Kinetic studies on the regulation of rabbit liver pyruvate kinase

Two kinetically distinct forms of pyruvate kinase (EC 2.7.1.40) were isolated from rabbit liver by using differential ammonium sulphate fractionation. The L or liver form, which is allosterically activated by fructose 1,6-diphosphate, was partially purified by DEAE-cellulose chromatography to give a maximum specific activity of 20 units/mg. The L form was allosterically activated by K(+) and optimum activity was recorded with 30mm-K(+), 4mm-MgADP(-), with a MgADP(-)/ADP(2-) ratio of 50:1, but inhibition occurred with K(+) concentrations in excess of 60mm. No inhibition occurred with either ATP or GTP when excess of Mg(2+) was added to counteract chelation by these ligands. Alanine (2.5mm) caused 50% inhibition at low concentrations of phosphoenolpyruvate (0.15mm). The homotropic effector, phosphoenolpyruvate, exhibited a complex allosteric pattern (n(H)=2.5), and negative co-operative interactions were observed in the presence of low concentrations of this substrate. The degree of this co-operative interaction was pH-dependent, with the Hill coefficient increasing from 1.1 to 3.2 as the pH was raised from 6.5 to 8.0. Fructose 1,6-diphosphate interfered with the activation by univalent ions, markedly decreased the apparent K(m) for phosphoenolpyruvate from 1.2mm to 0.2mm, and transformed the phosphoenolpyruvate saturation curve into a hyperbola. Concentrations of fructose 1,6-diphosphate in excess of 0.5mm inhibited this stimulated reaction. The M or muscle-type form of the enzyme was not activated by fructose 1,6-diphosphate and gave a maximum specific activity of 0.3 unit/mg. A Michaelis-Menten response was obtained when phosphoenolpyruvate was the variable substrate (K(m)=0.125mm), and this form was inhibited by ATP, as well as alanine, even in the presence of excess of Mg(2+).     

Kinetic properties of rat liver pyruvate kinase at cellular concentrations of enzyme, substrates and modifiers

Kinetic properties of rat liver pyruvate kinase type I at pH7.5 and 6.5 were studied with physiological ranges of substrates, modifiers and Mg(2+) concentrations at increasing enzyme concentrations, including the estimated cellular concentrations (approx. 0.1mg/ml). Enzyme properties appear unaffected by increased enzyme concentration if phosphoenolpyruvate, fructose 1,6-diphosphate and inhibitors are incubated with enzyme before starting the reaction with ADP. Our data suggest that minimum cellular concentrations of MgATP and l-alanine provide virtually complete inhibition of pyruvate kinase I at pH7.5. The most likely cellular control of existing pyruvate kinase I results from the strong restoration of enzyme activity by the small physiological amounts of fructose 1,6-diphosphate. Decreasing the pH to 6.5 also restores pyruvate kinase activity, but to only about one-third of its activity in the presence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate. Neither pyruvate nor 2-phosphoglycerate at cellular concentrations inhibit the enzyme significantly.     

Comparative kinetic studies on the L-type pyruvate kinase from rat liver and the enzyme phosphorylated by cyclic 3', 5'-AMP-stimulated protein kinase.

The kinetics of rat liver L-type pyruvate kinase (EC 2.7.1.40), phosphorylated with cyclic AMP-stimulated protein kinase from the same source, and the unphosphorylated enzyme have been compared. The effects of pH and various concentrations of substrates, Mg2+, K+ and modifiers were studied. In the absence of fructose 1, 6-diphosphate at pH 7.3, the phosphorylated pyruvate kinase appeared to have a lower affinity for phosphoenolpyruvate (K0.5=0.8 mM) than the unphosphorylated enzyme (K0.5=0.3 mM). The enzyme activity vs. phosphoenolpyruvate concentration curve was more sigmoidal for the phosphorylated enzyme with a Hill coefficient of 2.6 compared to 1.6 for the unphosphorylated enzyme. Fructose 1, 6-diphosphate increased the apparent affinity of both enzyme forms for phosphoenolpyruvate. At saturating concentrations of this activator, the kinetics of both enzyme forms were transformed to approximately the same hyperbolic curve, with a Hill coefficient of 1.0 and K0.5 of about 0.04 mM for phosphoenolpyruvate. The apparent affinity of the enzyme for fructose 1, 6-diphosphate was high at 0.2 mM phosphoenolpyruvate with a K0.5=0.06 muM for the unphosphorylated pyruvate kinase and 0.13 muM for the phosphorylated enzyme. However, in the presence of 0.5 mM alanine plus 1.5 mM ATP, a higher fructose 1, 6-diphosphate concentration was needed for activation, with K0.5 of 0.4 muM for the unphosphorylated enzyme and of 1.4 muM for the phosphorylated enzyme. The results obtained strongly indicate that phosphorylation of pyruvate kinase may also inhibit the enzyme in vivo. Such an inhibition should be important during gluconeogenesis.     

