Dehydrogenation of the phosphonate analogue of glucose 6-phosphate by glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase.

6,7 -Dideoxy-alpha-D-gluco-heptose 7-phosphonic acid, the isosteric phosphonate analogue of glucose 6-phosphate, was synthesized in six steps from the readily available precursor benzyl 4,6-O-benzylidene-alpha-D-glucopyranoside. The analogue is a substrate for yeast glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, showing Michaelis-Menten kinetics at pH7.5 and 8.0. At both pH values the Km values of the analogue are 4-5 fold higher and the values approx. 50% lower than those of the natural substrate. The product of enzymic dehydrogenation of the phosphonate analogue at pH8.5 is itself a substrate for gluconate 6-phosphate dehydrogenase.     

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Purification and partial characterization.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase has been purified 1000-fold from pig liver. This enzyme exists as an active dimer of molecular weight 133,000 and an inactive monomer of molecular weight 67,500. The pH of maximum activity is 8.5 and the ionic strength maximum is 0.1 to 0.5 M. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase is highly specific for NADP+ and glucose 6-phosphate. Apparent Km values of 3.6 muM and 5.4 muM were obtained for glucose 6-phosphate and NADP+. This enzyme is located almost entirely within the soluble portion of the cellular cytoplasm.     

Regulation of the glucolytic enzymes inPseudomonas putida

Summary The synthesis of glucose catabolizing enzymes is under inductive control inPseudomonas putida. Glucose, gluconate and 2-ketogluconate are the best nutritional inducers of these enzymes. Mutants unable to catabolize gluconate or 2-ketogluconate synthesized relatively high levels of glucose dehydrogenase and gluconate-6P dehydrase activities when grown in the presence of these substrates. This identifies both compounds as true inducers of these enzymes. KDGP aldolase is induced by its substrate, as evidenced by the inability of mutant cells unable to form KDGP to produce this enzyme at levels above the basal one. A 3-carbon compound appears to be the inducer of glyceraldehyde-3P dehydrogenase. This pattern of regulation suggests that there is a low degree of coordinate control in the synthesis of the glucolytic enzymes byP. putida. This is also supported by the lack of proportionality found in the levels of two enzymes governed by the same inducers, glucose dehydrogenase and gluconate-6P dehydrase, in cells grown on different conditions.Abbrevitions P phosphate - KDGP 2-Keto-3-deoxygluconate-6-phosphate - GDH glucose dehydrogenase - GNDH gluconate dehydrogenase - GK glucokinase - GNK gluconokinase - KGK ketogluconokinase - KGR 2-Ketogluconate-6-phosphate reductase - GPDH glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase - GNPD gluconate-6-phosphate dehydrase - KDGPA 2-Keto-3-deoxygluconate-6-phosphate aldolase - GAPDH glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase     

Enzymatic properties, renaturation and metabolic role of mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli

Enzymatic properties, renaturation and metabolic role of mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli. D-mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase was purified to homogeneity from Escherichia coli, and its physicochemical and enzymatic properties were investigated. The molecular weight of the polypeptide chain is 45,000 as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in denaturing conditions. High performance size exclusion chromatography gives an apparent molecular weight of 47,000 for the native enzyme, showing that D-mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase is a monomeric NAD-dependent dehydrogenase. D-mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase is rapidly denatured by 6 M guanidine hydrochloride. Non-superimposable transition curves for the loss of activity and the changes in fluorescence suggest the existence of a partially folded inactive intermediate. The protein can be fully renatured after complete unfolding, and the regain of both native fluorescence and activity occurs rapidly within a few seconds at pH 7.5 and 20 degrees C. Such a high rate of reactivation is unusual for a protein of this size. D-mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase is specific for mannitol-1-phosphate (or fructose-6-phosphate) as a substrate and NAD+ (or NADH) as a cofactor. Zinc is not required for the activity. The affinity of D-mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase for the reduced or oxidized form of its substrate or cofactor remains constant with pH. The affinity for NADH is 20-fold higher than for NAD+. The forward and reverse catalytic rate constants of the reaction: mannitol-1-phosphate + NAD+ in equilibrium fructose-6-phosphate + NADH have different pH dependences. The oxidation of mannitol-1-phosphate has an optimum pH of 9.5, while the reduction of fructose-6-phosphate has its maximum rate at pH 7.0. At pH values around neutrality the maximum rate of reduction of fructose-6-phosphate is much higher than that of oxidation of mannitol-1-phosphate. The enzymatic properties of isolated D-mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase are discussed in relation to the role of this enzyme in the intracellular metabolism.     

