The mechanism of phosphoglucomutase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus

The mechanism of the phosphoglucomutase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus was investigated. Induced-transport tests at low substrate concentrations (0.15mm) showed co-transport of the (32)P label but no induced transport of the (14)C label, which is in quantitative agreement with a phosphoenzyme mechanism with a rapid isomerization of the phosphoenzyme. The results excluded an intramolecular transfer of phosphate and could only have been compatible with a sequential mechanism if the K(m) for glucose 1-phosphate had been over 20 times smaller than the measured value. The results of induced-transport tests at intermediate concentrations (1mm) with both labels agreed quantitatively with a phosphoenzyme mechanism, and induced-transport tests with (14)C-labelled substrates at high concentrations (26mm) indicated that the rate constants for isomerization of the phosphoenzyme must be greater than about 3x10(6)s(-1). Consistent with these findings is the fact that (14)C label exchanged between the substrates twice as rapidly as the (32)P label at chemical equilibrium. Further, since the (14)C label exchanged between the substrates about ten times more rapidly than between the substrates and glucose 1,6-diphosphate, glucose 1,6-diphosphate is not an obligatory intermediate in the interconversion of the substrates. It is concluded that, contrary to previous evidence, the mechanism of the enzyme from M. lysodeikticus is essentially that of the rabbit muscle enzyme. To account for the rapid isomerization of the phosphoenzyme in both cases a mechanism is proposed in which there is no formal isomerization of the phosphoenzyme.     

The mechanism of the phosphoglucomutase reaction. Studies on rabbit muscle phosphoglucomutase with flux techniques

1. The kinetics of phosphoglucomutases from different sources are discussed and it is concluded that on the available evidence there are in all cases three possible mechanisms for the reaction. These are an indirect transfer of phosphate involving the phosphoenzyme (mechanism 1), a direct transfer of phosphate (mechanism 2), and an intermolecular transfer of phosphate from glucose 1,6-diphosphate to the substrate (mechanism 3). Conventional net flux measurements are shown not to differentiate between these mechanisms. 2. Flux equations are developed and it is shown that there are three flux ratios that characterize and distinguish between the mechanisms. 3. To examine these flux ratios induced-transport tests are described with ¹⁴C- and ³²P-labelled substrates. The fluxes determined with ¹⁴C- and ³²P-labelled substrates are also compared at chemical equilibrium. 4. With rabbit muscle phosphoglucomutase the results of these tests were completely consistent with mechanism 1 and unequivocally excluded any substantial part of the reaction proceeding by mechanism 2 or mechanism 3. Evidence was also obtained for an isomerization of the phosphoenzyme with an apparent rate constant about 4·5×10⁷sec.⁻¹. Taking into account the activity coefficients of the substrates the true rate constant appears to be about one-sixth of this value. 5. Isotope effects and non-ideal behaviour of the solutions are discussed and the activity coefficients of the substrates are shown to be equal by measurement of the depression of freezing point. It is concluded that these factors do not influence the tests significantly. 6. Alternative mechanisms are considered and it is concluded that the tests show that the glucose residue is transferred directly, that the phosphate is transferred indirectly with one intermediate phosphate, and that there is an isomerization of the free phosphoenzyme without reference to any other details of the reaction. Further, no assumptions are required about the constancy of rate constants. 7. The relative merits of induced transport and product inhibition for detecting isomerization of the enzyme are discussed. It is concluded that the induced-transport test is more sensitive and that its interpretation is less equivocal. 8. The application of the tests to other enzyme systems is briefly considered.     

Preparation and properties of a phosphoenzyme from the phosphoglucomutase of Micrococcus lysodeikticus

1. Phosphoglucomutase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus was incubated with (14)C- and (32)P-labelled glucose 1,6-diphosphate and separated from the cofactor on a Sephadex column. (32)P-labelled phosphate (0.7mol/mol of enzyme) was associated with the enzyme, but no (14)C label was. 2. The (32)P-labelled enzyme exchanged its label with the substrates. When the labelled enzyme was incubated in Tris buffer, pH8.3, at 30 degrees C the proportion of exchangeable label slowly fell indicating a half-life of the phosphoenzyme of about 50h. 3. When HClO(4) was added to the labelled phosphoenzyme all of the label was precipitated with the protein and none was released as P(i). On alkaline hydrolysis P(i) was released at a rate comparable with the rate of hydrolysis of the phosphoenzyme from rabbit muscle. 4. We conclude that the phosphoenzyme from Micrococcus lysodeikticus yields a relatively stable, catalytically active phosphoenzyme when treated with cofactor, and that there is no evidence for the formation of an enzyme-glucose 1,6-diphosphate complex. The properties of the phosphoenzyme, which resemble those of rabbit muscle phosphoglucomutase, suggest that the phosphate may be bound to serine.     

