Phosphofructokinase glycolysis

Phosphorylation of Fructose 6-Phosphate to Fructose 1,6-Bisphosphate In the second of the two priming reactions of glycolysis, phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK-1) catalyzes the transfer of a phosphoryl group from ATP to fructose 6-phosphate to yield fructose 1,6-bisphos-phate ... 

Figure 30.4. Regulation of Glycolysis. Phosphofructokinase is the key enzyme in the regulation of glycolysis.

Such an effect appears to be mediated by regulating the activity of the rate-limiting enzyme of glycolysis, phosphofructokinase. Cyclic AMP affects such activity by relieving the inhibition by ATP of effective levels of the substrate fructose-1,6-phosphate and by converting an inactive form of phosphofructokinase to an active form through subunit aggregation. 

Clearly, the activity of phosphofructokinase depends both on ATP and AMP levels and is a function of the cellular energy status. Phosphofructokinase activity is increased when the energy status falls and is decreased when the energy status is high. The rate of glycolysis activity thus decreases when ATP is plentiful and increases when more ATP is needed. 

Glycolysis and the citric acid cycle (to be discussed in Chapter 20) are coupled via phosphofructokinase, because citrate, an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, is an allosteric inhibitor of phosphofructokinase. When the citric acid cycle reaches saturation, glycolysis (which feeds the citric acid cycle under aerobic conditions) slows down. The citric acid cycle directs electrons into the electron transport chain (for the purpose of ATP synthesis in oxidative phosphorylation) and also provides precursor molecules for biosynthetic pathways. Inhibition of glycolysis by citrate ensures that glucose will not be committed to these activities if the citric acid cycle is already saturated. 

As described in Chapter 19, Emile Van Schaftingen and Henri-Gery Hers demonstrated in 1980 that fructose-2,6-bisphosphate is a potent stimulator of phosphofructokinase. Cognizant of the reciprocal nature of regulation in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Van Schaftingen and Hers also considered the... 

Figure 5.3 Major control points of glycolysis and the TCA cycle. Enzymes I, hexokinase II, phosphofructokinase III, pyruvate kinase IV, pyruvate dehydrogenase V, citrate synthase VI, aconitase VII, isocitrate dehydrogenase VIII, a-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase.

Within glycolysis, the main allosteric control is exercised by phosphofructokinase, a complicated enzyme unusual in that its activity is stimulated by one of its products (ADP) and inhibited by one of its substrates (ATP). One further point about this enzyme which will be important to us later, in Aspergillus spp., elevated levels of ammonium ions relieve phosphofructokinase of inhibition by titrate. 

Storey, K.B. Hochachka, P.W. (1974). Activation of muscle glycolysis A role for creatine phosphate in phosphofructokinase regulation. FEES Lett. 46, 337-339. 

This reaction is followed by another phosphorylation with ATP catalyzed by the enzyme phosphofructoki-nase (phosphofructokinase-1), forming fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. The phosphofructokinase reaction may be considered to be functionally irreversible under physiologic conditions it is both inducible and subject to allosteric regulation and has a major role in regulating the rate of glycolysis. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate is cleaved by aldolase (fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase) into two triose phosphates, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate are inter-converted by the enzyme phosphotriose isomerase. 

Three nonequilibrium reactions catalyzed by hexoki-nase, phosphofructokinase, and pyruvate kinase prevent simple reversal of glycolysis for glucose synthesis (Chapter 17). They are circumvented as follows ... 

Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is formed by phosphorylation of fructose 6-phosphate by phosphofructoki-nase-2. The same enzyme protein is also responsible for its breakdown, since it has fructose-2,6-hisphos-phatase activity. This hifrmctional enzyme is under the allosteric control of fructose 6-phosphate, which stimulates the kinase and inhibits the phosphatase. Hence, when glucose is abundant, the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate increases, stimulating glycolysis by activating phosphofructokinase-1 and inhibiting... 

Figure 19-3. Control of glycolysis and gluconeoge-nesis in the liver by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and the bifunctional enzyme PFK-2/F-2,6-Pase (6-phospho-fructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase). (PFK-1, phosphofructokinase-1 [6-phosphofructo-1 -kinase] ...

Phosphofructokinase (PFK) is a key regulatory enzyme of glycolysis that catalyzes the conversion of fructose-6-phosphate to fructose-1,6-diphosphate. The active PFK enzyme is a homo- or heterotetrameric enzyme with a molecular weight of 340,000. Three types of subunits, muscle type (M), liver type (L), and fibroblast (F) or platelet (P) type, exist in human tissues. Human muscle and liver PFKs consist of homotetramers (M4 and L4), whereas red blood cell PFK consists of five tetramers (M4, M3L, M2L2, ML3, and L4). Each isoform is unique with respect to affinity for the substrate fructose-6-phosphate and ATP and modulation by effectors such as citrate, ATP, cAMP, and fructose-2,6-diphosphate. M-type PFK has greater affinity for fructose-6-phosphate than the other isozymes. AMP and fructose-2,6-diphosphate facilitate fructose-6-phosphate binding mainly of L-type PFK, whereas P-type PFK has intermediate properties. 

Mechanism for Gluconeogenesis. Since the glycolysis involves three energetically irreversible steps at the pyruvate kinase, phosphofructokinase, and hexokinase levels, the production of glucose from simple noncarbohydrate materials, for example, pyruvate or lactate, by a reversal of glycolysis ( from bottom upwards ) is impossible. Therefore, indirect reaction routes are to be sought for. 

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