and 0.7 μM for NADPH were determined.     

Amino acid sequences around the cysteine residues of rabbit muscle triose phosphate isomerase

1. The nature of the subunits in rabbit muscle triose phosphate isomerase has been investigated. 2. Amino acid analyses show that there are five cysteine residues and two methionine residues/subunit. 3. The amino acid sequences around the cysteine residues have been determined; these account for about 75 residues. 4. Cleavage at the methionine residues with cyanogen bromide gave three fragments. 5. These results show that the subunits correspond to polypeptide chains, containing about 230 amino acid residues. The chains in triose phosphate isomerase seem to be shorter than those of other glycolytic enzymes.     

Purification and Characterization of Phosphoglycolate Phosphatase from the Cyanobacterium Coccochloris peniocystis

The properties and role of the enzyme phosphoglycolate phosphatase in the cyanobacterium Coccochloris peniocystis have been investigated. Phosphoglycolate phosphatase was purified 92-fold and had a native molecular mass of approximately 56 kilodaltons. The enzyme demonstrated a broad pH optimum of pH 5.0 to 7.5 and showed a relatively low apparent affinity for substrate (K_m = 222 micromolar) when compared to that from higher plants. The enzyme required both an anion and divalent cation for activity. Mn²⁺ and Mg²⁺ were effective divalent cations while Cl⁻ was the most effective anion tested. The enzyme was specific for phosphoglycolate and did not show any activity toward a variety of organic phosphate esters. Growth of the cells on high CO₂ and transfer to air did not result in any significant change in phosphoglycolate phosphatase activity. Competitive inhibition of C. peniocystis triose phosphate isomerase by phosphoglycolate was demonstrated (K_i = 12.9 micromolar). These results indicate the presence of a specific noninducible phosphoglycolate phosphatase whose sole function may be to hydrolyze phosphoglycolate and prevent phosphoglycolate inhibition of triose phosphate isomerase.     

Pea seed triose phosphate isomerase

Triose phosphate isomerase was purified ca 250-fold from pea seed extracts. The k_m for D-glyceraldehyde-3-P was 0.44 mM and for dihydroxyacetone-P, 0.88 mM. P-enolpyruvate, 2-P-glycerate, 3-P-glycerate and 2-P-glycolate were strongly inhibitory. Pi and arsenate also inhibited pea seed triose phosphate isomerase.     

Effect of a high fructose diet on the activities of enzymes implicated in the conversion of fructose to glucose by the liver and the intestinal mucosa of the rat

The activity of enzymes implicated in the metabolic pathway of fructose to glucose conversion was shown in rat liver and intestine. In rats on normal diet, the specific activity of glucose-6-phosphatase, fructokinase, fructose-1,6-diphosphatase and triokinase was low in the intestine confirming that sugar conversion is not operative in this organ. In rats on a fructose diet, all the specific enzymatic activities tested were increased except for the hepatic triokinase and triose phosphate isomerase and for the intestinal triose phosphate isomerase. The intestine acquires the possibility to transform fructose to glucose by modifying the activities of enzymes implicated in the same metabolic pathway as that intervening in the liver.     

Mode of action of alpha-chlorohydrin as a male anti-fertility agent. Inhibition of the metabolism of ram spermatozoa by alpha-chlorohydrin and location of block in glycolysis

1. The effect of alpha-chlorohydrin on the metabolism of glycolytic and tricarboxylate-cycle substrates by ram spermatozoa was investigated. The utilization and oxidation of fructose and triose phosphate were much more sensitive to inhibition by alpha-chlorohydrin (0.1-1.0mm) than lactate or pyruvate. Inhibition of glycolysis by alpha-chlorohydrin is concluded to be between triose phosphate and pyruvate formation. Oxidation of glycerol was not as severely inhibited as that of the triose phosphate. This unexpected finding can be explained in terms of competition between glycerol and alpha-chlorohydrin. A second, much less sensitive site, of alpha-chlorohydrin inhibition appears to be associated with production of acetyl-CoA from exogenous and endogenous fatty acids. 2. Measurement of the glycolytic intermediates after incubation of spermatozoal suspensions with 15mm-fructose in the presence of 3mm-alpha-chlorohydrin showed a ;block' in the conversion of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate into 3-phosphoglycerate. alpha-Chlorohydrin also caused conversion of most of the ATP in spermatozoa into AMP. After incubation with 3mm-alpha-chlorohydrin, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and triose phosphate isomerase activities were decreased by approx. 90% and 80% respectively, and in some experiments aldolase was also inhibited. Other glycolytic enzymes were not affected by a low concentration (0.3mm) of alpha-chlorohydrin. Loss of motility of spermatozoa paralleled the decrease in glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. alpha-Chlorohydrin, however, did not inhibit glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase or triose phosphate isomerase in sonicated enzyme preparations when added to the assay cuvette. 3. Measurement of intermediates and glycolytic enzymes in ejaculated spermatozoa before, during and after injection of rams with alpha-chlorohydrin (25mg/kg body wt.) confirmed a severe block in glycolysis in vivo at the site of triose phosphate conversion into 3-phosphoglycerate within 24h of the first injection. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was no longer detectable and both aldolase and triose phosphate isomerase were severely inhibited. Spermatozoal ATP decreased by 92% at this time, being quantitatively converted into AMP. At 1 month after injection of alpha-chlorohydrin glycolytic intermediate concentrations returned to normal in the spermatozoa but ATP was still only 38% of the pre-injection concentration. Motility of spermatozoa was, however, as good as during the pre-injection period. The activity of the inhibited enzymes also returned to normal during the recovery period and 26 days after injection were close to pre-injection values. 4. An unknown metabolic product of alpha-chlorohydrin is suggested to inhibit glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and triose phosphate isomerase of spermatozoa. This results in a lower ATP content, motility and fertility of the spermatozoa. Glycidol was shown not to be an active intermediate of alpha-chlorohydrin in vitro.     

