The structures of inhibitor complexes of Pyrococcus furiosus phosphoglucose isomerase provide insights into substrate binding and catalysis

Pyrococcus furiosus phosphoglucose isomerase (PfPGI) is a metal-containing enzyme that catalyses the interconversion of glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) and fructose 6-phosphate (F6P). The recent structure of PfPGI has confirmed the hypothesis that the enzyme belongs to the cupin superfamily and identified the position of the active site. This fold is distinct from the alphabetaalpha sandwich fold commonly seen in phosphoglucose isomerases (PGIs) that are found in bacteria, eukaryotes and some archaea. Whilst the mechanism of the latter family is thought to proceed through a cis-enediol intermediate, analysis of the structure of PfPGI in the presence of inhibitors has led to the suggestion that the mechanism of this enzyme involves the metal-dependent direct transfer of a hydride between C1 and C2 atoms of the substrate. To gain further insight in the reaction mechanism of PfPGI, the structures of the free enzyme and the complexes with the inhibitor, 5-phospho-d-arabinonate (5PAA) in the presence and absence of metal have been determined. Comparison of these structures with those of equivalent complexes of the eukaryotic PGIs reveals similarities at the active site in the disposition of possible catalytic residues. These include the presence of a glutamic acid residue, Glu97 in PfPGI, which occupies the same position relative to the inhibitor as that of the glutamate that is thought to function as the catalytic base in the eukaryal-type PGIs. These similarities suggest that aspects of the catalytic mechanisms of these two structurally unrelated PGIs may be similar and based on an enediol intermediate.     

葡萄糖异构酶的生物工程研究进展

D-葡萄糖异构酶(GI)能分别催化D-葡萄糖和D-木糖异构为D-果糖和D-木酮糖. 它是工业上生产高果糖浆的关键酶. 在GI负氢离子转移机制中,其主要特征是底物的开环、通过C₂至C₁间负氢离子转移的GI异构化作用、以及产物的闭环. GI基因已在同源、异源宿主中获得克隆、测序和超量表达. 经过蛋白质工程改造的GI将是未来最重要的工业用酶之一.     

Structural basis for phosphomannose isomerase activity in phosphoglucose isomerase from Pyrobaculum aerophilum: a subtle difference between distantly related enzymes

The crystal structure of a dual-specificity phosphoglucose/phosphomannose isomerase from the crenarchaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum (PaPGI/PMI) has been determined in complex with glucose 6-phosphate at 1.16 A resolution and with fructose 6-phosphate at 1.5 A resolution. Subsequent modeling of mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) into the active site of the enzyme shows that the PMI activity of this enzyme may be due to the additional space imparted by a threonine. In PGIs from bacterial and eukaryotic sources, which cannot use M6P as a substrate, the equivalent residue is a glutamine. The increased space may permit rotation of the C2-C3 bond in M6P to facilitate abstraction of a proton from C2 by Glu203 and, after a further C2-C3 rotation of the resulting cis-enediolate, re-donation of a proton to C1 by the same residue. A proline residue (in place of a glycine in PGI) may also promote PMI activity by positioning the C1-O1 region of M6P. Thus, the PMI reaction in PaPGI/PMI probably uses a cis-enediol mechanism of catalysis, and this activity appears to arise from a subtle difference in the architecture of the enzyme, compared to bacterial and eukaryotic PGIs.     

Uronate isomerase: a nonhydrolytic member of the amidohydrolase superfamily with an ambivalent requirement for a divalent metal ion