Mechanism of action of rabbit liver phosphoglucomutase.

Induced-transport tests with comparatively undegraded rabbit liver phosphoglucomutase show that the enzyme possesses a phosphoenzyme mechanism and that any interconversion of phosphoenzyme forms is very rapid. A relatively stable 32P-labelled phosphoenzyme was isolated, which exchanged label rapidly with substrates. The phospho group appears to be bonded to a serine residue on the enzyme.     

Phosphoglycerate mutase from wheat germ: studies with 18O-labeled substrate, investigations of the phosphatase and phosphoryl transfer activities, and evidence for a phosphoryl-enzyme intermediate.

From studies using unlabeled phospho-D-glycerate in solutions enriched in H2(18)O, and from experiments involving [18O]phospho-D-glycerate, it is shown that the intramolecular isomerization of 2- and 3-phospho-D-glycerate that is catalyzed by the phosphoglycerate mutase from wheat germ does not involve an intermediate 2,3-cyclic phosphate. It is also shown that phosphoglycerate mutase catalyzes the hydrolysis of the substrate analogues 2-phosphoglycolate, 2-phospho-D-lactate, 3-phosphohydroxypropionate, phosphoenolpyruvate, and phosphohydroxypyruvate. The substrates 3- and 2-phospho-D-glycerate are not hydrolyzed, nor are 2,3-bisphospho-D-glycerate, 2-phospho-L-lactate, 3-phospho-L-glycerate, or sn-glycerol 3-phosphate. Although no exchange of D-[14C]glycerate into phospho-D-glycerate can be detected, the enzyme catalyzes the transfer of the phosphoryl group from "unnatural" donors such as 2-phosphoglycolate, to the "natural" acceptor, D-glycerate. It is concluded that the intramolecular phosphoryl transfer catalyzed by the wheat germ phosphoglycerate mutase follows a pathway involving a phosphoryl-enzyme intermediate.     

Functional homology of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase, phosphoglycerate mutase, and 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate mutase

The bisphosphatase domain of the rat liver 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase has been shown to exhibit a structural similarity to yeast phosphoglycerate mutase and human red blood cell 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate mutase including very similar active site sequences with a histidyl residue being involved in phospho group transfer. The liver bifunctional enzyme was found to catalyze the hydrolysis of glycerate 1,3-bisphosphate to glycerate 3-phosphate and inorganic phosphate. The Km for glycerate 1,3-bisphosphate was 320 microM and the Vmax was 11.5 milliunits/mg. Incubation of the rat liver enzyme with [1-32P]glycerate 1,3-bisphosphate resulted in the formation of a phosphoenzyme intermediate, and the labeled amino acid was identified as 3-phosphohistidine. Tryptic and endoproteinase Lys-C peptide maps of the 32P-phosphoenzyme labeled either with [2-32P]fructose 2,6-bisphosphate or [1-32P]glycerate 1,3-bisphosphate revealed that 32P-radioactivity was found in the same peptide, proving that the same histidyl group accepts phosphate from both substrates. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate inhibited competitively the formation of phosphoenzyme from [1-32P]glycerate 1,3-bisphosphate. Effectors of fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase also inhibited phosphoenzyme formation. Substrates and products of phosphoglycerate mutase and 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate mutase also modulated the activities of the bifunctional enzyme. These results demonstrate that, in addition to a structural homology, the bisphosphatase domain of the bifunctional enzyme has a functional similarity to phosphoglycerate mutase and 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate mutase and support the concept of an evolutionary relationship between the three enzyme activities.     