Sorbitol-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from loquat fruit

Sorbitol-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was found in flesh tissue of mature fruit of the loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. var. Tanaka). The enzyme was purified about 30-fold from the crude extract of the fruit, and was demonstrated to catalyze sorbitol-6-phosphate + NADP glucose-6-phosphate + NADPH. The optimal pH values for sorbitol 6-phosphate oxidation and glucose 6-phosphate reduction were 9.8 and 9.1, respectively.     

Regulation of alternate peripheral pathways of glucose catabolism during aerobic and anaerobic growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Glucose may be converted to 6-phosphogluconate by alternate pathways in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Glucose is phosphorylated to glucose-6-phosphate, which is oxidized to 6-phosphogluconate during anaerobic growth when nitrate is used as respiratory electron acceptor. Mutant cells lacking glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase are unable to catabolize glucose under these conditions. The mutant cells utilize glucose as effectively as do wild-type cells in the presence of oxygen; under these conditions, glucose is utilized via direct oxidation to gluconate, which is converted to 6-phosphogluconate. The membrane-associated glucose dehydrogenase activity was not formed during anaerobic growth with glucose. Gluconate, the product of the enzyme, appeared to be the inducer of the gluconate transport system, gluconokinase, and membrane-associated gluconate dehydrogenase. 6-Phosphogluconate is probably the physiological inducer of glucokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and the dehydratase and aldolase of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway. Nitrate-linked respiration is required for the anaerobic uptake of glucose and gluconate by independently regulated transport systems in cells grown under denitrifying conditions.     

Phosphonomethyl analogues of hexose phosphates.

The analogue of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate in which the phosphate group, -O-PO3H2, on C-6 is replaced by the phosphonomethyl group, -CH2-PO3H2, was made enzymically from the corresponding analogue of 3-phosphoglycerate. It was a substrate for aldolase, which was used to form it, but not for fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase. It was hydrolysed chemically to yield the corresponding analogue of fructose 6-phosphate [i.e. 6-deoxy-6-(phosphonomethyl)-D-fructose, or, more strictly, 6,7-dideoxy-7-phosphono-D-arabino-2-heptulose]. This proved to be a substrate for the sequential actions of glucose 6-phosphate isomerase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. Thus seven out of the nine enzymes of the glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathways so far tested catalyse the reactions of the phosphonomethyl isosteres of their substrates.     

Lipid metabolism by rat lung in vitro. Effect of starvation and re-feeding on utilization of [U-14C]glucose by lung slices

1. The incorporation of [U-(14)C]glucose into several lipid components of lung and liver slices, and the activities of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.44), ;malic' enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40) and NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.42) of the cell cytosol were examined in normal, starved and re-fed rats. 2. Lipogenesis and the activities of these enzymes in liver were decreased markedly in rats starved for 72h. Re-feeding starved rats on a fat-free diet for 72h resulted in the well documented hyperlipogenic response in liver, particularly in its ability to convert glucose into neutral lipid, and increased activities of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, ;malic' enzyme and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase to values approx. 700, 470 and 250% of controls respectively. 3. Approx. 70% of the total label in lung lipids was present in the phospholipid fraction. Hydrolysis of lung phospholipids revealed that lipogenesis from glucose was considerable, with approx. 40% of the total phospholipid radioactivity present in the fatty acid fraction. 4. Incorporation of glucose into total lung lipids was decreased by approx. 40% in lung slices of starved rats and was returned to control values on re-feeding. Although phospholipid synthesis from glucose was decreased in lung slices of starved rats, the decrease proportionally was greater for the fatty acid fraction (approx. 50%) as compared with the glycerol fraction (approx. 25%). 5. The activities of lung glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase were not affected by the dietary alterations. ;Malic' enzyme activity was not detected in lung cytosol preparations. 6. The results are discussed in relation to the surface-active lining layer (surfactant) of the lung.     