Uronate isomerase, a member of the amidohydrolase superfamily, catalyzes the isomerization of D-glucuronate and D-fructuronate. During the interconversion of substrate and product the hydrogen at C2 of D-glucuronate is transferred to the pro-R position at C1 of the product, D-fructuronate. The exchange of the transferred hydrogen with solvent deuterium occurs at a rate that is 4 orders of magnitude slower than the interconversion of substrate and product. The enzyme catalyzes the elimination of fluoride from 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-D-glucuronate. These results have been interpreted to suggest a chemical reaction mechanism in which an active site base abstracts the proton from C2 of D-glucuronate to form a cis-enediol intermediate. The conjugate acid then transfers this proton to C1 of the cis-enediol intermediate to form D-fructuronate. The loss of fluoride from 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-D-glucuronate is consistent with a stabilized carbanion at C2 of the substrate during substrate turnover. The slow exchange of the transferred hydrogen with solvent water is consistent with a shielded conjugate acid after abstraction of the proton from either D-glucuronate or D-fructuronate during the isomerization reaction. This conclusion is supported by the competitive inhibition of the enzymatic reaction by D-arabinaric acid and the monohydroxamate derivative with Ki values of 13 and 670 nM, respectively. There is no evidence to support a hydride transfer mechanism for uronate isomerase. The wild type enzyme was found to contain 1 equiv of zinc per subunit. The divalent cation could be removed by dialysis against the metal chelator, dipicolinate. However, the apoenzyme has the same catalytic activity as the Zn-substituted enzyme and thus the divalent metal ion is not required for enzymatic activity. This is the only documented example of a member in the amidohydrolase superfamily that does not require one or two divalent cations for enzymatic activity.     

Crystal structure of rabbit phosphoglucose isomerase complexed with its substrate D-fructose 6-phosphate.

Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI, EC 5.3.1.9) catalyzes the interconversion of D-glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) and D-fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) and plays important roles in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Biochemical characterization of the enzyme has led to a proposed multistep catalytic mechanism. First, the enzyme catalyzes ring opening to yield the open chain form of the substrate. Then isomerization proceeds via proton transfer between C2 and C1 of a cis-enediol(ate) intermediate to yield the open chain form of the product. Catalysis proceeds in both the G6P to F6P and F6P to G6P directions, so both G6P and F6P are substrates. X-ray crystal structure analysis of rabbit and bacterial PGI has previously identified the location of the enzyme active site, and a recent crystal structure of rabbit PGI identified Glu357 as a candidate functional group for transferring the proton. However, it was not clear which active site amino acid residues catalyze the ring opening step. In this paper, we report the X-ray crystal structure of rabbit PGI complexed with the cyclic form of its substrate, D-fructose 6-phosphate, at 2.1 A resolution. The location of the substrate relative to the side chains of His388 suggest that His388 promotes ring opening by protonating the ring oxygen. Glu216 helps to position His388, and a water molecule that is held in position by Lys518 and Thr214 accepts a proton from the hydroxyl group at C2. Comparison to a structure of rabbit PGI with 5PAA bound indicates that ring opening is followed by loss of the protonated water molecule and conformational changes in the substrate and the protein so that a helix containing amino acids 513-520 moves in toward the substrate to form additional hydrogen bonds with the substrate.     

Structural evidence for a hydride transfer mechanism of catalysis in phosphoglucose isomerase from Pyrococcus furiosus

In the Euryarchaeota species Pyrococcus furiosus and Thermococcus litoralis, phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) activity is catalyzed by an enzyme unrelated to the well known family of PGI enzymes found in prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and some archaea. We have determined the crystal structure of PGI from Pyrococcus furiosus in native form and in complex with two active site ligands, 5-phosphoarabinonate and gluconate 6-phosphate. In these structures, the metal ion, which in vivo is presumed to be Fe2+, is located in the core of the cupin fold and is immediately adjacent to the C1-C2 region of the ligands, suggesting that Fe2+ is involved in catalysis rather than serving a structural role. The active site contains a glutamate residue that contacts the substrate, but, because it is also coordinated to the metal ion, it is highly unlikely to mediate proton transfer in a cis-enediol mechanism. Consequently, we propose a hydride shift mechanism of catalysis. In this mechanism, Fe2+ is responsible for proton transfer between O1 and O2, and the hydride shift between C1 and C2 is favored by a markedly hydrophobic environment in the active site. The absence of any obvious enzymatic machinery for catalyzing ring opening of the sugar substrates suggests that pyrococcal PGI has a preference for straight chain substrates and that metabolism in extreme thermophiles may use sugars in both ring and straight chain forms.     

Regulation of glucose, fructose and sucrose catabolism in Rhodopseudomonas capsulata.