Adipose-tissue pyruvate kinase. Properties and interconversion of two active forms

1. Extraction of rat epididymal adipose tissue with buffer containing EDTA yields a pyruvate kinase, provisionally called PyK-A, the properties of which resemble in several respects those of the allosteric pyruvate kinase of liver. These properties include co-operative interactions with phosphoenolpyruvate, Mg(2+), K(+), NH(4) (+) and ATP, and sensitivity to activation by fructose 1,6-diphosphate. 2. Extraction in the absence of EDTA yields predominantly a form, PyK-B, that shows both normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics with phosphoenolpyruvate, Mg(2+) and ATP, and co-operative interactions with K(+) and NH(4) (+); this form is insensitive towards fructose 1,6-diphosphate. 3. Both forms yield simple kinetics with ADP, though K(m) values differ in the two systems. In all cases where co-operativity has been demonstrated, Hill-plot n values are between 1.4 and 2.0. 4. The conversion of PyK-A into PyK-B is mediated specifically by fructose 1,6-diphosphate; the reverse reaction is occasioned by EDTA, ATP or citrate. It is thought that a bivalent cation may be involved in this interconversion. 5. Attempts at partial purification have revealed that the enzyme resembles the pyruvate kinase of skeletal muscle, rather than that of liver, in its solubility in ammonium sulphate and elution from DEAE-cellulose. 6. The relevance of these properties in the regulation of pyruvate kinase activity in vivo in adipose tissue is discussed.     

Studies on the interaction between rabbit liver pyruvate kinase and its allosteric effector fructose 1,6-diphosphate

Preparation of the L form of rabbit liver pyruvate kinase (EC 2.7.1.40) in the presence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate yielded an enzyme which was kinetically identical with the M or muscle-type form of pyruvate kinase found in liver. Chromatographic and dialysis studies of this complex showed that most of the fructose 1,6-diphosphate molecules were loosely bound to the enzyme, but dilution-dissociation studies and binding experiments established that there was a high initial affinity between the enzyme and fructose 1,6-diphosphate (K(assoc.)=2.3x10(9)), and that binding of the loosely bound fructose 1,6-diphosphate was concentration-dependent and a necessary condition to overcome the co-operative interaction observed with the homotropic effector phosphoenolpyruvate. Preparation of the liver enzyme in the absence of EDTA did not yield a predominantly M form of the enzyme, and incubation of the M form in the presence of EDTA did not convert it into the L form, but resulted in inhibition of enzyme activity. Immunological studies confirmed that the L and M forms in liver were distinct, and that preparation of the L form in the presence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate did not produce an enzyme antigenically different from the L form prepared in the absence of this heterotropic effector.     

A comparison of the properties of the pyruvate kinases of the fat body and flight muscle of the adult male desert locust

