3 Glycolysis

Dr. Ramesh Kothari

epgp books

   

 

 

 

Glycolysis

 

Objectives…

 

  • To understand how the glycolytic pathway is used to convert glucose to pyruvate
  • To understand conservation of chemical potential energy in the form of ATP and NADH
  • To learn the intermediates, enzyme, and cofactors of the glycolytic pathway.

   

Introduction

  • Glycolysis is a greek word, glyks means sweet and lysis means spilliting.
  • In glycolysis each glucose molecules splits and converted in to two 3 carbon unit (pyruvate) by sequential reaction.
  • During this sequential reactions of Glycolysis , some of the free energy released from glucose is conserved In the form of ATP and NADH.
  • Glycolysis is an almost universal central pathway of glucose catabolisms, the pathway with the largest flux of carbon in most cell.
  • The glycolytic breakdown of glucose is the sole source of metabolic energy in some mammalian tissues and cell type.
  • In anerobic organisms pyruvate is converted to some product like ethanol, lactic acid by using fermentation.
  • Aerobic organisms such as plant and animal, oxidized pyruvate to form CO2 and H2O .
  • The breakdown of the six carbon glucose into two molecules of the three carbon pyruvate occurs in 10 steps.

 

Figure 1. Reactions of glycolysis, each glucose molecules converted into two pyruvate molecules. In addition two molecules of each ATP and NADH are produced.

 

 

THE REACTIONS OF THE GLYCOLYTIC PATHWAY

 

Stage -1

 

Reaction -1. Synthesis of glucose -6- phosphate.

  • This reaction is a kinase reaction , added a phosphate to glucose immediately when glucose enter in the cell, due this phosphorylation glucose transport out of cell prevents and reactivity of oxygen of is also increase.
  • The phosphorylation of glucose in all cell in body is catalyzed by several enzymes called the hexokinases, ATP is complexed with Mg+2 which is a co- substrate in this reaction .
  • The reaction is essentially irreversible, and glucose is efficiently trapped inside the cell,as phosphorylated intermediates do not readily pass through cell membrane.
  • This reaction is catalyzed by enzyme hexokinase, present in virtually extra hepatic cells, has a high affinity (low Km) for glucose, so phosphorylates essentially all the glucose that enters cell, maintaining a large glucose gradient.

   

Reaction -2.Conversion of glucose -6-phosphate to fructose -6-phosphate

  • The reaction is catalysed by phosphoglucoisomarase
  • This enzymatic step prepares the first carom (C-1) for phosphorylation
  • It is freely reversible reaction controlled by substrate-product levels
  • Small change in standard free energy, the reaction proceeds readily in either direction , and require Mg2+.

 

Reaction -3. Fructose -6-phosphate to 1,6 diphosphate

 

The reaction is catalyzed by phosphofructokinase.

 

  • The reaction is essentially irreversible
  • In this reaction of Glycolysis phopshofructokinase -1 catalyzes the transfer of phosphoryl group from ATP to fructose 6-phosphate to yield fructose 1,6- bis phosphates
  • PFK is the rate limiting enzyme of Glycolysis in most tissues. It is the major regulatory enzyme of the glycolytic pathway

 

 

Reaction-4. Fructose -1, 6-bisphosphate to Dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehydes -3- phosphate

  • This reaction completes the first stages of Glycolysis. It is catalyzed by aldose.
  • The enzyme fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, ofen called simply aldolase, catalyzes a reversible aldol condensation.
  • Fructose -1, 6-bisphosphate is cleaved to yield two different triose phosphates, glyceraldehydes -3- phosphate and an aldose and Dihydroxyacetone phosphate,a ketose.
  • It is an energetically unfavorable reaction in the direction written, with standard free energy change G0 of+5.73 kcal ,but the rapid conversion of G3P to pyruvates drives the reaction.
  • All of the carbon of glucose can end up as pyruvate because of the equilibrium between DHAP and G3P, catalysed by triose phosphate isomarase .
  • As G3P is utilized by subsequent reaction of Glycolysis, carbon is drawn from DHAP to form G3P.