Partial purification and some kinetic properties of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from Phycomyces blakesleeanus

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from sporangiophores of Phycomyces blakesleeanus NRRL 1555 (-) was partially purified. The enzyme showed a molecular weight of 85 700 as determined by gel-filtration. NADP+ protected the enzyme from inactivation. Magnesium ions did not affect the enzyme activity. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was specific for NADP+ as coenzyme. The reaction rates were hyperbolic functions of substrate and coenzyme concentrations. The Km values for NADP+ and glucose 6-phosphate were 39.8 and 154.4 microM, respectively. The kinetic patterns, with respect to coenzyme and substrate, indicated a sequential mechanism. NADPH was a competitive inhibitor with respect to NADP+ (Ki = 45.5 microM) and a non-competitive inhibitor with respect to glucose 6-phosphate. ATP inhibited the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. The inhibition was of the linear-mixed type with respect to NADP+, the dissociation constant of the enzyme-ATP complex being 2.6 mM, and the enzyme-NADP+-ATP dissociation constant 12.8 mM.     

A unique electrophoretic slow-moving glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase variant (G6PD Asahikawa) with a markedly acidic pH optimum

Summary A new glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) variant associated with chronic nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia was discovered in Japan. The patient showed hemolytic crises after upper respiratory infections. The enzyme activity was about 3.8% of the normal. The partially purified enzyme revealed slow anodal electrophoretic mobility, high Km NADP, marked thermal-instability, and increased affinity for a substrate analogue (deamino-NADP). A particular characteristic of this enzyme was a biphasic pH curve with a greatly increased activity at low pH values. From these results, this variant was clearly different from hitherto observed G6PD variants, and was designated G6PD Asahikawa.     

Glucose 6-phosphate stimulation of MgATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake by rat kidney microsomes

(1) The features of MgATP-dependent Ca2+ accumulation under stimulation with glucose 6-phosphate were studied in rat kidney microsomes. (2) Ca2+ accumulated in the presence of MgATP alone does not exceed approx. 2 nmol/mg protein. (3) Glucose 6-phosphate markedly stimulates Ca2+ accumulation, up to steady-state levels approx. 15-fold higher than in its absence. (4) The hydrolysis of glucose 6-phosphate by glucose-6-phosphatase is essential for the stimulation, as shown by inhibiting the glucose 6-phosphate hydrolysis with adequate concentrations of vanadate. Inorganic phosphate is accumulated in microsomal vesicles during glucose 6-phosphate-stimulated Ca2+ uptake in equimolar amounts with respects to Ca2+. (5) Increasing concentrations of glucose 6-phosphate result in increasing stimulations of Ca2+ uptake, until a maximal Ca2(+)-loading capacity of approx. 27 nmol/mg microsomal protein is reached. It is suggested that the enlargement of the kidney microsomal Ca2+ pool induced by glucose 6-phosphate (an important metabolite in kidney) might play a role in the regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis in kidney tubular cells.     

Kinetic studies on microsomal glucose dehydrogenase in rat liver.

