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The pentose phosphate pathway of glucose metabolism. Influence of a growth-hormone-secreting pituitary tumour on the oxidative and non-oxidative reactions of the cycle in liver.

ABSTRACT: 1. Measurements were made of the activities of enzymes of the pentose phosphate cycle, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, ribose 5-phosphate isomerase, ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase, transketolase and transaldolase, as well as of the related or competing enzymes glucokinase, hexokinase, phosphoglucose isomerase and phosphoglucomutase, in control rats and in rats bearing the growth-hormone- and prolactin-secreting pituitary tumour MtTW5, to study the effect of high endogenous concentrations of growth hormone on this pathway in liver. 2. There was a twofold increase in liver weight. Glucokinase activity/g. of liver decreased to half the control value in the experimental group, although on a total liver basis it remained unchanged. Hexokinase activity increased in parallel with the liver weight, so that the total activity was doubled in rats with a high endogenous concentration of growth hormone. No differences in response were found between heat-stable and heat-labile forms of hexokinase. 3. The activity/g. of liver of the two oxidative enzymes of the pathway decreased slightly in the experimental group, but this was offset by the increase in liver weight, and the resultant effect was a 50% increase in the total activity. 4. Of the non-oxidative enzymes of the cycle the most marked increase on a total liver basis was in ribose 5-phosphate isomerase activity, to 2.5 times the control value. Ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase activity showed the smallest increase. Transketolase and transaldolase activities were also increased. The latter is the rate-limiting enzyme of the non-oxidative reactions of the cycle in these animals. 5. The results are discussed in relation to the glycolytic pathway and synthesis of glycogen, and more particularly to the increased requirement for ribose 5-phosphate for RNA synthesis.

SUBMITTER: Gumaa KA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1184622 | biostudies-other | 1969 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:1. Measurements were made of the non-oxidative reactions of the pentose phosphate cycle in liver (transketolase, transaldolase, ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase and ribose 5-phosphate isomerase activities) in a variety of hormonal and nutritional conditions. In addition, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase activities were measured for comparison with the oxidative reactions of the cycle; hexokinase, glucokinase and phosphoglucose isomerase activities were also included. Starvation for 2 days caused significant lowering of activity of all the enzymes of the pentose phosphate cycle based on activity in the whole liver. Re-feeding with a high-carbohydrate diet restored all the enzyme activities to the range of the control values with the exception of that of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which showed the well-known ;overshoot' effect. Re-feeding with a high-fat diet also restored the activities of all the enzymes of the pentose phosphate cycle and of hexokinase; glucokinase activity alone remained unchanged. Expressed as units/g. of liver or units/mg. of protein hexokinase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, transketolase and pentose phosphate isomerase activities were unchanged by starvation; both 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase activities decreased faster than the liver weight or protein content. 2. Alloxan-diabetes resulted in a decrease of approx. 30-40% in the activities of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, ribose 5-phosphate isomerase, ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase and transketolase; in contrast with this glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, transaldolase and phosphoglucose isomerase activities were unchanged. Treatment of alloxan-diabetic rats with protamine-zinc-insulin for 3 days caused a very marked increase to above normal levels of activity in all the enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway except ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase, which was restored to the control value. Hexokinase activity was also raised by this treatment. After 7 days treatment of alloxan-diabetic rats with protamine-zinc-insulin the enzyme activities returned towards the control values. 3. In adrenalectomized rats the two most important changes were the rise in hexokinase activity and the fall in transketolase activity; in addition, ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase activity was also decreased. These effects were reversed by cortisone treatment. In addition, in cortisone-treated adrenalectomized rats glucokinase activity was significantly lower than the control value. 4. In thyroidectomized rats both ribose 5-phosphate isomerase and transketolase activities were decreased; in contrast with this transaldolase activity did not change significantly. Hypophysectomy caused a 50% fall in transketolase activity that was partially reversed by treatment with thyroxine and almost fully reversed by treatment with growth hormone for 8 days. 5. The results are discussed in relation to the hormonal control of the non-oxidative reactions of the pentose phosphate cycle, the marked changes in transketolase activity being particularly outstanding.

