Co-existence of hereditary spherocytosis and a new red cell pyruvate kinase variant: PK mallorca. (33/1157)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A partial red blood cell (RBC) pyruvate-kinase (PK-R) deficiency was found in a patient with concomitant hereditary spherocytosis (HS) and chronic hemolytic anemia. Clinical, biological and molecular studies were performed in the patient, his parents and a brother, in order to characterize the specific PK-R gene mutation and the inheritance mechanism of the transmission of both red cell defects in this particular family. DESIGN AND METHODS: Conventional biological studies were used to identify the PK-LR gene mutation responsible for hereditary transmission of PK-R deficiency and HS. The family study was completed with genotypic and RBC membrane protein analyses in the patient and his family. RESULTS: Molecular study of the PK deficiency was performed in all the family members and demonstrated a heterozygous condition for the 1516 G->A (506Val->Ile) mutation at the PK-LR gene in both the patient and his mother. Since this mutation has not been reported previously, it is provisionally named PK "Mallorca". The study of RBC membrane proteins demonstrated the existence of partial band 3 and protein 4.2 deficiencies in the propositus and his father but not in the mother and brother, who were also studied. These results support the dominant mode of inheritance of HS and PK-LR gene in this family. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: HS and PK deficiency are not exceptional in Spain. The co-existence of both RBC defects in the same patient, however, is very rare; only a few cases have been described to date. Our findings suggest that performing an elementary RBC enzyme survey in all patients with HS would help to determine the real frequency of this apparently rare association.  (+info)

Structure of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase gene cluster from a thermophilic hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium, Hydrogenophilus thermoluteolus, and phylogeny of the fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase encoded by cbbA in the cluster. (34/1157)

Four genes, cbbO, cbbY, cbbA, and the pyruvate kinase gene (pyk), were found downstream of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) genes, cbbLS, from a thermophilic hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium, Hydrogenophilus thermoluteolus (formerly Pseudomonas hydrogenothermophila). cbbO was similar to norD in the denitrification gene cluster, and cbbY was similar to cbbY from other autotrophic bacteria. cbbA encoded fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBP aldolase); however, CbbA was little similar to other CbbA proteins. When CbbA was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, overproduction of CbbA was detected by SDS-PAGE. However, the cell extract had slightly higher activity than a cell extract of E. coli without cbbA. Phylogenetic analysis showed class II FBP aldolase divided into classes IIA and IIB, and that CbbA from H. thermoluteolus was in class IIA. Activities of RubisCO and FBP aldolase were examined under autotrophic, mixotrophic, and heterotrophic conditions. The activities of the two enzymes were regulated independently.  (+info)

Pyruvate kinase of the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeote Thermoproteus tenax: physiological role and phylogenetic aspects. (35/1157)

Pyruvate kinase (PK; EC 2.7.1.40) of Thermoproteus tenax was purified to homogeneity, and its coding gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. It represents a homomeric tetramer with a molecular mass of 49 kDa per subunit. PK exhibits positive binding cooperativity with respect to phosphoenolpyruvate and metal ions such as Mg(2+) and Mn(2+). Heterotropic effects, as commonly found for PKs from bacterial and eucaryal sources, could not be detected. The enzyme does not depend on K(+) ions. Heterotrophically grown cells exhibit specific activity of PK four times higher than autotrophically grown cells. Since the mRNA level of the PK coding gene is also accordingly higher in heterotrophic cells, we conclude that the PK activity is adjusted to growth conditions mainly on the transcript level. The enzymic properties of the PK and the regulation of its expression are discussed with respect to the physiological framework given by the T. tenax-specific variant of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway. T. tenax PK shows moderate overall sequence similarity (25 to 40% identity) to its bacterial and eucaryal pendants. Phylogenetic analyses of the known PK sequences result in a dichotomic tree topology that divides the enzymes into two major PK clusters, probably diverged by an early gene duplication event. The phylogenetic divergence is paralleled by a striking phenotypic differentiation of PKs: PKs of cluster I, which occur in eucaryal cytoplasm, some gamma proteobacteria, and low-GC gram-positive bacteria, are only active in the presence of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate or other phosphorylated sugars, whereas PKs of cluster II, found in various bacterial phyla, plastids, and in Archaea, show activity without effectors but are commonly regulated by the energy charge of the cell.  (+info)

Dominant negative role of the glutamic acid residue conserved in the pyruvate kinase M(1) isozyme in the heterotropic allosteric effect involving fructose-1,6-bisphosphate. (36/1157)

Pyruvate kinase M(1), a nonallosteric isozyme, lacks heterotropic allosteric effect involving fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP). To explore the molecular basis for this, a series of mutants were prepared and characterized, in which the possible candidate, Glu-432, was replaced in the rat M(1) isozyme and its allosteric mutant with the replacement of Ala-398 by Arg. Although these single mutants of Glu-432 remained nearly fully active, similar to the wild type, only the mutants with replacements by Lys and Ala were more efficiently activated by FBP when the enzymes were inhibited by L-phenylalanine. Kinetic analyses and ligand-induced fluorescence quenching studies using the allosteric double mutants indicated that the loss of a negative charge at residue 432 led to a dramatic decrease in the apparent activation constant and apparent K(d) for FBP. Furthermore, this enhancement was found to be associated with the modification of the FBP-binding site rather than the alteration of the subunit assembly. These findings suggest that Glu-432 hinders the heterotropic allosteric effect by preventing the binding of FBP through a repulsive electrostatic interaction and thereby contributes to its unique unregulated properties, independent of the shifted allosteric transition.  (+info)

Red cell glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase status and pyruvate kinase activity in a Nigerian population. (37/1157)

