Kinetic properties of normal human erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase dimers.

The steady-state kinetics of normal human erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (D-glucose-6-phosphate: NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.49) dimers were studied as a function of pH and temperature. Inhibition studies using glucosamine 6-phosphate, NADPH and p-hydroxymercuribenzoate (P-OHMB) were also carried out at pH 8.0. The existence of two binding sites on the enzyme with a transition from low to high affinity for NADP+ when NADP+ concentration is increased is indicated by the nonlinear Lineweaver-Burk plots and sigmoid kinetic patterns. NADPH inhibition was found to be competitive with respect to NADP+ and non-competitive with respect to glucose-6-phosphate. Logarithmic plot of Vmax against pH and inactivation by P-OHMB indicate the participation in the reaction mechanism of imidazolium group of histidine and sulhydryl groups. The initial velocity and product inhibition data gave results which are consistent with the dimeric enzyme following an ordered sequential mechanism. A possible random mechanism is ruled out by the inhibition results of glucosamine 6-phosphate.