Physiological correlation between nucleoside-diphosphate kinases and the 21-kDa guanine-nucleotide binding proteins copurified with the enzymes from the cell membrane fractions of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

The physiological correlation between nucleoside-diphosphate kinases (NDP-kinases) and the 21-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G1 and G2) which are copurified with the enzymes from the cell membrane fractions of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells has been biochemically investigated in vitro. We found that: incubation of the phosphoenzyme (enzyme-bound high-energy phosphate intermediate) of NDP-kinases (F-I and F-II) with one of the nucleoside 5'-diphosphates in the presence of 1 mM Mg2+ or 0.25 mM Ca2+ results in the rapid formation of nucleoside 5'-triphosphates without strict base specificity; GDP on the guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G1, G2 and recombinant v-rasH p21) acts as a phosphate acceptor for the high-energy phosphates of the phosphoenzyme in the presence of 0.25 mM Ca2+; and [32P]GTP is preferentially formed from the 32P-labelled phosphoenzyme F-I and GDP-bound G1 or GDP-bound recombinant v-rasH p21 protein, even if any other nucleoside 5'-diphosphates are present in the reaction mixture. Although [32P]GTP formed was bound with the guanine nucleotide-binding proteins, it was immediately hydrolyzed by the proteins themselves in the presence of 5 mM Mg2+, but not in the presence of 0.25 mM Ca2+. Available evidence suggests that NDP-kinase may be responsible for the activation of the guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G1, G2 and p21 proteins) through phosphate transfer by the enzyme.     

Alcoholysis of the endogenous phosphate esters in rats treated with large doses of ethanol

1. Monoethyl phosphate was isolated from the liver of rats treated with large doses of ethanol. The (14)C- and (32)P-labelled products were obtained when [2-(14)C]ethanol and [(32)P]orthophosphate respectively were used as the radioactive precursors. 2. The isolated ethyl phosphate preparations were identified by their chemical properties, chromatographic behaviour and enzymic hydrolysis, which, for the (14)C-labelled substrate, resulted in a partial recovery of the administered [(14)C]ethanol. 3. The possibility of artifact formation of ethyl phosphate was excluded by suitable control experiments. 4. It is concluded that ethyl phosphate formed in vivo may be a product of phosphate-catalysed alcoholysis of various phosphate esters. The physiological significance of the possible substitution of water by ethanol in reactions catalysed by hydrolytic enzymes under conditions of acute body intoxication with the alcohol is emphasized.     

The catalytic bimodality of mammalian phosphoglycerate mutase

Rabbit muscle phosphoglycerate mutase, presumed to manifest an absolute cofactor requirement for activity, has been found to express catalysis (3 +/- 1% of optimum) in the absence of added D-glycerate-2,3-P2. Isotope experiments indicate that this catalysis proceeds through a binary phosphoryl enzyme-glycerate intermediate which dissociates into free enzyme and monophosphoglycerate. 32P-Labeled phosphoglycerate mutase is formed by reaction with either D-32P-glycerate-3-P or D-U32P-glycerate-2,3-P2. In each case, the acid lability and alkali stability of the covalent adduct, phosphoenzyme, is consistent with a phosphohistidyl residue having been formed within the active site. D-[U-14C]Glycerate reacts with phosphoenzyme to generate D-[U-14C]monophosphoglycerate which, in turn, can react further with phosphoenzyme to yield D-[U-14C]glycerate-2,3-P2. The pH profile for the cofactor-independent activity exhibits an optimum at 6.0 as opposed to 7.0 when D-glycerate-2,3-P2 is present in the reaction medium. Bisubstrate kinetics (pH 7.0, 23 degrees C) with D-glycerate-3-P concentration as the variable, yields a family of reciprocal plots which is in accord with a modified ping-pong mechanism when D-glycerate-2,3-P2 concentrations are greater than 10(-1) Km (where Km = 0.33 microM). Progressively diminishing concentrations (much less than Km) of D-glycerate-2,3-P2 produce curvilinear reciprocal plots that approach linearity as a limit in accordance with single substrate kinetics.     