Project description:1. A search was made for mechanisms which may exert a ;fine' control of the glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase reaction in rat liver, the rate-limiting step of the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle. 2. The glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase reaction is expected to go virtually to completion because the primary product (6-phosphogluconate lactone) is rapidly hydrolysed and the equilibrium of the joint dehydrogenase and lactonase reactions is in favour of virtually complete formation of phosphogluconate. However, the reaction does not go to completion, because glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase is inhibited by NADPH (Neglein & Haas, 1935). 3. Measurements of the inhibition (which is competitive with NADP(+)) show that at physiological concentrations of free NADP(+) and free NADPH the enzyme is almost completely inhibited. This indicates that the regulation of the enzyme activity is a matter of de-inhibition. 4. Among over 100 cell constituents tested only GSSG and AMP counteracted the inhibition by NADPH; only GSSG was highly effective at concentrations that may be taken to occur physiologically. 5. The effect of GSSG was not due to the GSSG reductase activity of liver extracts, because under the test conditions the activity of this enzyme was very weak, and complete inhibition of the reductase by Zn(2+) did not abolish the GSSG effect. 6. Preincubation of the enzyme preparation with GSSG in the presence of Mg(2+) and NADP(+) before the addition of glucose 6-phosphate and NADPH much increased the GSSG effect. 7. Dialysis of liver extracts and purification of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase abolished the GSSG effect, indicating the participation of a cofactor in the action of GSSG. 8. The cofactor removed by dialysis or purification is very unstable. The cofactor could be separated from glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase by ultrafiltration of liver homogenates. Some properties of the cofactor are described. 9. The hypothesis that GSSG exerts a fine control of the pentose phosphate cycle by counteracting the NADPH inhibition of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase is discussed.

Project description:1. Measurements were made of the activities of the enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway concerned in both the oxidative (glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase) and the non-oxidative (ribose 5-phosphate isomerase, ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase, transketolase and transaldolase) reactions of this pathway, together with hexokinase and phosphoglucose isomerase, in adipose tissue in a variety of nutritional and hormonal conditions. 2. Starvation for 2 days caused a significant decrease in the activities of all the enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway, with the exception of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, when expressed as activity/2 fat-pads; only the activities of ribose 5-phosphate isomerase and ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase were significantly decreased on the basis of activity/mg. of protein. Re-feeding with a high-carbohydrate or high-fat diet for 3 days restored the activity of all the enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway to the range of the control values, with the exception of transketolase, which showed a marked ;overshoot' in rats re-fed with carbohydrate. Starvation for 3 days caused a marked decrease in the activities of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and transketolase. 3. On the basis of activity/two fat-pads, alloxan-diabetes caused a marked decrease, to about half the control value, in the activities of all the enzymes concerned in the pentose phosphate pathway, transketolase showing the smallest decrease; hexokinase and phosphoglucose isomerase activities were also decreased. Treatment with insulin for 3 and 7 days raised the activities to normal or supranormal values, transketolase showing the most marked ;overshoot' effect. On the basis of activity/mg. of protein the activity of none of the enzymes was significantly decreased in alloxan-diabetes; transketolase and transaldolase activities were raised above the control values. With insulin treatment for 3 or 7 days the activities of all the enzymes were significantly increased, except that of ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase at the shorter time-interval. Glucagon treatment did not alter any of the enzyme activities expressed on either basis. 4. Thyroidectomy caused a decrease of 30-40% in the activities of enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway, except for transketolase activity, which fell to 50% of the control value. Little change occurred in adipose-tissue weight or protein content. 5. Adrenalectomy caused a decrease of 40% in the activity of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and of 20-30% in the activities of the remaining enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway; hexokinase activity was also decreased. Treatment with cortisone for 3 days did not significantly raise the activity from that found in adrenalectomized rats. Treatment of normal rats with high doses of cortisone had no significant effect on the activities of the enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway in adipose tissue. 6. The changes in enzyme activities are discussed in relation to: (a) the concept of constant-proportion groups of enzymes; (b) the known changes in the flux of glucose through alternative metabolic pathways; (c) the pattern of change found in liver with similar hormonal and dietary conditions.

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The pentose phosphate pathway of glucose metabolism. Influence of a growth-hormone-secreting pituitary tumour on the oxidative and non-oxidative reactions of the cycle in liver.

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