Regulation of glucose, fructose and sucrose catabolism was studied in Rhodopseudomonas capsulata grown under phototrophic conditions. The sequence of preference for the utilization of the sugar substrates was fructose, glucose, sucrose. The presence of a preferred substrate did not completely suppress the utilization of the less preferred. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, the key enzyme of glucose and sucrose catabolism, exhibited sigmoidal substrate saturation curves and was inhibited by phosphoenolpyruvate, whereas 1-phosphofructokinase, the key enzyme of fructose catabolism, exhibited hyperbolic substrate saturation curves and was not inhibited by phosphoenolpyruvate. Since phosphoenolpyruvate is a common intermediate of glucose, fructose and sucrose catabolism, the control of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase may be responsible for the preferential utilization of fructose.     

Characterisation of hexokinase in Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites

We have cloned the hexokinase [E.C. 2.7.1.1] gene of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite and obtained an active recombinant enzyme with a calculated molecular mass of 51,465Da and an isoelectric point of 5.82. Southern blot analysis indicated that the hexokinase gene existed as a single copy in the tachyzoites of T. gondii. The sequence of T. gondii hexokinase exhibited the highest identity (44%) to that of Plasmodium falciparum hexokinase and lower identity of less than 35% to those of hexokinases from other organisms. The specific activity of the homogeneously purified recombinant enzyme was 4.04 micromol/mg protein/min at 37 degrees C under optimal conditions. The enzyme could use glucose, fructose, and mannose as substrates, though it preferred glucose. Adenosine triphosphate was exclusively the most effective phosphorus donor, and pyrophosphate did not serve as a substrate. K(m) values for glucose and adenosine triphosphate were 8.0+/-0.8 microM and 1.05+/-0.25mM, respectively. No allosteric effect of substrates was observed, and the products, glucose 6-phosphate and adenosine diphosphate, had no inhibitory effect on T. gondii hexokinase activity. Other phosphorylated hexoses, fructose 6-phosphate, trehalose 6-phosphate which is an inhibitor of yeast hexokinase, and pyrophosphate, also did not affect T. gondii hexokinase activity. Native hexokinase activity was recovered in both the cytosol and membrane fractions of the whole lysate of T. gondii tachyzoites. This result suggests that T. gondii hexokinase weakly associates with the membrane or particulate fraction of the tachyzoite cell.     

The crystal structure of rabbit phosphoglucose isomerase complexed with D-sorbitol-6-phosphate, an analog of the open chain form of D-glucose-6-phosphate

Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) catalyzes the isomerization of D-glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) and D-fructose-6-phosphate (F6P) in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Analysis of previously reported X-ray crystal structures of PGI without ligand, with the cyclic form of F6P, or with inhibitors that mimic the cis-enediol intermediate led to proposed mechanisms for the ring opening and isomerization steps in the multistep catalytic mechanism. To help complete our model of the overall mechanism, information is needed about the state of PGI between the ring opening and isomerization steps, in other words, a structure of the enzyme complexed with the open form of a substrate or an analog. Here, we report the crystal structure of rabbit PGI complexed with D-sorbitol-6-phosphate (S6P), an analog of the open chain form of G6P, at 2.0 A resolution. As was seen in the PGI/F6P structure, a helix containing amino acid residues 512-520 is found in the "out" position, which provides sufficient space in the active site for a substrate in its cyclic form and which is probably the location of that helix just after ring opening (or just before ring closure). However, the S6P ligand is in an extended conformation, as was seen previously with ligands that mimic the cis-enediol intermediate. The extended conformation enables the ligand to interact with Glu357, which transfers a proton during the isomerization step. The PGI/S6P structure represents the conformation of the enzyme and substrate between the ring opening (or ring closing) step and the isomerization step and helps to complete the model for PGI's catalytic mechanism.     