1. The pyruvate kinases of the desert locust fat body and flight muscle were partially purified by ammonium sulphate fractionation. 2. The fat-body enzyme is allosterically activated by very low (1mum) concentrations of fructose 1,6-diphosphate, whereas the flight-muscle enzyme is unaffected by this metabolite at physiological pH. 3. Flight-muscle pyruvate kinase is activated by preincubation at 25 degrees for 5min., whereas the fat-body enzyme is unaffected by such treatment. 4. Both enzymes require 1-2mm-ADP for maximal activity and are inhibited at higher concentrations. With the fat-body enzyme inhibition by ADP is prevented by the presence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate. 5. Both enzymes are inhibited by ATP, half-maximal inhibition occurring at about 5mm-ATP. With the fat-body enzyme ATP inhibition can be reversed by fructose 1,6-diphosphate. 6. The fat-body enzyme exhibits maximal activity at about pH7.2 and the activity decreases rapidly above this pH. This inactivation at high pH is not observed in the presence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate, i.e. maximum stimulating effects of fructose 1,6-diphosphate are observed at high pH. The flight-muscle enzyme exhibits two optima, one at about pH7.2 as with the fat-body enzyme and the other at about pH8.5. Stimulation of the enzyme activity by fructose 1,6-diphosphate was observed at pH8.5 and above.     

A kinetic study of baker''s-yeast pyruvate kinase activated by fructose 1,6-diphosphate

The paper reports a study of the kinetics of the reaction between phosphoenolpyruvate, ADP and Mg(2+) catalysed by yeast pyruvate kinase when activated by fructose 1,6-diphosphate and K(+). The experimental results indicate that the reaction mechanism is of the Ordered Tri Bi type with the substrates binding in the order phosphoenolpyruvate, ADP and Mg(2+). Direct phosphoryl transfer takes place in the quaternary complex, with pyruvate released before MgATP. A dead-end enzyme-pyruvate complex is also indicated. Values have been determined for the Michaelis, dissociation and inhibition constants of the reaction. Several of the rate constants involved have also been evaluated.     

Purification and characterization of pyruvate kinase from Trypanosoma brucei

Pyruvate kinase (ATP: pyruvate phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.40) from Trypanosoma brucei has been partially purified by carboxymethylcellulose chromatography, and gel filtration. The enzyme is unstable in aqueous solution and requires the presence of a thiol protecting reagent as well as glycerol for the maintenance of activity. Dithiothreitol activates as well as stabilizes the enzyme. Phosphoenolpyruvate allosterically activates trypanosome pyruvate kinase whereas hyperbolic kinetics are found when ADP is the variable substrate. Mg²⁺ or Mn²⁺ ions and a monovalent cation are essential for enzyme activity. Fructose 1,6-diphosphate acts as a heterotropic allosteric activator, markedly decreasing the S_0.5 value for phosphoenolpyruvate from 1.34 to 0.25 mm at 1 mm fructose 1,6-diphosphate and transforms the phosphoenolpyruvate saturation curve from a sigmoidal to a hyperbolic form. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 6.5–7.0 and a molecular weight of 270,000 ± 27,000 as estimated by gel chromatography. Purine nucleotides are the preferred coenzymes for the reaction, having much lower K_m values than the pyrimidine nucleotides. The possible role of pyruvate kinase in the regulation of glycolysis in T. brucei is discussed.     

Regulation of M2-type pyruvate kinase from human meningioma by allosteric effectors fructose 1,6 diphosphate and L-alanine.

In the present study the mechanism of action of M2-type pyruvate kinase from human meningioma in the simultaneous presence of fructose 1,6 diphosphate and L-alanine was investigated. Purified pyruvate kinase from human meningioma was allosterically inhibited by L-alanine with respect to substrates phosphoenolpyruvate and ADP. The inhibitory effects of L-alanine was partially removed by fructose 1,6 diphosphate. The purified enzyme was slightly susceptible to ATP inhibition.     

Long-term effect of glucagon administration on rat liver L-type pyruvate kinase.

After 5 h of treatment with glucagon, liver L-type pyruvate kinase (ATP: pyruvate 2-0-phosphotransferase; EC 2.7.1.40) showed a significant decrease of K0.5 and the Hill coefficient (nH) in the absence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate. However, in the presence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate, liver enzymes from treated rats showed a slight decrease of K0.5 but nH remained unchanged. In both circumstances, no changes of Vmax were observed after treatment. These changes in the kinetic properties of liver L-type pyruvate kinase are consistent with the dephosphorylation of the enzyme caused by insulin release in response to treatment with glucagon.     