Glucose dehydrogenase from rat liver microsomes was found to react not only with glucose as a substrate but also with glucose 6-phosphate, 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate and galactose 6-phosphate. The relative maximum activity of this enzyme was 29% for glucose 6-phosphate, 99% for 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate, and 25% for galactose 6-phosphate, compared with 100% for glucose with NADP. The enzyme could utilize either NAD or NADP as a coenzyme. Using polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis, we were able to detect several enzymatically active bands by incubation of the gels in a tetrazolium assay mixture. Each band had different Km values for the substrates (3.0 x 10(-5)M glucose 6-phosphate with NADP to 2.4M glucose with NAD) and for coenzymes (1.3 x 10(-6)M NAD with galactose 6-phosphate to 5.9 x 10(-5)M NAD with glucose). Though glucose 6-phosphate and galactose 6-phosphate reacted with glucose dehydrogenase, they inhibited the reaction of this enzyme only when either glucose or 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate was used as a substrate. The Ki values for glucose 6-phosphate with glucose as substrate were 4.0 x 10(-6)M with NAD, and 8.4 x 10(-6)M with NADP; for galactose 6-phosphate they were 6.7 x10(-6)M with NAD and 6.0 x 10(-6)M with NADP. The Ki values for glucose 6-phosphate with 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate as substrate were 6.3 x 10(-6)M with NAD and 8.9 x 10(-6)M with NADP; and for galactose 6-phosphate, 8.0 x 10(-6)M with NAD and 3.5 x 10(-6)M with NADP. Both NADH and NADPH inhibited glucose dehydrogenase when the corresponding oxidized coenzymes were used (Ki values: 8.0 x 10(-5)M by NADH and 9.1 x 10(-5)M by NADPH), while only NADPH inhibited cytoplasmic glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (Ki: 2.4 x 10(-5)M). The results indicate that glucose dehydrogenase cannot directly oxidize glucose in vivo, but it might play a similar role to glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase. The differences in the kinetics of glucose dehydrogenase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase show that glucose 6-phosphate and galactose 6-phosphate could be metabolized in quite different ways in the microsomes and cytoplasm of rat liver.     

A novel dehydrogenase reaction mechanism for hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase isolated from the teleost Fundulus heteroclitus

Hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (refers to hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from any species in general) has been purified to apparent homogeneity from the teleost fish Fundulus heteroclitus. The enzyme was characterized for native (210 kDa) and subunit molecular mass (54 kDa), isoelectric point (6.65), amino acid composition, substrate specificity, and metal dependence. Glucose 6-phosphate, galactose 6-phosphate, 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate, glucose 6-sulfate, glucosamine 6-phosphate, and glucose were found to be substrates in the reaction with NADP+, but only glucose was a substrate when NAD+ was used as coenzyme. A unique reaction mechanism for the forward direction was found for this enzyme when glucose 6-phosphate and NADP+ were used as substrates; ordered with glucose 6-phosphate binding first. NAD+ was found to be a competitive inhibitor toward NADP+ and an uncompetitive inhibitor with regard to glucose 6-phosphate in this reaction; Vmax = 7.56 mumol/min/mg, Km(NADP+) = 1.62 microM, Km(glucose 6-phosphate) = 7.29 microM, Kia(glucose 6-phosphate) = 8.66 microM, and Ki(NAD+) = 0.49 microM. The use of alternative substrates confirmed this result. This type of reaction mechanism has not been previously reported for a dehydrogenase.     

Alginic acid synthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutants defective in carbohydrate metabolism.

Mutant cells of mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from cystic fibrosis patients were examined for their ability to synthesize alginic acid in resting cell suspensions. Unlike the wild-type strain which synthesizes alginic acid from glycerol, fructose, mannitol, glucose, gluconate, glutamate, or succinate, mutants lacking specific enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism are uniquely impaired. A phosphoglucose isomerase mutant did not synthesize the polysaccharide from mannitol, nor did a glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase mutant synthesize the polysaccharide from mannitol or glucose. Mutants lacking the Entner-Doudoroff pathway dehydrase or aldolase failed to produce alginate from mannitol, glucose, or gluconate, as a 3-phosphoglycerate kinase or glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase mutant failed to produce from glutamate or succinate. These results demonstrate the primary role of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway enzymes in the synthesis of alginate from glucose, mannitol, or gluconate and the role of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase reaction for the synthesis from gluconeogenic precursors such as glutamate. The virtual absence of any activity of phosphomannose isomerase in cell extracts of several independent mucoid bacteria and the impairment of alginate synthesis from mannitol in mutants lacking phosphoglucose isomerase or glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase rule out free mannose 6-phosphate as an intermediate in alginate biosynthesis.     