 

Reaction -5. The inter conversion of triose phosphate

  • Only one of the two triose phosphates formed by aldolase, glyceraldehydes 3-Phosphate , can be directly degraded in the subsequent step of Glycolysis .
  • The other product DHAP, is rapidly converted to , glyceraldehydes 3- Phosphate by fifth enzyme triose phosphate isomarase

 

 

Stage -2

 

Reaction -6. Oxidation of glyceradehyde -3 – phosphate

  • The reaction catalyzed by Glyceradehyde -3-posphate dehydrogenase , requires nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)as an electron carrier. In its oxidized form NAD+ binds tightly to the enzyme.

 

  • Aldehyde group is dehydrogenated to an acyl phosphate, as aldehyde group has a very high standard free energy of hydrolysis ( -49.3 kJ/mol).
  • Glyceradehyde -3 -phosphate dehydrogenase is inhibited by iodoacetate.
  • In this reaction ,the phosphorylation occurs at expense of inorganic phosphate. It is is an example of substrate-level phosphorylation.
  • This reaction generates ahigh energy phosphate bond in 1,3,DPG,which is a mixed anhydride of phosphoric acid and a carboxylic acid. Because of this , 1,3 –DPG has ahigh group transfer potential.

 

Reaction -7. Phosphoryl group transfer :

  • The reaction is catalyzed by phosphoglycerate kinase
  • This is the first step in the Glycolysis that generates ATP. It is another of substrate level phosphorylation.
  • In the prior step, two molecules of 1,3,-DPG were formed from each molecules of glucose .Therefore ,two ATP molecules are now formed per original molecules of glucose
  • Because ,up to triose formation (reaction-4), two molecules of ATP have been utilized per molecule of glucose consumed , the balance sheet for ATP utilization and formation is even at this step
  • The molecular structure of phosphoglycerate kinase is similar to hexokinase in that it has two lobes (jaws) that each bind one of the substrates (ADP-Mg2+ or 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate) leading to a large conformational change in the enzyme that brings the substrates close together and excludes H2O from the active site.
  • The bioenergetics of reaction 7 emphasize two important concepts . First, reaction 6 and reaction 7 are coupled reactions in that the large change in standard free energy of reaction 7 (ΔGº’ = -18.9 kJ/mol) pulls the less favorable reaction 6 (ΔGº’ = +6.3 kJ/mol) to the right through the shared intermediate 1,3- bisphosphoglcerate as shown below:

 

  • Second, the actual change in free energy for each of these two reactions is very close to zero (ΔG = -1.3 kJ/mol, ΔG = +0.1 kJ/mol), and therefore both reactions are in fact reversible insidethe cell. Again, this difference in ΔGº’ and ΔG is due to the mass action ratio which takes into account the actual concentrations of substrates and products that exist in the cell.
  • The reversibility of two reaction is important because when flux through gluconeogenesis is high, this two glycolytic reactions can be reversed and thus quickly respond to changing condition in the cell.

 

Reaction -8. The interconversion of 3-phosphoglycerate and 2-phosphoglycerate

  • The reaction is catalyzed by enzyme phosphoglycerate mutase
  • This reversible reaction has a ΔGº’ of +1.1
  • This reaction is to generate a compound, 2-phosphoglycerate, that can be converted to phosphoenol pyruvate in the next reaction, in preparation for a second substrate level phosphorylation that generates ATP earning in step-10.

Figure-2. Mechanism of highly reversible reaction. It can be seen to require a phosphoryl transfer from a phosphorylated histidine residue (His -P) located in the enzyme active site which is phosphorylated by transfer of phosphoryl group.

 

  • In step 1, the substrate 3-phosphoglycerate binds to the enzyme active site and is phosphorylated in the C2 position by a transfer reaction involving the His -P group.
  • This type of substrate interaction with the enzyme is non-covalent and referred to as a substrate enzyme complex.
  • The short-lived inter mediate 2,3bisphosphoglycerate (BPG) is created by Phosphoryl transfer from the histidine residue to the C2 atom of the 3-phospho glycerate.
  • In the second step of the reaction, the C3 phosphate is transferred back to the histidine residue of the enzyme to regenerate His-P, leading to the release of 2-

 

phosphoglycerate and binding of anew molecule of 3-phosphoglycerate in the third step.