Structural evidence for a 1,2-enediolate intermediate in the reaction catalyzed by 3-keto-L-gulonate 6-phosphate decarboxylase, a member of the orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase suprafamily

3-Keto-L-gulonate 6-phosphate decarboxylase (KGPDC) and orotidine 5'-phosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC) are members of an enzyme suprafamily, the OMPDC suprafamily, because they are homologous enzymes that catalyze mechanistically distinct reactions using different substrates. KGPDC catalyzes the Mg(2+) ion-dependent decarboxylation of 3-keto-L-gulonate 6-phosphate to yield L-xylulose 5-phosphate and CO(2); OMPDC catalyzes the metal ion-independent decarboxylation of OMP to UMP and CO(2). Structural studies have shown that KGPDC and OMPDC share several strictly conserved active site residues that are used differently by each enzyme to catalyze their mechanistically distinct reactions. Although the mechanism of the KGPDC-catalyzed reaction has yet to be elucidated, it is thought to proceed via a Mg(2+) ion-stabilized 1,2-enediolate intermediate. Here we report the crystal structures of KGPDC complexed with L-gulonate 6-phosphate, L-threonohydroxamate 4-phosphate, and L-xylitol 5-phosphate, analogues of the substrate, enediolate intermediate, and product, as well as with the product, L-xylulose 5-phosphate, at 1.2, 1.8, 1.7, and 1.8 A resolution, respectively. These structures support a mechanism that involves the formation of a cis-1,2-enediolate intermediate. Contrary to expectations, the geometry of the intermediate does not involve bidentate coordination of both enediolate oxygen atoms to the Mg(2+) ion but rather involves only the coordination of the oxygen on C2 to the Mg(2+) ion. The oxygen atom on C1 instead forms hydrogen bonds to both Lys64 and Asp67, two strictly conserved active site residues. Lys64 also interacts with the oxygen on C2 and may serve to stabilize a cis conformation of the 1,2-enediolate. These structures also implicate His136 to be the general acid that protonates the 1,2-enediolate intermediate. This study further demonstrates that multiple unrelated enzyme functions can evolve from a single active site architecture without regard for substrate binding affinity or mechanism.     

The crystal structure of mouse phosphoglucose isomerase at 1.6A resolution and its complex with glucose 6-phosphate reveals the catalytic mechanism of sugar ring opening

Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) is an enzyme of glycolysis that interconverts glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) and fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) but, outside the cell, is a multifunctional cytokine. High-resolution crystal structures of the enzyme from mouse have been determined in native form and in complex with the inhibitor erythrose 4-phosphate, and with the substrate glucose 6-phosphate. In the substrate-bound structure, the glucose sugar is observed in both straight-chain and ring forms. This structure supports a specific role for Lys518 in enzyme-catalyzed ring opening and we present a "push-pull" mechanism in which His388 breaks the O5-C1 bond by donating a proton to the ring oxygen atom and, simultaneously, Lys518 abstracts a proton from the C1 hydroxyl group. The reverse occurs in ring closure. The transition from ring form to straight-chain substrate is achieved through rotation of the C3-C4 bond, which brings the C1-C2 region into close proximity to Glu357, the base catalyst for the isomerization step. The structure with G6P also explains the specificity of PGI for glucose 6-phosphate over mannose 6-isomerase (M6P). To isomerize M6P to F6P requires a rotation of its C2-C3 bond but in PGI this is sterically blocked by Gln511.     

Studies on the sucrose phosphate synthetase kinetic mechanism

The kinetic properties of wheat germ sucrose phosphate synthetase, which catalyzes the reaction UDP-glucose + fructose 6-phosphate → UDP + sucrose 6-phosphate have been studied. A plot of the reciprocal initial velocity versus reciprocal substrate concentration gave a series of intersecting lines indicating a sequential mechanism. Product inhibition studies showed that UDP was competitive with UDP-glucose and noncompetitive with fructose 6-phosphate. A dead-end inhibitor, inorganic phosphate, was competitive with UDP-glucose and noncompetitive with fructose 6-phosphate. The results of initial velocity and product and dead-end inhibition studies suggested that the addition of substrates to the enzyme follows an ordered mechanism.     

Enhancement of glycogen concentrations in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes exposed to glucose and fructose.

