Glycolysis pyruvate kinase control

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.

Let us consider Figure 5.3 again. Both pyruvate kinase and dtrate synthase (enzymes III and V) are inhibited by elevated ATP concentrations. During citric acid production ATP concentrations are likely to arise (ATP produced in glycolysis) and either of these enzymes could, if inhibited, slow down the process. In fact all of the evidence suggests that both enzymes are modified or controlled in some way such that they are insensitive to other cellular metabolites during citric add production. 

Pyruvate kinase (PK) is one of the three postulated rate-controlling enzymes of glycolysis. The high-energy phosphate of phosphoenolpyruvate is transferred to ADP by this enzyme, which requires for its activity both monovalent and divalent cations. Enolpyruvate formed in this reaction is converted spontaneously to the keto form of pyruvate with the synthesis of one ATP molecule. PK has four isozymes in mammals M, M2, L, and R. The M2 type, which is considered to be the prototype, is the only form detected in early fetal tissues and is expressed in many adult tissues. This form is progressively replaced by the M( type in the skeletal muscle, heart, and brain by the L type in the liver and by the R type in red blood cells during development or differentiation (M26). The M, and M2 isozymes display Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to phosphoenolpyruvate. The Mj isozyme is not affected by fructose-1,6-diphosphate (F-1,6-DP) and the M2 is al-losterically activated by this compound. Type L and R exhibit cooperatively in... 

Feed-forward control is more likely to be focused on a reaction occurring at or near the end of a pathway. Compounds produced early in the pathway act to enhance the activity of the control enzyme and so prevent a back log of accumulated intermediates just before the control point. An example of feed-forward control is the action of glucose-6-phosphate, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (F-l,6bisP) and phosphoenol pyruvate (PEP), all of which activate the enzyme pyruvate kinase in glycolysis in the liver. 

Pyruvate kinase catalyzes the third irreversible step in glycolysis. It is activated by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. ATP and the amino acid alanine allosterically inhibit the enzyme so that glycolysis slows when supplies of ATP and biosynthetic precursors (indicated by the levels of Ala) are already sufficiently high. In addition, in a control similar to that for PFK (see above), when the blood glucose concentration is low, glucagon is released and stimulates phosphorylation of the enzyme via a cAMP cascade (see Topic J7). This covalent modification inhibits the enzyme so that glycolysis slows down in times of low blood glucose levels. 

Figure 16.30. Reciprocal Regulation of Gluconeogenesis and Glycolysis in the Liver. The level of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is high in the fed state and low in starvation. Another important control is the inhibition of pyruvate kinase by phosphorylation during starvation.

Glycolysis is tightly regulated in coordination with other energy-yielding pathways to assure a steady supply of ATP. Hexokinase, PFK-1, and pyruvate kinase are all subject to allosteric regulation that controls the flow of carbon through the pathway and maintains constant levels of metabolic intermediates. 

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