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase A- (G6PD A-) deficiency is a common enzymopathy in Africa that sporadically leads to manifest haemolytic anaemia. It is not exactly known how far the haematological status of individuals with either homozygous or heterozygous G6PD A- deficiency differs from that of individuals with normal G6PD activity. In a field study in Nigeria, we determined G6PD gene variants, the corresponding G6PD and pyruvate kinase (PK) activities, and basic haematological parameters in clinically healthy individuals, who were, in part, asymptomatically infected by malaria parasites. Red blood cell counts and haemoglobin levels were lower in G6PD A- deficient than in G6PD normal subjects. PK activities were higher in G6PD deficients, indicating a younger red cell population in these individuals. These findings suggest that G6PD A- deficiency is accompanied by chronic subclinical haemolysis. As a consequence, the reduced life span of red cells leads to an impaired diagnosis of G6PD heterozygosity when applying routine biochemical methods.  (+info)

Sp family members and nuclear factor-Y cooperatively stimulate transcription from the rat pyruvate kinase M gene distal promoter region via their direct interactions. (38/1157)

The three distal transcriptional regulatory elements of the rat pyruvate kinase M gene, referred to as boxes A, B, and C, are located around -270 base pairs upstream from the transcriptional initiation site. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays with specific competitors and antibodies show that both box A and box B bind to Sp1 and Sp3 and that box C binds nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y). Luciferase reporter assays revealed that although box A and box B alone have no independent effect on luciferase activities, box C alone stimulates transcription. However, the inclusion of all three elements lead to maximal activity because of a synergistic effect, mainly between box B and box C, suggesting that functional synergism between Sp1/Sp3 and NF-Y is critical for the pyruvate kinase M (PKM) gene distal promoter activity. In fact, co-transfection of a dominant negative mutant of NF-YA (NF-YA29) resulted in a decrease in reporter activity in a box C-dependent manner. In addition, the overexpression of Sp1 or Sp3 and NF-Y in Drosophila SL2 cells synergistically stimulated PKM gene distal promoter activity. Using a mammalian two-hybrid system in HeLa cells, it was shown that both Sp1 and Sp3 interacted with NF-YA but not NF-YB and NF-YC. Moreover, glutathione S-transferase pull-down assays revealed that only in vitro translated (35)S-labeled NF-YA interacted with both Sp1 and Sp3 in vitro. A subunit interaction domain of NF-YA, which forms a heterotrimer with NF-YB and NF-YC, is not required for these interactions with Sp1 or Sp3. Thus, we conclude that Sp1, Sp3, and NF-Y stimulate the transcription of the PKM gene via their interactions.  (+info)

The allosteric regulation of pyruvate kinase. (39/1157)

Pyruvate kinase (PK) is critical for the regulation of the glycolytic pathway. The regulatory properties of Escherichia coli were investigated by mutating six charged residues involved in interdomain salt bridges (Arg(271), Arg(292), Asp(297), and Lys(413)) and in the binding of the allosteric activator (Lys(382) and Arg(431)). Arg(271) and Lys(413) are located at the interface between A and C domains within one subunit. The R271L and K413Q mutant enzymes exhibit altered kinetic properties. In K413Q, there is partial enzyme activation, whereas R271L is characterized by a bias toward the T-state in the allosteric equilibrium. In the T-state, Arg(292) and Asp(297) form an intersubunit salt bridge. The mutants R292D and D297R are totally inactive. The crystal structure of R292D reveals that the mutant enzyme retains the T-state quaternary structure. However, the mutation induces a reorganization of the interface with the creation of a network of interactions similar to that observed in the crystal structures of R-state yeast and M1 PK proteins. Furthermore, in the R292D structure, two loops that are part of the active site are disordered. The K382Q and R431E mutations were designed to probe the binding site for fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate, the allosteric activator. R431E exhibits only slight changes in the regulatory properties. Conversely, K382Q displays a highly altered responsiveness to the activator, suggesting that Lys(382) is involved in both activator binding and allosteric transition mechanism. Taken together, these results support the notion that domain interfaces are critical for the allosteric transition. They couple changes in the tertiary and quaternary structures to alterations in the geometry of the fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate and substrate binding sites. These site-directed mutagenesis data are discussed in the light of the molecular basis for the hereditary nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia, which is caused by mutations in human erythrocyte PK gene.  (+info)

Role of AMP-activated protein kinase in the regulation by glucose of islet beta cell gene expression. (40/1157)

Elevated glucose concentrations stimulate the transcription of the pre-proinsulin (PPI), L-type pyruvate kinase (L-PK), and other genes in islet beta cells. In liver cells, pharmacological activation by 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside (AICAR) of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), the mammalian homologue of the yeast SNF1 kinase complex, inhibits the effects of glucose, suggesting a key signaling role for this kinase. Here, we demonstrate that AMPK activity is inhibited by elevated glucose concentrations in MIN6 beta cells and that activation of the enzyme with AICAR prevents the activation of the L-PK gene by elevated glucose. Furthermore, microinjection of antibodies to the alpha2- (catalytic) or beta2-subunits of AMPK complex, but not to the alpha1-subunit or extracellular stimulus-regulated kinase, mimics the effects of elevated glucose on the L-PK and PPI promoter activities as assessed by single-cell imaging of promoter luciferase constructs. In each case, injection of antibodies into the nucleus and cytosol, but not the nucleus alone, was necessary, indicating the importance of either a cytosolic phosphorylation event or the subcellular localization of the alpha2-subunits. Incubation with AICAR diminished, but did not abolish, the effect of glucose on PPI transcription. These data suggest that glucose-induced changes in AMPK activity are necessary and sufficient for the regulation of the L-PK gene by the sugar and also play an important role in the regulation of the PPI promoter.  (+info)