Humboldt State University ® Department of Chemistry

Richard A. Paselk

Chem 431

Biochemistry

Fall 2001

Lecture Notes:: 31 October

© R. Paselk 2001
 
     
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GLYCOLYSIS 3

Glycolysis Pathway

G-6-P Isomerase: G-6-P to F-6-P

The mechanism here is based on the Lobry-de-Bruyn von Ekenstein mechanism we looked at earlier.

 

 

Last time I asked you to guess the mechanism of this reaction. You should have come up with a mechanism using histidine (pKa = 7) acting as a general base in the LBE mechanism, and Lysine acting as a general acid. However, the real mechanism turns out to be more subtle: lys is involved in catalyzing ring opening (as in mutarotation, 9 October) instead of general acid catalysis of LBE chemistry.

 

The next reaction involves an almost symmetrical cleavage of F-1,6-bisP to begin phase II:

4) Aldolase: F-1,6-bis P to Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate & Dihydroxyacetone Phosphate.

 

 

 

This reaction is an aldol cleavage, the reverse of the aldol condensation discussed in organic chemistry:

 

 

Recall that this reaction, where C-C bond making or breaking takes place, is only possible because of the acidity of C-2 (the alpha C), which allows the formation of the nucleophilic carbanion. This acidity can be explained by the resonance structures which may be drawn for the alkyl-carbonyl "group":

 

 

Thus in thinking about a catalytic mechanism for this reaction we should look for ways to further stabilize the carbanion, making it an even better leaving group, and therefore making the transition state easier to achieve.

The molecular mechanism for this enzyme, a type I aldolase, is shown below:

 

 

 

 

Note that the enzyme works on the open form of the sugar, and uses a protonated schiff base intermediate at the heart of the mechanism.

The enzyme shows an Ordered Sequential Uni Bi kinetic mechanism:

 

 

 

 

5) Triose Phosphate Isomerase: DHAP to GA-3-P

 

 

 

 

DHAP is more stable, so most of the aldolase product ends up in the DHAP pool in the cell. Need a high activity enzyme to assure the availability of this pool for proceeding through Glycolysis.

TPI turns out to have a very high turnover number (number of molecules processed per active site per time): approx. 1,000,000 mol/min/site, apparently diffusion controlled. That is this enzyme appears to operate as fast as physically possible: as soon as substrate arrives it is converted. Sometimes referred to as a "perfect catalyst."

As with G-6-P Isomerase it uses a LBE type mechanism with enediol intermediate. Again see 2 pKa's and bell shaped pH titration curve. (What must be different about this mechanism compared to G-6-P Isomerase?)

 

6) Glyceraldehyde 3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase: GA-3-P to 1,3-bis PGA

 

 

 

GA-3-P DH shows an Ordered Sequential Ter Bi kinetic mechanism:

 

 

 

 

Oxidizing an aldehyde to an 'acid,' creating a mixed acid anhydride in the process: How? Go through an enzyme bound hemithioacetal which is then oxidized to an enzyme bound high energy thiolester. The thiolester can then be phosphorylized to give 1,3-bis PGA:

 

 

 

 

A detailed mechanism for this enzyme is shown as Figure 14.9 on p 395 of your text. Note in this mechanism that the thiol group of cysteine is used both as catalyst and to preserve and transfer the free energy of the oxidation reaction. Thus the carbon of the thiohemiacetal is less (+) than an acetal carbon and so it is easier to remove a hydride ion using NAD+, and the resulting thiol ester is a high energy compound which is readily attacked by phosphate.

So in this reaction we have coupled an oxidation (favorable) to a phosphorylation (unfavorable) to give a substrate level oxidative phosphorylation.

 

Now let's look at the detailed mechanism: [overhead]

 

 

 

(Note: Arsenate can substitute for phosphate forming highly unstable 1-As-3-PGA, which readily hydrolyses, thus producing no ATP - one mechanism of As toxicity.)

 

7) Phosphoglycerate Kinase: 1,3-bis PGA to 3-PGA

 

 

After a series of unfavorable or marginal reactions now we get a highly favorable reaction again - pulls the pathway forward.

 

This brings us to the third stage of Glycolysis and our ATP energy "profit."

8) Phosphoglycerate Mutase: 3-PGA to 2-PGA

 

 

This enzyme requires 2,3-bis PGA (2,3BPG; DPG) as a cofactor to phosphorylate the enzyme and to maintain the E-P intermediate:

 

3-PGA + E-P ´ 2,3-bisPGA + E ´ 2-PGA + E-P

 

A detailed mechanism for this enzyme is shown below: [overhead]

 

 

Note that we need another enzyme to produce the BPG cofactor: Bisphosphoglycerate mutase.

Pathway Diagrams

 

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Last modified 31 October 2001