Inhibition of gluconeogenesis by 2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol in isolated rat hepatocytes

2,5-Anhydro-D-mannitol inhibited glucose synthesis, increased the pyruvate/phosphoenolpyruvate ratio and altered adenine nucleotide concentrations in hepatocytes isolated from fasted rats. The accumulations of 2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol 1,6-diphosphate, an allosteric activator of pyruvate kinase, and of ADP in treated hepatocytes can account for the increase in pyruvate/phosphoenolpyruvate ratio and the inhibition of glucose synthesis from lactate.     

The effect of monovalent and divalent cations on the activity of Streptococcus lactis C10 pyruvate kinase.

The pyruvate kinase (ATP: pyruvate 2-O-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.40) from Streptococcus lactis C10 had an obligatory requirement for both a monovalent cation and divalent cation. NH+4 and K+ activated the enzyme in a sigmoidal manner (nH =1.55) at similar concentrations, whereas Na+ and Li+ could only weakly activate the enzyme. Of eight divalent cations studied, only three (Co2+, Mg2+ and Mn2+) activated the enzyme. The remaining five divalent cations (Cu2+, Zn2+, Ca2+, Ni2+ and Ba2+) inhibited the Mg2+ activated enzyme to varying degrees. (Cu2+ completely inhibited activity at 0.1 mM while Ba2+, the least potent inhibitor, caused 50% inhibition at 3.2 mM). In the presence of 1 mM fructose 1,6-diphosphate (Fru-1,6-P2) the enzyme showed a different kinetic response to each of the three activating divalent cations. For Co2+, Mn2+ and Mg2+ the Hill interaction coefficients (nH) were 1.6, 1.7 and 2.3 respectively and the respective divalent cation concentrations required for 50% maximum activity were 0.9, 0.46 and 0.9 mM. Only with Mn2+ as the divalent cation was there significatn activity in the absence of Fru-1,6-P2. When Mn2+ replaced Mg2+, the Fru-1,6-P2 activation changed from sigmoidal (nH = 2.0) to hyperbolic (nH = 1.0) kinetics and the Fru-1,6-P2 concentration required for 50% maximum activity decreased from 0.35 to 0.015 mM. The cooperativity of phosphoenolpyruvate binding increased (nH 1.2 to 1.8) and the value of the phosphoenolpyruvate concentration giving half maximal velocity decreased (0.18 to 0.015 mM phosphoenolyruvate) when Mg2+ was replaced by Mn2+ in the presence of 1 mM Fru-1,6-P2. The kinetic response to ADP was not altered significantly when Mn2+ was substituted for Mg2+. The effects of pH on the binding of phosphoenolpyruvate and Fru-1,6-P2 were different depending on whether Mg2+ or Mn2+ was the divalent cation.     

Purification of four pyruvate kinase isozymes of rats by affinity elution chromatography.

1. Purification of four isozymes of pyruvate kinase (ATP:pyruvate 2-O-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.40) L, M1, M2 and R was much improved to give good yields by affinity elution chromatography. The enzyme was eluted from a phosphocellulose column with 0.5 mM phosphoenolpyruvate. Types L, M2 and R were stabilized with fructose 1,6-diphosphate throughout the purification procedures. 2. The isozymes were crystallized under various conditions: types L and R were readily crystallized from medium of low ionic strength, types L, M1, and M2 were crystallized from ammonium sulfate solution in different forms in the presence and absence of phosphoenolpyruvate. Type M1 was also crystallized in different forms in the presence and absence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate. 3. Amino acid analyses showed that the compositions of types L and R, and of types M1 and M2, respectively, were very similar.     