Membrane-bound 2,3-diphosphoglycerate phosphatase of human erythrocytes

Summary Gradual osmotic hemolysis of human erythrocytes reduces the cell content of whole protein, hemoglobin, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and triosephosphate isomerase extensively, but not that of membrane protein and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate phosphatase. After the refilling of the ghosts with 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and reconstitution of the membrane, the 2,3-diphosphoglycerate phosphatase activity equals that of intact red cells. The membrane-bound 2,3-diphosphoglycerate phosphatase can be activated by sodium hyposulfite. The enzyme system of ghosts seems to differ from that of intact red cells with regard to the optima of pH and temperature. It remains to be elucidated if the membrane binding of the 2,3-diphosphoglycerate phosphatase is related to the transfer of inorganic phosphate across the red cell membrane.     

Biosynthesis of cyclic 2,3-diphosphoglycerate. Isolation and characterization of 2-phosphoglycerate kinase and cyclic 2,3-diphosphoglycerate synthetase from Methanothermus fervidus

Starting from 2-phosphoglycerate the biosynthesis of cDPG comprises two steps: (i) the phosphorylation of 2-phosphoglycerate to 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and (ii) the intramolecular cyclization to cyclic 2,3-diphosphoglycerate. The involved enzymes, 2-phosphoglycerate kinase and cyclic 2,3-diphosphoglycerate synthetase, were purified form Methanothermus fervidus. Their molecular and catalytic properties were characterized.     

An incubation medium for the elevation of adenosine triphosphate and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in fresh and long-preserved human erythrocytes.

The levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in freshly drawn human erythrocytes can be tripled by a 2 h incubation at 37 degrees C in a medium containing 21 mM glucose, 1.8 mM adenine, 5 mM pyruvate, 10 mM inosine, and 96 mM phosphate. Similar incubation conditions will restore the levels of ATP and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in erythrocytes from blood levels preserved for 12 and 15 weeks, respectively, to those of fresh cells. Omission of pyruvate from the incubation medium further increases the level of ATP slightly, but there is little elevation of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate. Under these conditions labelled pyruvate and lactate production from [14-C]glucose or [14-C]inosine is not diminished, but labelled fructose 1,6-diphosphate, rather than 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, accumulates. In addition, omission of pyruvate from the incubation medium, with a concomitant decrease in accumulation of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, diminishes the concentration of inorganic phosphate required for optimal ATP elevation. A 5 h incubation in the glucose-adenine-pyruvate-inosine-phosphate medium elevates the levels of ATP and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in erythrocytes from blood preserved in the cold for 15 weeks to twice that of fresh cells, indicating that the cells retain their metabolic potential even after prolonged storage at 2 degrees C. The medium may provide a method of rejuvenating 10-12 week cold-preserved erythrocytes for transfusion purposes, by a 1 h incubation at 37 degrees C.     

The reactive serine residue in phosphoglucomutase of Micrococcus lysodeikticus (Short Communication)

1. Phosphoglucomutase of Micrococcus lysodeikticus was labelled at the active site by exchange with (32)P-labelled substrates of high specific radioactivity. 2. Partial acid hydrolysis gave rise to radioactive peptides; serine phosphate was identified as one of the derivatives. 3. Comparison of the other (32)P-labelled peptides with the peptides obtained from the (32)P-labelled rabbit muscle phosphoglucomutase indicates that the sequence around the reactive serine residue is identical in both enzymes.     

Vanadium(IV)-stimulated hydrolysis of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate

Vanadium(IV) stimulates the hydrolysis of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate at 23 degrees C. The pH optimum is 5.0. Reactions were analyzed by enzymatic and phosphate release assays. The products of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate hydrolysis are inorganic phosphate and 3-phosphoglycerate. The reaction is inhibited by high concentrations of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and an equation has been formulated that describes the kinetic constants for this reaction at pH 7. The possible relevance of the reaction to the therapeutic lowering by vanadium(IV) of red cell 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in sickle-cell disease is discussed.     