Lysine-21 of Leuconostoc mesenteroides glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase participates in substrate binding through charge-charge interaction.

Leuconostoc mesenteroides glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) was isolated in high yield and purified to homogeneity from a newly constructed strain of Escherichia coli which lacks its own glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene. Lys-21 is one of two lysyl residues in the enzyme previously modified by the affinity labels pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and pyridoxal 5'-diphosphate-5'-adenosine, which are competitive inhibitors of the enzyme with respect to glucose 6-phosphate (LaDine, J.R., Carlow, D., Lee, W.T., Cross, R.L., Flynn, T.G., & Levy, H.R., 1991, J. Biol. Chem. 266, 5558-5562). K21R and K21Q mutants of the enzyme were purified to homogeneity and characterized kinetically to determine the function of Lys-21. Both mutant enzymes showed increased Km-values for glucose 6-phosphate compared to wild-type enzyme: 1.4-fold (NAD-linked reaction) and 2.1-fold (NADP-linked reaction) for the K21R enzyme, and 36-fold (NAD-linked reaction) and 53-fold (NADP-linked reaction) for the K21Q enzyme. The Km for NADP+ was unchanged in both mutant enzymes. The Km for NAD+ was increased 1.5- and 3.2-fold, compared to the wild-type enzyme, in the K21R and K21Q enzymes, respectively. For the K21R enzyme the kcat for the NAD- and NADP-linked reactions was unchanged. The kcat for the K21Q enzyme was increased in the NAD-linked reaction by 26% and decreased by 30% in the NADP-linked reaction from the values for the wild-type enzyme. The data are consistent with Lys-21 participating in the binding of the phosphate group of the substrate to the enzyme via charge-charge interaction.     

Enzymes of glucose metabolism in Frankia sp.

Enzymes of glucose metabolism were assayed in crude cell extracts of Frankia strains HFPArI3 and HFPCcI2 as well as in isolated vesicle clusters from Alnus rubra root nodules. Activities of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway enzymes glucokinase, phosphofructokinase, and pyruvate kinase were found in Frankia strain HFPArI3 and glucokinase and pyruvate kinase were found in Frankia strain HFPCcI2 and in the vesicle clusters. An NADP+-linked glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and an NAD-linked 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase were found in all of the extracts, although the role of these enzymes is unclear. No NADP+-linked 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase was found. Both dehydrogenases were inhibited by adenosine 5-triphosphate, and the apparent Km's for glucose 6-phosphate and 6-phosphogluconate were 6.86 X 10(-4) and 7.0 X 10(-5) M, respectively. In addition to the enzymes mentioned above, an NADP+-linked malic enzyme was detected in the pure cultures but not in the vesicle clusters. In contrast, however, the vesicle clusters had activity of an NAD-linked malic enzyme. The possibility that this enzyme resulted from contamination from plant mitochondria trapped in the vesicle clusters could not be discounted. None of the extracts showed activities of the Entner-Doudoroff enzymes or the gluconate metabolism enzymes gluconate dehydrogenase or gluconokinase. Propionate- versus trehalose-grown cultures of strain HFPArI3 showed similar activities of most enzymes except malic enzyme, which was higher in the cultures grown on the organic acid. Nitrogen-fixing cultures of strain HFPArI3 showed higher specific activities of glucose 6-phosphate and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenases and phosphofructokinase than ammonia-grown cultures.     