Glycogen synthesis in isolated hepatocytes can occur from glucose both by a direct mechanism and by an indirect process in which glucose is first metabolized to C3 intermediates before use for glycogenesis via gluconeogenesis. We studied the incorporation into glycogen of glucose and the gluconeogenic substrate, fructose, in primary cultures of hepatocytes from fasted rats. In the presence of insulin, both glucose and fructose promoted net deposition of glycogen; however, fructose carbon was incorporated into glycogen to a greater extent than that from glucose. When glucose and fructose were administered simultaneously, the glycogenic utilization of glucose was stimulated 2-3-fold, and that of fructose was increased by about 50%. At constant hexose concentrations, the total incorporation of carbon, and the total accumulation of glycogen mass, from glucose and fructose when present together exceeded that from either substrate alone. Fructose did not change the relative proportion of glucose carbon incorporated into glycogen via the indirect (gluconeogenic) mechanism. The synergism of glucose and fructose in glycogen synthesis in isolated rat hepatocytes in primary culture appears to result from a decrease in the rate of degradation of newly deposited glycogen, owing to (i) decreased amount of phosphorylase a mediated by glucose and (ii) noncovalent inhibition of residual phosphorylase activity by some intermediate arising from the metabolism of fructose, presumably fructose 1-phosphate.     

Sorbitol production by Zymomonas mobilis

Summary High resolution ¹³C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been employed to determine the chemical composition of the unknown major products in a sucrose or fructose plus glucose fermentation to ethanol by the bacterium Zymmonas mobilis. When grown on these sugars Z.mobilis was found to produce significant amounts of sorbitol, up to 43 g·l^-1 for strain ZM31 when grown on 250 g·l^-1 sucrose.The production of sorbitol and decrease of glucose, fructose, or sucrose was followed throughout batch fermentations by NMR and HPLC. Sorbitol was shown to be derived only from fructose by [¹⁴C]-feeding experiments. Additionally ³¹P NMR spectroscopy was utilized to determine the concentrations of both glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate relative to their respective concentrations in Z.mobilis cells fermenting glucose or fructose alone.It is suggested that free glucose inside the cell inhibits fructokinase. Free intracellular fructose may then be reduced to sorbitol via a dehydrogenase type enzyme. Attempts to grow Z.mobilis on sorbitol were unsuccessful, as were experiments to induce growth via mutagenesis.This work was supported in part by the National Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Council of Australia     

Crystallographic studies of the mechanism of xylose isomerase

The mechanism of xylose isomerase (EC 5.3.1.5) has been studied with X-ray crystallography. Four refined crystal structures are reported at 3-A resolution: native enzyme, enzyme + glucose, enzyme + glucose + Mg2+, and enzyme + glucose + Mn2+. One of these structures (E.G.Mg) was determined in a crystal mounted in a flow cell. The other structures were equilibrium experiments carried out by soaking crystals in substrate containing solution. These structures and other studies suggest that, contrary to expectation, xylose isomerase may not use the generally expected base-catalyzed enolization mechanism. A mechanism involving a hydride shift is consistent with the structures presented here and warrants further investigation. Additional evidence in support of a hydride shift comes from comparing xylose isomerase with triosephosphate isomerase which is known to catalyze an analogous reaction via an enediol intermediate. Evidence is presented that suggests that aldose-ketose isomerases can be divided into two groups. Phospho sugar isomerases generally do not require a metal ion for activity and show exchange of substrate protons with solvent. In contrast, simple sugar isomerases all require a metal ion and show very low solvent exchange. These observations are rationalized on the basis of the need for stereospecific sugar binding.     

Mechanistic differences among retaining disaccharide phosphorylases: insights from kinetic analysis of active site mutants of sucrose phosphorylase and alpha,alpha-trehalose phosphorylase

Sucrose phosphorylase utilizes a glycoside hydrolase-like double displacement mechanism to convert its disaccharide substrate and phosphate into alpha-d-glucose 1-phosphate and fructose. Site-directed mutagenesis was employed to characterize the proposed roles of Asp(196) and Glu(237) as catalytic nucleophile and acid-base, respectively, in the reaction of sucrose phosphorylase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides. The side chain of Asp(295) is suggested to facilitate the catalytic steps of glucosylation and deglucosylation of Asp(196) through a strong hydrogen bond (23 kJ/mol) with the 2-hydroxyl of the glucosyl oxocarbenium ion-like species believed to be formed in the transition states flanking the beta-glucosyl enzyme intermediate. An assortment of biochemical techniques used to examine the mechanism of alpha-retaining glucosyl transfer by Schizophyllum commune alpha,alpha-trehalose phosphorylase failed to provide evidence in support of a similar two-step catalytic reaction via a covalent intermediate. Mutagenesis studies suggested a putative active-site structure for this trehalose phosphorylase that is typical of retaining glycosyltransferases of fold family GT-B and markedly different from that of sucrose phosphorylase. While ambiguity remains regarding the chemical mechanism by which the trehalose phosphorylase functions, the two disaccharide phosphorylases have evolved strikingly different reaction coordinates to achieve catalytic efficiency and stereochemical control in their highly analogous substrate transformations.     