Pyruvate Kinase of Streptococcus lactis

The kinetic properties of pyruvate kinase (ATP:pyruvate-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.40) from Streptococcus lactis have been investigated. Positive homotropic kinetics were observed with phosphoenolpyruvate and adenosine 5′-diphosphate, resulting in a sigmoid relationship between reaction velocity and substrate concentrations. This relationship was abolished with an excess of the heterotropic effector fructose-1,6-diphosphate, giving a typical Michaelis-Menten relationship. Increasing the concentration of fructose-1,6-diphosphate increased the apparent V_max values and decreased the K_m values for both substrates. Catalysis by pyruvate kinase proceeded optimally at pH 6.9 to 7.5 and was markedly inhibited by inorganic phosphate and sulfate ions. Under certain conditions adenosine 5′-triphosphate also caused inhibition. The K_m values for phosphoenolpyruvate and adenosine 5′-diphosphate in the presence of 2 mM fructose-1,6-diphosphate were 0.17 mM and 1 mM, respectively. The concentration of fructose-1,6-diphosphate giving one-half maximal velocity with 2 mM phosphoenolpyruvate and 5 mM adenosine 5′-diphosphate was 0.07 mM. The intracellular concentrations of these metabolites (0.8 mM phosphoenolpyruvate, 2.4 mM adenosine 5′-diphosphate, and 18 mM fructose-1,6-diphosphate) suggest that the pyruvate kinase in S. lactis approaches maximal activity in exponentially growing cells. The role of pyruvate kinase in the regulation of the glycolytic pathway in lactic streptococci is discussed.     

Regulation of glycerol kinase by enzyme IIIGlc of the phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system.

Wild-type glycerol kinase of Escherichia coli is inhibited by both nonphosphorylated enzyme IIIGlc of the phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system and fructose 1,6-diphosphate. Mutant glycerol kinase, resistant to inhibition by fructose 1,6-diphosphate, was much less sensitive to inhibition by enzyme IIIGlc. The difference between the wild-type and mutant enzymes was even greater when inhibition was measured in the presence of both enzyme IIIGlc and fructose 1,6-diphosphate. The binding of enzyme IIIGlc to glycerol kinase required the presence of the substrate glycerol.     

Regulation by glucagon of hepatic pyruvate kinase, 6-phosphofructo 1-kinase, and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase

Glucagon stimulates gluconeogenesis in part by decreasing the rate of phosphoenolpyruvate disposal by pyruvate kinase. Glucagon, via cyclic AMP (cAMP) and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, enhances phosphorylation of pyruvate kinase, phosphofructokinase, and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase. Phosphorylation of pyruvate kinase results in enzyme inhibition and decreased recycling of phosphoenolpyruvate to pyruvate and enhanced glucose synthesis. Although phosphorylation of 6-phosphofructo 1-kinase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase is catalyzed in vitro by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, the role of phosphorylation in regulating the activity of and flux through these enzymes in intact cells is uncertain. Glucagon regulation of these two enzyme activities is brought about primarily by changes in the level of a novel sugar diphosphate, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. This compound is an activator of phosphofructokinase and an inhibitor of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase; it also potentiates the effect of AMP on both enzymes. Glucagon addition to isolated liver systems results in a greater than 90% decrease in the level of this compound. This effect explains in large part the effect of glucagon to enhance flux through fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and to suppress flux through phosphofructokinase. The discovery of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate has greatly furthered our understanding of regulation at the fructose 6-phosphate/fructose 1,6-bisphosphate substrate cycle.     

Kinetics of the activation of rat liver pyruvate kinase by fructose 1,6-disphosphate and methods for characterizing hysteretic transitions

1. Kinetics of fructose 1,6-diphosphate activation of liver pyruvate kinase type I inhibited with MgATP and l-alanine are described as a function of enzyme and fructose 1,6-diphosphate concentrations. These results can be explained by a single pseudo-first-order transition of the enzyme into an active form, independent of the enzyme concentration. This rate constant, k(app.)=0.24s(-1) with 0.02mm-fructose 1,6-diphosphate (t(0.9) approximately 10s where t(0.9) is the time for 90% conversion), is an increasing function of fructose 1,6-diphosphate concentration far beyond that needed to maximally activate enzyme equilibrated with fructose 1,6-diphosphate (about 20mum). 2. The model equations are best analysed with numerical techniques which are described. These techniques are useful in studying similar slow transients frequently observed in stopped-flow studies of enzymes. 3. Shorter transients (t(0.9)=0.5-1.5s) were observed in the kinetic response of the enzyme to the addition of MgATP or phosphoenolpyruvate, but were not further characterized.     