Evidence for extracellular enzymic activity of the isolated perfused rat heart

1. The dissimilation of a number of externally added hexose phosphates and 5′-nucleotides by the perfused rat heart is described, and non-specific esterase and 5′-nucleotidase activity associated with the superficial cell membrane or vascular system has been demonstrated. 2. The rate of production of ¹⁴CO₂ from [U-¹⁴C]glucose 6-phosphate suggests that oxidation occurred after hydrolysis to glucose. The incorporation of isotope from [U-¹⁴C]glucose 6-phosphate into glycogen was small, and similar to that obtained with [U-¹⁴C]glucose as substrate. 3. Glucose 6-phosphate was also partially isomerized to fructose 6-phosphate. Similarly, fructose 6-phosphate was converted mainly into glucose 6-phosphate, but also into glucose and inorganic phosphate. When fructose 1,6-diphosphate was added to the perfusate, a mixture of glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate and triose phosphates accumulated in the medium approximately in the equilibrium proportions of the phosphohexose-isomerase and triose phosphate-isomerase reactions, together with inorganic phosphate and some glucose. Glucose 1-phosphate was hydrolysed to glucose, but was not converted into glucose 6-phosphate. Leakage of enzymes out into the perfusion fluid did not occur. 4. This demonstration that phosphohexose isomerase, triose phosphate isomerase and aldolase may react with extracellular substrates at an appreciable rate suggests that these enzymes are attached to the cell membrane.     

An active-site peptide from human triose phosphate isomerase

Chloroacetol phosphate totally inactivates human triose phosphate isomerase by the selective modification of a single residue per catalytic subunit. The stability of the protein-reagent bond and the analogies of this active-site modification to those described previously for isomerases from other species indicate that inactivation results from the esterification of an essential glutamyl γ-carboxylate. From peptide maps and their autoradiograms, we conclude that the primary structure adjacent to the glutamyl residue is the same as or similar to that found in triose phosphate isomerases from rabbit and chicken muscle and from yeast.     

Triose phosphate isomerase from the coelacanth. An approach to the rapid determination of an amino acid sequence with small amounts of material

The preparation and purification of cyanogen bromide fragments from [¹⁴C]carboxymethylated coelacanth triose phosphate isomerase is presented. The automated sequencing of these fragments, the lysine-blocked tryptic peptides derived from them, and also of the intact protein, is described. Combination with results from manual sequence analysis has given the 247-residue amino acid sequence of coelacanth triose phosphate isomerase in 4 months, by using 100mg of enzyme. (Two small adjacent peptides were placed by homology with the rabbit enzyme.) Comparison of this sequence with that of the rabbit muscle enzyme shows that 207 (84%) of the residues are identical. This slow rate of evolutionary change (corresponding to two amino acid substitutions per 100 residues per 100 million years) is similar to that found for glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The reliability of sequence information obtained by automated methods is discussed.     

The subunit structure of mouse satellite chromatin.

Atomic coordinates are presented for the 3740 atoms other than hydrogen in the dimeric molecule of chicken muscle triose phosphate isomerase. They are derived from an electron-density map at 2.5Åresolution, interpreted in terms of the known amino-acid sequence, and they have been adjusted systematically to give stereochemically appropriate bond lengths and angles.     