 

  • Note that the BPG formed in step 1 can diffuse out of the active site resulting in dephosphorylated enzyme, and you may remember that blood cells BPG has an important role in regulating oxygen binding to hemoglobin in red bloodcells.
  • When BPG leaves the active site without re-phosphorylating the His group, the enzyme canonly be activated when trace amounts of BPG diffuse back into the active site.

     

Reaction -9. Dehydration of 2-phosphoglycerate:

  • In this Reversible reaction water molecules is remove from phosphoglycerate to yield phosphoenol pyruvate is promoted by enolase.

 

  • In this step of glycolysis 2-phosphoglycerate is convert in to phosphoenol pyruvate by dehydration reaction ,which is catalyzed by enzyme enolase.
  • It is interesting that the change in standard free energy for this reaction is relatively small (ΔGº’ = +1.7) kJ/mol), meaning that the overall metabolic energy available fromm2-phosphoglycerate and phosphoenol pyruvate is similar.
  • However, when enolase converts 2-phosphoglycerate to phosphoenol pyruvate, it traps the phosphate group in an unstable enol form, resulting in a dramatic increase in the phosphoryl transfer potential of the triose sugar.
  • The standard free energy change for phosphate hydrolysis in 2-phosphoglycerate is

 

ΔGº’ = -16kJ/mol, whereas for phosphoenol pyruvate it is an incredible ΔGº’ = -62 kJ/mol.

 

 

Reaction -10. Synthesis of pyruvate

  • This last step in glycolysis is catalyzed by enzyme pyruvate kinase.
  • The formation of ATP from ADP at the expense of the high energy phosphoenol bond of PEP.
  • This step is also an important site of regulation.
  • In this reaction, the high phosphoryl transfer potential of PEP is used by theenzyme pyruvate kinase to generatepyruvate, the end product of
  • glycolysis, and 2 ATP are formed forevery glucose molecule entering the pathway.
  • This is the second of two substrate level phosphorylation reactions in glycolysis that couples energy released from phosphate hydrolysis(ΔGº’ = -62 kJ/mol) to that of ATP synthesis (ΔGº’ = +30.5 kJ/mol).
  • Pyruvate is a stable compound in cells that is utilized by many other metabolic pathways.

   

Overall balance sheet – net gain of ATP

 

 

  • Under aerobic conditions, the two molecules of NADH are reoxidized to NAD+ by transfer of their electrons to the respiratory chain in the mitochondrion

 

During glycolysis:

  • Carbon pathway – Glucose → 2x pyruvate
  • Phosphate pathway – 2 ADP + 2 Pi → 2 ATP

 

 Summary

  • Glycolysis is a near universal pathway by which a glucose molecules is oxidized to two molecules of pyruvate, with energy conserved as ATP and NADH.
  • The process of Glycolysis is the enzymatic splitting of glucose into two molecules of pyruvate, and it is the primary sequence in the metabolisms of glucose by all cell.
  • It is an oxidative pathway which does not require oxygen. When it function in the absence of oxygen the process is referred to as anaerobic Glycolysis ; when oxygen is available ,as aerobic glycolysis
  • The process is catalyzed by 10 cytosolic enzymes and there is a net gain of two ATPs per molecule of glucose.
  • Enzyme limited, regulated steps are catalyzed by hexokinase, phosphofructokinase-1, and pyruvate kinase.

 

you can view video on Glycolysis

 

 

References

  • Bryant Miles, January 22, 2003
  • Medh,J.D.CHEM464
  • Dr. Miesfeld Fall Bioc 460

 

 Web site

 

Books

  • Harper’s Biochemistry pp. 190-198
  • Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry 3rd Ed. pp. 527-566
  • Biochemistry, byReginald Garrett and Charles Grisham
  • Garrett, R.; Grisham, C. M. (2005). Biochemistry (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole. p. 584. ISBN 0-534-49033-6
  • VoetD., and Voet J. G. (2004). Biochemistry 3rd Edition (New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).