Radioisotope ratios discriminate between competing pathways of cell wall polysaccharide and RNA biosynthesis in living plant cells

Cell wall polysaccharides are synthesized from sugar-nucleotides, e.g. uridine 5'-diphosphoglucose (UDP-Glc), but the metabolic pathways that produce sugar-nucleotides in plants remain controversial. To help distinguish between potentially 'competing' pathways, we have developed a novel dual-radiolabelling strategy that generates a remarkably wide range of 3H:14C ratios among the various proposed precursors. Arabidopsis cell cultures were fed traces of D-[1-(3)H]galactose and a 14C-labelled hexose (e.g. D-[U-14C]fructose) in the presence of an approximately 10(4)-fold excess of non-radioactive carbon source. Six interconvertible 'core intermediates', galactose 1-phosphate <--> UDP-galactose <--> UDP-glucose <--> glucose 1-phosphate <--> glucose 6-phosphate <--> fructose 6-phosphate, showed a large decrease in 3H:14C ratio along this pathway from left to right. The isotope ratio of a polysaccharide-bound sugar residue indicates from which of the six core intermediates its sugar-nucleotide donor substrate stemmed. Polymer-bound galacturonate, xylose, arabinose and apiose residues (all produced via UDP-glucuronate) stemmed from UDP-glucose, not glucose 6-phosphate; therefore, UDP-glucuronate arose predominantly by the action of UDP-glucose dehydrogenase rather than through the postulated competing pathway leading from glucose 6-phosphate via myo-inositol. The data also indicate that UDP-galacturonate was not formed by a hypothetical UDP-galactose dehydrogenase. Polymer-bound mannose and fucose residues stemmed from fructose 6-phosphate, not glucose 1-phosphate; therefore GDP-mannose (guanosine 5'-diphosphomannose) arose predominantly by a pathway involving phosphomannose isomerase (via mannose phosphates) rather than through a postulated competing pathway involving GDP-glucose epimerization. Curiously, the ribose residues of RNA did not stem directly from hexose 6-phosphates, but predominantly from UDP-glucose; an alternative to the textbook pentose-phosphate pathway therefore predominates in plants.     

Mechanism and contribution of the pentose phosphate cycle to glucose metabolism in epididymal fat tissue

1. Glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate and altroheptulose 7-phosphate are the major products formed non-oxidatively from ribose 5-phosphate by rat epididymal fat pad enzymes. 2. Arabinose 5-phosphate was detected among the reaction products and significant activity of the new enzyme of the L-type pentose pathway, D-glycero D-ido octulose 1,8-bisphosphate: D-altroheptulose 7-phosphotransferase was found. 3. The glucose moieties of glucose 1-phosphate, glucose 6-phosphate and glucose 1,6-bisphosphate were degraded and showed that epididymal fat pad enzymes relocate 14C from [2-14C]glucose into C-1, C-2, and C-3 of each hexose-phosphate. 4. The 14C-distribution patterns in the hexose-phosphates revealed that these intermediates were not in isotopic equilibrium and the rate of the transaldolase exchange reaction was relatively small. 5. The 14C-distribution data suggest that glucose 1-phosphate, rather than glucose 6-phosphate, is the first intermediate in the path of glycogen synthesis from glucose in this tissue. 6. The data provide the first proof of the mechanism of the pentose pathway in adipose tissue.     