Phosphorylation in vivo of red-muscle pyruvate kinase from the channelled whelk, Busycotypus canaliculatum, in response to anoxic stress

That red muscle pyruvate kinase from anoxic Busycotypus canaliculatum (PK-anoxic) is a phosphoprotein was demonstrated by the anoxia-dependent, in vivo, covalent incorporation of injected [32P]orthophosphate into the enzyme molecule. Specificity in labelling of PK-anoxic was strongly suggested by: (a) coincidental elution of pyruvate kinase activity and radioactivity following chromatography of purified PK-anoxic on Sepharose CL-6B, and (b) comigration of the area containing [32P]phosphate and Coomassie-Blue-staining protein following SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of homogenous PK-anoxic. The [32P]phosphate content of the enzyme was calculated to be 7.3 mol phosphate/mol enzyme (233 kDa, 180 units/mg protein). Evidence for the reversibility of this phosphorylation was provided by the consistent kinetic similarities between purified red muscle pyruvate kinase from aerobic animals (PK-aerobic) and homogenous, unlabelled, alkaline phosphatase treated PK-anoxic. Comparison of the electrophoretic mobilities of products derived from acid hydrolysis of purified 32P-labelled PK-anoxic with authentic substances suggest the presence of an O-phospho-L-threonine residue in the protein. That this residue plays a probable role in an interconversion mechanism was suggested by the lack of phosphate exchange of homogenous 32P-labelled PK-anoxic in the presence of all substrates. A possible role of protein phosphorylation as a mechanism for the overall control of molluscan anaerobic metabolism is suggested.     

Demonstration of the formation of 1,3-diphosphoglyceric acid as an intermediate in the high-energy phosphate metabolism during reinitiation of development in Artemia

Extensive labelling of the glycolytic intermediate 2,3-diphosphoglycerate by ³²PO^3?₄ during the early periods of development in Artemia is reported. At 30 min of activation this is the major labelled compound. The mobilization of inorganic phosphate through glycolysis leading to the formation of 1,3-diphosphoglycerate results in the formation of a high-energy phosphate donor. The label from this compound could be chased to high-energy phosphates (adenine derivatives). The location and subsequent high degree of labelling of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in the yolk platelets further demonstrate the important role played by this organelle in the metabolic events accompanying the breakdown of dormancy in Artemia.     

The phosphorylated intermediate in the phosphoglyceromutase reaction

1. High-voltage paper-electrophoresis methods have been used for the separation of (32)P-labelled phosphoesters. 2. Evidence is presented which indicates that (32)P-labelled phosphopeptides, obtained after acid hydrolysis of phosphoglyceromutase incubated with impure 2,3-di[(32)P]phosphoglycerate, are derived from phosphoglucomutase contamination. 3. The hydrolysis of 2,3-di[(32)P]phosphoglycerate by phosphoglyceromutase has been studied. After an apparent instantaneous hydrolysis of 1 mole of coenzyme/mole of enzyme the reaction proceeds at a very low rate. 4. This hydrolysis seems to be due to the destruction of an enzyme-coenzyme complex. The proportions of the decomposition products of the complex vary according to further handling (pH of ionophoresis). 5. The inorganic [(32)P]phosphate produced by the hydrolysis of the complex and the inorganic [(32)P]phosphate produced by the slow phosphatase activity can be differentiated by the ability of the former to be incorporated into non-radioactive substrate before enzyme denaturation. 6. The effect of enzyme concentration on the stoicheiometry of the slow phosphatase hydrolysis of the diphosphoglycerate is described and this suggests that it may occur via two independent reactions, one of them being the decomposition of the enzyme-coenzyme complex on standing.     

Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation reactions of the red beet plasma membrane ATPase studied in the transient state

The reaction mechanism of the solubilized red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) plasma membrane ATPase was studied with a rapid quenching apparatus. Using a dual-labeled substrate ([γ-³²P]ATP and [5′,8-³H]ATP), the presteady-state time course of phosphoenzyme formation, phosphate liberation and ADP liberation was examined. The time course for both phosphoenzyme formation and ADP liberation showed a rapid, initial rise while the timecourse for phosphate liberation showed an initial lag. This indicated that ADP was released with formation of the phosphoenzyme while phosphate was released with phosphoenzyme breakdown. Phosphoenzyme formation was Mg²⁺-dependent and preincubation of the enzyme with free ATP followed by the addition of Mg²⁺ increased the rate of phosphoenzyme formation 2.3-fold. This implied that phosphoenzyme formation could result from a slow reaction of ATP binding followed by a more rapid reaction of phosphate group transfer. Phosphoenzyme formation was accelerated as the pH was decreased, and the relationship between pH and the apparent first-order rate constants for phosphoenzyme formation suggested the role of a histidyl residue in this process. Transient kinetics of phosphoenzyme breakdown confirmed the presence of two phosphoenzyme forms, and the discharge of the ADP-sensitive form by ADP correlated with ATP synthesis. Potassium chloride increased the rate of phosphoenzyme turnover and shifted the steady-state distribution of phosphoenzyme forms. From these results, a minimal catalytic mechanism is proposed for the red beet plasma membrane ATPase, and rate constants for several reaction steps are estimated.     