Kinetic properties of cerebral pyruvate kinase

Partly purified guinea-pig brain pyruvate kinase is not activated by fructose 1,6-diphosphate and gives hyperbolic substrate-saturation curves with phosphoenolpyruvate. It is therefore different from the L-type pyruvate kinase of mammalian liver. Inhibition by MgATP(2-) was competitive for MgADP(-) but not for phosphoenolpyruvate, and the enzyme is therefore different from the M-type pyruvate kinase, which is said to be competitively inhibited by MgATP(2-) with respect to both substrates. The K(i)(MgATP(2-)) value of approx. 8mm for the brain enzyme is higher than the values (about 2mm) reported for the muscle enzyme. Stimulation of enzymic activity was observed at low (1-2mm) concentrations of MgATP(2-). Substrate kinetic constants were K(m) (MgADP(-))=0.47mm, K(m) (phosphoenolpyruvate)=0.08mm. Free Mg(2+) at very high concentrations (over 10mm) was inhibitory (K(i)=20-32mm). Neither ADP(3-) nor 5'-AMP(2-) inhibited the activity. The brain enzyme was concluded to be different from both the M-type and the L-type of other mammalian organs such as muscle and liver.     

Kinetic properties of pyruvate kinase hybrids formed with native type L and inactivated type M subunits.

Bovine type M pyruvate kinase, which normally has hyperbolic kinetics with its substrates, was inactivated by treatment with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid. The inactivation probably occurs through trinitrophenylation of the epsilon-amino group of a lysine residue in or near the ADP binding site. Although 90 to 95% of the enzymatic activity is lost by this treatment, the molecular weight and sedimentation coefficient of the trinitrophenylated enzyme are quite similar to values obtained with the native enzyme. The inactivated, trinitrophenylated type M pyruvate kinase was hybridized in vitro with the native bovine type L enzyme, which has sigmoidal kinetics with phosphoenolpyruvate but can be activated by fructose 1,6-diphosphate to give hyperbolic kinetics. Four enzymatically active species were produced, designated L4, L3M, L2M2, and LM3, according to their subunit composition. L4 and L3M have sigmoidal kinetics with phosphoenolpyruvate and are activated by fructose diphosphate. Little or no sigmoidicity was seen for L2M2, although this species is activated to a moderate degree by fructose diphosphate. LM3 appears to have hyperbolic kinetics and is activated only slightly by fructose diphosphate. The kinetic results obtained with hybrids containing trinitrophenylated type M subunits are quite similar to the results previously reported by Dyson and Cardenas ((1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 8482-8488) using native type M and type L subunits, indicating that the properties of a type L subunit are profoundly affected by the nature of the other subunits present in the tetramer. In fact, type L and type M subunits in a given hybrid seem to have similar kinetic responses toward phosphoenolpyruvate and fructose diphosphate.     

Functional changes associated with the sequential transformation of L'4 into L4 pyruvate kinase.

The functional changes, associated with the sequential transformation of L'4 into L4 pyruvate kinase (ATP:pyruvate 2-O-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.40) were studied. L'4 enzyme from human erythrocytes shows strong hysteretic behaviour: the initial rate of the enzyme preincubated with an unsaturating concentration of phosphoenolpyruvate is much higher than of the enzyme preincubated with ADP, at the same phosphoenolpyruvate concentration, although the "final activity" (the activity of the linear part of the reaction progress curve) was the same in both cases. This phenomenon was observed both in the presence and absence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate. High concentrations of both Mg2+free and MgATP2- diminish the difference in initial rate, between the ADP and phosphoenolpyruvate preincubated enzymes: Mg2+free by stabilizing the phosphoenolpyruvate-induced form; ATPMg2- by stabilizing the ADP-induced form. The magnitude of the difference in initial rates of the ADP-or phosphoenolpyruvate-preincubated enzyme is a function of both substrates. L4 pyruvate kinase (either from human liver or trypsin treated L'4 enzyme) does not, or to a very slight extent, show such behaviour. L'2L2 pyruvate kinase shows behaviour intermediate between L'4 and L4 enzymes. A model is proposed to describe the kinetic behaviour of L'4 and L4 enzymes.