Regulation of the tyrosine oxidizing system in fetal rat liver

The formation of glucose 6-arsenate and glucose 6-phosphate shows similar thermodynamic constants: both reactions are endothermic, endergonic, and occur with a decrease of entropy. However, the kinetic coefficients of the spontaneous formation of the arsenate esters are ca. 10⁵ times greater than those of their homologous phosphate esters. The activation energy of the spontaneous formation of glucose 6-arsenate (E = + 12 kcal mol^?1) is even smaller than that of the formation of glucose 6-phosphate by alkaline phosphate (E = + 13 kcal mol^?1). Similar to the case of the monoalkylphosphates, the monoanion species of glucose 6-arsenate is much more reactive than the dianion species. This is an important difference with respect to glucose 6-phosphate. The calculated half-lives at 25 °C and pH 7.0 of glucose 6-arsenate and 6-arsenogluconate are only ca. 6 and 30 min, respectively; they increase at lower temperatures and alkaline pH. At 0 °C and pH 9.0 the half-life of glucose 6-arsenate is ca. 20 h. Therefore, arsenate esters could probably be isolated for use as a tool in biochemical studies. Arsenate esters are good analogs of the phosphate esters for a variety of enzymes. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase shows nearly similar values of K_m and V for either glucose 6-phosphate or glucose 6-arsenate, and hexokinase is similarly inhibited by both compounds. 6-Phosphogluconate dehydrogenase has the same V with respect to 6-phosphogluconate and 6-arsenogluconate although the enzyme shows a much lower affinity for the latter substrate.     

Sigmoid kinetics of human erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase

Several disagreements and inconsistencies have appeared regarding whether human erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase exhibits sigmoid or classical kinetics with respect to NADP+ binding. The latest report is that the purified enzyme exhibits classical kinetics while the intracellular enzyme exhibits sigmoid kinetics (H. N. Kirkman, and G. F. Gaetani (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 4033-4038). The various investigations were carried out at fixed pH, ionic strength, and temperature. The steady-state kinetics of crude and purified erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase are reported here at various temperatures, ionic strengths, and pH values and as a function of glucose 6-phosphate concentration. Sigmoid kinetics were observed for both purified and crude enzyme samples at high pH, temperature, ionic strength, and concentration of glucose 6-phosphate with Hill coefficients varying between 1.40 and 1.90. In contrast, at low pH, temperature, and ionic strength, the crude enzyme samples exhibit sigmoid kinetics while the purified samples exhibit classical kinetics despite the high concentration of glucose 6-phosphate. High concentrations of glucose 6-phosphate and factors favoring the enzyme in the dimeric form are necessary conditions for the observation of sigmoid kinetics in human erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. These factors are high pH, ionic strength, and temperature. The observed sigmoid kinetics in this enzyme is explained as arising from tetramer-dimer transitions.     

Differential behaviour of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase in two morphological forms of Trypanosoma cruzi

1. Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity (EC 1.1.1.49) of two morphological forms of Trypanosoma cruzi, epimastigotes and metacyclics, are reported. 2. The kinetic behaviour and some of the kinetic parameters of the enzyme in both forms were studied. The enzymes showed a simple Michaelis-Menten kinetic. 3. The activity in epimastigote forms was alway higher than the metacyclic ones. At subsaturating concentrations of substrate was almost 10-fold higher, whereas at saturating concentrations was about 2-fold higher. 4. In epimastigote forms the specific activity and Km values, at pH 7.5 and 37 degrees C, was found to be 142 mUnits x mg-1 of protein and 0.23 mM, respectively. 5. In the same conditions, the specific activity and Km values in metacyclic forms was 75 mUnits x mg-1 of protein and 1.06 mM, respectively. 6. A possible role in the carbohydrate metabolism of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase in both forms of Trypanosoma cruzi is discussed.     

Activities of enzymes of the oxidative and the reductive pentose phosphate pathways in heterocysts of a blue-green alga

Preparations of heterocysts of Anabaena cylindrica Lemm. had 7- to 8-fold higher activities of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, 2-fold more hexokinase activity, and 0.02 to 0.06 times as much ribulose diphosphate carboxylase and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase activities as did whole filaments per milligram soluble protein in cell-free extracts. Time courses of solubilization of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity indicated that heterocysts contain 74 to 80% of the total activity of this enzyme in filaments.