Lysine 2,3-aminomutase. Support for a mechanism of hydrogen transfer involving S-adenosylmethionine

The conversion of L-lysine to L-beta-lysine is catalyzed by lysine 2,3-aminomutase. The reaction involves the interchange of the 2-amino group of lysine with a hydrogen at carbon 3. As such the reaction is formally analogous to adenosylcobalamin-dependent rearrangements. However, the enzyme does not contain and is not activated by this coenzyme. Instead it contains iron and pyridoxal phosphate and is activated by S-adenosylmethionine. Earlier experiments implicated adenosyl-C-5' of S-adenosylmethionine in the hydrogen transfer mechanism, apparently in a role similar or analogous to that of adenosyl moiety of adenosylcobalamin in the B12-dependent rearrangements. The question of whether both hydrogens or only one hydrogen at adenosyl-C-5' participate in the hydrogen-transfer process has been addressed by carrying out the lysine 2,3-aminomutase reaction with S-[5'-3H] adenosylmethionine in the presence of 10 times its molar concentration of enzyme. Under these conditions all of the tritium appeared in lysine and beta-lysine, showing that C-5'-hydrogens participate. To determine whether hydrogen transfer is compulsorily intermolecular and intramolecular, various molar ratios of [3,3-2H2]lysine and unlabeled lysine were submitted to the action of lysine 2,3-aminomutase under conditions in which 10-15% conversion to beta-lysine occurred. Mass spectral analysis of the beta-lysine for monodeutero and dideutero species showed conclusively that hydrogen transfer is both intramolecular and intermolecular. The results quantitatively support our postulate that activation of the enzyme involves a transformation of S-adenosylmethionine into a form that promotes the generation of an adenosyl-5' free radical, which abstracts hydrogen from lysine to form 5'-deoxyadenosine as an intermediate.     

Metabolism of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in guinea-pig hepatocytes.

Metabolism of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate was investigated in permeabilized guinea-pig hepatocytes. The conversion of [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate to a more polar 3H-labelled compound occurred rapidly and was detected as early as 5 s. This material co-eluted from h.p.l.c. with inositol 1,3,4,5 tetrakis[32P]phosphate and is presumably an inositol tetrakisphosphate. A significant increase in the 3H-labelled material co-eluting from h.p.l.c. with inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate occurred only after a definite lag period. Incubation of permeabilized hepatocytes with inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakis[32P]phosphate resulted in the formation of 32P-labelled material that co-eluted with inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate; no inositol 1,4,5-tris[32P]phosphate was produced, suggesting the action of a 5-phosphomonoesterase. The half-time of hydrolysis of inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakis[32P]phosphate of approx. 1 min was increased to 3 min by 2,3-bisphosphoglyceric acid. Similarly, the rate of production of material tentatively designed as inositol 1,3,4-tris[32P]phosphate from the tetrakisphosphate was reduced by 10 mM-2,3-bisphosphoglyceric acid. In the absence of ATP there was no conversion of [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate to [3H]inositol tetrakisphosphate or to [3H]inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate, which suggests that the 1,3,4 isomer does not result from isomerization of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. The results of this study suggest that the origin of the 1,3,4 isomer of inositol trisphosphate in isolated hepatocytes is inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate and that inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate is rapidly converted to this tetrakisphosphate. The ability of 2,3-bisphosphoglyceric acid, an inhibitor of 5-phosphomonoesterase of red blood cell membrane, to inhibit the breakdown of the tetrakisphosphate suggests that the enzyme which removes the 5-phosphate from inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate may also act to convert the tetrakisphosphate to inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate. It is not known if the role of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate kinase is to inactivate inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate or whether the tetrakisphosphate product may have a messenger function in the cell.