Crystal structure of muconate lactonizing enzyme at 3 A resolution

The crystal structure of muconate lactonizing enzyme has been solved at 3 A resolution, and an unambiguous alpha-carbon backbone chain trace made. The enzyme contains three domains; the central domain is a parallel-stranded alpha-beta barrel, which has previously been reported in six other enzymes, including triose phosphate isomerase and pyruvate kinase. One novel feature of this enzyme is that its alpha-beta barrel has only seven parallel alpha-helices around the central core of eight parallel beta-strands; all other known alpha-beta barrels contain eight such helices. The N-terminal (alpha + beta) and C-terminal domains cover the cleft where the eighth helix would be. The active site of muconate lactonizing enzyme has been found by locating the manganese ion that is essential for catalytic activity, and by binding and locating an inhibitor, alpha-ketoglutarate. The active site lies in a cleft between the N-terminal and barrel domains; when the active sites of muconate lactonizing enzyme and triose phosphate isomerase are superimposed, barrel-strand 1 of triose phosphate isomerase is aligned with barrel-strand 3 of muconate lactonizing enzyme. This implies that structurally homologous active-site residues in the two enzymes are carried on different parts of the primary sequence; the ancestral gene would had to have been transposed during its evolution to the modern proteins, which seems unlikely. Therefore, these two enzymes may be related by convergent, rather than divergent, evolution.     

The effect of dietary and hormonal conditions on the activities of glycolytic enzymes in rat epididymal adipose tissue

1. Measurements were made of the activities of nine glycolytic enzymes in epididymal adipose tissues obtained from rats that had undergone one of the following treatments: starvation; starvation followed by re-feeding with bread or high-fat diet; feeding with fat without preliminary starvation; alloxan-diabetes; alloxan-diabetes followed by insulin therapy. 2. In general, the activities of the glycolytic enzymes of adipose tissue, unlike those of liver, were not greatly affected by the above treatments. 3. The ;key' glycolytic enzymes, phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase, were generally no more adaptive in response to physiological factors than other glycolytic enzymes such as glucose phosphate isomerase, fructose diphosphate aldolase, triose phosphate isomerase, glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphoglycerate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. 4. Adiposetissue pyruvate kinase did not respond to feeding with fat in a manner similar to the liver enzyme. 5. Glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase had a behaviour pattern unlike the other eight glycolytic enzymes studied in that its activity was depressed by feeding with fat and was not restored to normal by re-feeding with a high-fat diet after starvation. These results are discussed in relation to the requirements of adipose tissue for glycerol phosphate in the esterification of fatty acids. 6. A statistical analysis of the results permitted the writing of linear equations describing the relationships between the activities of eight of the enzymes studied. 7. Evidence is presented for the existence of two constant-proportion groups amongst the enzymes studied, namely (i) glucose phosphate isomerase, phosphoglycerate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase, and (ii) triose phosphate isomerase, fructose diphosphate aldolase and pyruvate kinase. 8. Mechanisms for maintaining the observed relationships between the activities of the enzymes in the tissue are discussed.     

The amino acid sequence of rabbit muscle triose phosphate isomerase.

The amino acid sequence of rabbit muscle triose phosphate isomerase was deduced by characterizing peptides that overlap the tryptic peptides. Thiol groups were modified by oxidation, carboxymethylation or aminoen. About 50 peptides that provided information about overlaps were isolated; the peptides were mostly characterized by their compositions and N-terminal residues. The peptide chains contain 248 amino acid residues, and no evidence for dissimilarity of the two subunits that comprise the native enzyme was found. The sequence of the rabbit muscle enzyme may be compared with that of the coelacanth enzyme (Kolb et al., 1974): 84% of the residues are in identical positions. Similarly, comparison of the sequence with that inferred for the chicken enzyme (Furth et al., 1974) shows that 87% of the residues are in identical positions. Limited though these comparisons are, they suggest that triose phosphate isomerase has one of the lowest rates of evolutionary change. An extended version of the present paper has been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50040 (42 pages) at the British Library (Lending Division) (formerly the National Lending Library for Science and Technology), Boston Spa, Yorks. LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms given in Biochem. J. (1975) 145, 5.     

On the protein crystal chemistry of chloroplatinite ions: general principles and interactions with triose phosphate isomerase

K₂[PtCl₄] has been used to prepare isomorphous derivatives of the majority of proteins for which detailed structure determinations have been published. As the derivatives were prepared under a wide variety of solvent conditions they include a number of chemically different platinum-protein complexes.New observations on the binding of K₂[PtCl₄] to crystalline chicken muscle triose phosphate isomerase are reported which, together with a review of its binding to other proteins and chemical considerations, provide a rational framework for understanding the reactions of this complex salt with crystalline proteins in the presence of various mother liquors. Means by which the reaction may be controlled are also discussed.     