Presence, induction and possible role of glucose 6-phosphatase in mammalian pancreatic islets

1. Pancreatic islets from several mammalian species were investigated for hydrolytic activity towards glucose 6-phosphate. Both the total phosphatase activity towards this substrate and the proportion cleaving glucose 6-phosphate in preference to β-glycerophosphate varied widely between species. In pancreatic-islet homogenates prepared from mice and guinea pigs there was a higher rate of liberation of P_i at pH6·7 from glucose 6-phosphate than from β-glycerophosphate. In these two species cortisone treatment enhanced the enzyme activity towards glucose 6-phosphate but not that towards β-glycerophosphate. Simultaneous injections of ethionine or puromycin blocked this stimulating effect of cortisone. 2. With whole homogenates of mouse pancreatic islets, inverse plots of the relationship between glucose 6-phosphate concentration and enzyme activity suggested the simultaneous action of two enzymes with different K_m values. After fractionation of islets from obese–hyperglycaemic mice by differential centrifugation, one of these enzymes could be shown to be localized in the microsome fraction. It had K_m for glucose 6-phosphate about 0·5mm and optimum pH6·7. It split glucose 6-phosphate in preference to β-glycerophosphate, glucose 1-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate and fructose 1,6-diphosphate. Incubation of the microsomes at pH5·0 and 37° for 15min. decreased the enzyme activity by about 80%. Glucose was a potent inhibitor, the type of inhibition being neither strictly competitive nor non-competitive. It is suggested that the results indicate the presence of glucose 6-phosphatase in mammalian endocrine pancreas, and that this enzyme may play a role in the metabolic regulation of release of insulin.     

Biosynthesis of d-arabinose in Mycobacterium smegmatis: specific labeling from d-glucose

d-Arabinose is a major sugar in the cell wall polysaccharides of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacterial species. The reactions involved in the biosynthesis and activation of d-arabinose represent excellent potential sites for drug intervention since d-arabinose is not found in mammalian cells, and the cell wall arabinomannan and/or arabinogalactan appear to be essential for cell survival. Since the pathway involved in conversion of d-glucose to d-arabinose is unknown, we incubated cells of Mycobacterium smegmatis individually with [1-(14)C]glucose, [3,4-(14)C]glucose, and [6-(14)C]glucose and compared the specific activities of the cell wall-bound arabinose. Although the specific activity of the arabinose was about 25% lower with [6-(14)C]glucose than with other labels, there did not appear to be selective loss of either carbon 1 or carbon 6, suggesting that arabinose was not formed by loss of carbon 1 of glucose via the oxidative step of the pentose phosphate pathway, or by loss of carbon 6 in the uronic acid pathway. Similar labeling patterns were observed with ribose isolated from the nucleic acid fraction. Since these results suggested an unusual pathway of pentose formation, labeling studies were also done with [1-(13)C]glucose, [2-(13)C]glucose, and [6-(13)C]glucose and the cell wall arabinose was examined by NMR analysis. This method allows one to determine the relative (13)C content in each carbon of the arabinose. The labeling patterns suggested that the most likely pathway was condensation of carbons 1 and 2 of fructose 6-phosphate produced by the transaldolase reaction with carbons 4, 5, and 6 (i.e., glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate) formed by fructose-1,6 bisphosphate aldolase. Cell-free enzyme extracts of M. smegmatis were incubated with ribose 5-phosphate, xylulose 5-phosphate, and d-arabinose 5-phosphate under a variety of experimental conditions. Although the ribose 5-phosphate and xylulose 5-phosphate were converted to other pentoses and hexoses, no arabinose 5-phosphate (or free arabinose) was detected in any of these reactions. In addition, these enzyme extracts did not convert arabinose 5-phosphate to any other pentose or hexose. In addition, incubation of [(14)C]glucose 6-phosphate and various nucleoside triphosphates (ATP, CTP, GTP, TTP, and UTP) with cytosolic or membrane fractions from the mycobacterial cells did not result in formation of a nucleotide form of arabinose, although other radioactive sugars including rhamnose and galactose were found in the nucleotide fraction. Furthermore, no radioactive arabinose was found in the nucleotide fraction isolated from M. smegmatis cells grown in [(3)H]glucose, nor was arabinose detected in a large-scale extraction of the sugar nucleotide fraction from 300 g of cells. The logical conclusion from these studies is that d-arabinose is probably produced from d-ribose by epimerization of carbon 2 of the ribose moiety of polyprenylphosphate-ribose to form polyprenylphosphate-arabinose, which is then used as the precursor for formation of arabinosyl polymers.