X-ray crystal structure of D-xylose isomerase at 4-A resolution

The structure of D-xylose isomerase from Streptomyces rubiginosus has been determined at 4-A resolution using multiple isomorphous phasing techniques. The folding of the polypeptide chain has been established and consists of two structural domains. The larger domain consists of eight beta-strand alpha-helix (beta alpha) units arranged in a configuration similar to that found for triose phosphate isomerase, 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate aldolase, and pyruvate kinase. The smaller domain forms a loop away from the larger domain but overlapping the larger domain of another subunit so that a tightly bound dimer is formed. The tetramer then consists of two such dimers. The location of the active site in the enzyme has been tentatively identified from studies using a crystal grown from a solution containing the inhibitor xylitol.     

The active centre of rabbit muscle triose phosphate isomerase. The site that is labelled by glycidol phosphate

1. Glycidol (2,3-epoxypropanol) phosphate is a specific irreversible inhibitor of rabbit muscle triose phosphate isomerase (EC 5.3.1.1); the site of attachment has now been studied. 2. The labelled enzyme was digested with pepsin and a modified peptide isolated. The sequence of the peptide is: Ala-Tyr-Glu-Pro-Val-Trp. 3. It is the glutamic acid residue in this peptide that is labelled: the peptide is thus a gamma-glutamyl ester derived from glycerol phosphoric acid. The same site is labelled by a mixture of glycidol and inorganic phosphate. 4. Kinetic and stereochemical features of these reactions are discussed.     

Enzymatic Evidence for a Complete Oxidative Pentose Phosphate Pathway in Chloroplasts and an Incomplete Pathway in the Cytosol of Spinach Leaves

The intracellular localization of transaldolase, transketolase, ribose-5-phosphate isomerase, and ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase was reexamined in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) leaves. We found highly predominant if not exclusive localization of these enzyme activities in chloroplasts isolated by isopyknic centrifugation in sucrose gradients. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glucose phosphate isomerase, and triose phosphate isomerase activity was present in the chloroplast fraction but showed additional activity in the cytosol (supernatant) fraction attributable to the cytosol-specific isoforms known to exist for these enzymes. Anion-exchange chromatography of proteins of crude extracts on diethylaminoethyl-Fractogel revealed only a single enzyme each for transaldolase, transketolase, ribose-5-phosphate isomerase, and ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase. The data indicate that chloroplasts of spinach leaf cells possess the complete complement of enzymes of the oxidative pentose phosphate path-way (OPPP), whereas the cytosol contains only the first two reactions, contrary to the widely held view that plants generally possess a cytosolic OPPP capable of cyclic function. The chloroplast enzymes transketolase, ribose-5-phosphate isomerase, and ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase appear to be amphibolic for the Calvin cycle and OPPP.     

High performance purification of glycolytic enzymes and creatine kinase from chicken breast muscle and preparation of their specific immunological probes

We developed a novel procedure for isolation of the muscle isozymes of aldolase, triose phosphate isomerase (TPI), glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK), phosphoglycerate mutase (PGM), enolase, pyruvate kinase (PK) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), and also creatine kinase (CK), at high purity, specific activity and yield. Protein was extracted from chicken breast muscle and glycolytic enzymes were purified by a three step procedure consisting of: Ammonium sulfate combined with pH fractionation. Phosphocellulose chromatography with performance of high pressure liquid chromatography, exploiting a pH gradient formed by a gradient of the buffering ion for protein elution. Affinity chromatography causing elution by substrate or pH. The enzymes, obtained at over 95% purity as judged by specific activity and silver stained electropherograms, were injected into sheep. Antibody for each enzyme was purified on specific immunosorbant and its specificity was verified by immunotransfer analysis.     

The 3.0 A crystal structure of xylose isomerase from Streptomyces olivochromogenes

The crystal structure of xylose isomerase [E.C. 5.3.1.5] from Streptomyces olivochromogenes has been determined to 3.0 A resolution. The crystals belong to space group P22(1)2(1) with unit cell parameters a = 98.7, b = 93.9, c = 87.7. The asymmetric unit contains half of a tetrameric molecule of 222 symmetry. The two-fold axis relating the two molecules in the asymmetric unit is close to where a crystallographic two-fold would be if the space group were I222. This causes the diffraction pattern to have strong I222 pseudo-symmetry, so all data were collected in this pseudo-space group. Since the sequence of this enzyme has not been reported, a polyalanine backbone has been fitted to the electron density. Xylose isomerase has two domains: the N-terminal domain is an eight-stranded alpha/beta barrel of 299 residues. The C-terminal domain is a large loop of 50 residues which is involved in intermolecular contacts. Comparison of xylose isomerase with the archetypical alpha/beta barrel protein, triose phosphate isomerase, reveals that the proteins overlap best when the third (alpha beta) strand of xylose isomerase is superimposed on the first (alpha beta) strand of triose phosphate isomerase. This same overlap has also been found between the muconate lactonising enzyme and triose phosphate isomerase [Goldman et al. (1987) J. Mol. Biol., in press].