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The change in the supply with reduction equivalents in different organs of the rat during aging.

The rate of metabolic kinetics and the frequency of biological cycles may be correlated with the rate of aging and the maximum life-span potential. Therefore, investigation either into changes with age of such parameters within one species or into differences between species may give some information about the genetic programming of the aging process. Male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 3.5, 7, 12, 17, 23, and 33 months (m) were used to determine the changes with age of those metabolic pathways mentioned in the title, using the liver (LI), kidney (KI), brain (BR), heart (HE) and the skeletal muscle (SM). The maximum percentage of glucose utilization via the pentose pathway, compared to the total glucose utilization, was calculated after intravenous administration of D-[1-14C]- and D-[6-14C]glucose by the determination of the trioses (as lipids) 3 hours after the application. Furthermore, in rats aged 13 and 25 m the kinetics of both glucoses was measured in liver, kidney, heart, brain, skeletal muscle, spleen (SP), and testes (TE) during the first 3 hours after application. Pentose pathway values were calculated. The results indicate a decrease in the glucose utilization via the pentose pathway in the course of aging in liver, kidney, heart and skeletal muscle and a decrease from 3.5 months on in brain, younger rats exhibit a higher rate of glucose utilization via the pentose pathway as do old ones, the reduction of the pentose pathway may possibly be the cause of higher lipofuscin accumulation in the cells of some organs, lacking sufficient reduction equivalents for lipid metabolism.

Aging↗

Decreased ability of cells overexpressing MYC proteins to reduce peroxide and hydroperoxides.

Hydroperoxides are reduced in mammalian cells by a coupled enzyme pathway involving glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and the oxidative limb of the pentose cycle. Oxidation of glucose-6-phosphate by the pentose cycle yields two molecules of NADPH, which can reduce two hydroperoxide molecules to the corresponding alcohol. Rat embryo fibroblasts (REF) transfected with v-myc reduce hydroperoxides slower than the primary REF cell line-measured both as real time peroxide loss and as increased glucose oxidation via the pentose cycle. The v-myc transfected cell line is 50-fold more sensitive to the toxic effects of tBu-OOH. The decreased reduction of peroxides by v-myc transfected cells is not due to changes in the activities of GSH reductase or the enzymes of the oxidative pentose cycle, since diamide stimulates PC activity equally in both cell lines. In addition, the activities of these enzymes, measured in cell homogenates do not differ significantly between the cell lines. Also total GSH peroxidase activity, assayed in cell homogenates, is not significantly different between the cell lines. Two human tumour cell lines which overexpress myc family proteins: NCI-H69, a small-cell lung cancer line which expresses elevated levels of N-myc, and HL-60 cells which overexpress c-myc, also exhibit low levels of pentose cycle stimulation in the presence of tBu-OOH, and a decreased capacity to reduce hydrogen peroxide by peroxide electrode.

Animals↗

[Carbohydrate content and glycolysis enzymatic activity in the liver of young purebred and hybrid cattle of both sexes].

It is established that the content of glycogen, glucose, fructose and the activity of phosphoglucomutase and phosphogexoisomerase is considerably higher in the heifer liver and the content of pentoses of adenylic system and the activity of aldolase is essentially lower than in the liver of bulls of the same breed. In the liver of growing hybrid young cattle (except of the Hereford heifers) as compared to the purebred ones the value of the total pentoses: glycogen and pentoses of adenylic system: glycogen ratios are significantly higher. These values in the bull liver of all the breed groups are essentially higher than in the heifer liver. The data obtained evidence for possibility of applying the values of ratio of total pentoses and especially of pentoses of adenylic system to glycogen as well as the activity of aldolase in the liver tissue as biochemical test for estimating the high rate of growth and prognosing the meat productivity of young cattle of different sex.

Animals↗

Regulation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in spinach chloroplasts by ribulose 1,5-diphosphate and NADPH/NADP+ ratios.

The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49) FROM SPINACH CHLOROPLASTS IS STRONGLY REGULATED BY THE RATIO OF NADPH/NADP+, with the extent of this regulation controlled by the concentration of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate. Other metabolites of the reductive pentose phosphate cycle are far less effective in mediating the regulation of the enzyme activity by NADPH/NADP+ ratio. With a ratio of NADPH/NADP+ of 2, and a concentration of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate of 0.6 mM, the activity of the enzyme is completely inhibited. This level of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate is well within the concentration range which has been reported for unicellular green algae photosynthesizing in vivo. Ratios of NADPH/NADP+ of 2.0 have been measured for isolated spinach chloroplasts in the light and under physiological conditions. Since ribulose 1,5-diphosphate is a metabolite unique to the reductive pentose phosphate cycle and inhibits glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the presence of NADPH/NADP+ ratios found in chloroplasts in the light, it is proposed that regulation of the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle is accomplished in vivo by the levels of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate, NADPH, and NADP+. It already has been shown that several key reactions of the reductive pentose phosphate cycle in chloroplasts are regulated by levels of NADPH/NADP+ or other electron-carrying cofactors, and at least one key-regulated step, the carboxylation reaction is strongly affected by 6-phosphogluconate, the metabolic unique to the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle. Thus there is an interesting inverse regulation system in chloroplasts, in which reduced/oxidized coenzymes provide a general regulatory mechanism. The reductive cycle is activated at high NADPH/NADP+ ratios where the oxidative cycle is inhibited, and ribulose 1,5-diphosphate and 6-phosphogluconate provide further control of the cycles, each regulating the cycle in which it is not a metabolite.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Glucose metabolism and effect of acetate in ovine adipocytes.

Isolated ovine adipocytes were incubated in vitro with specifically labeled 14C-glucose in the presence or absence of acetate. The flux patterns of glucose carbon through major metabolic pathways were estimated. When glucose was added as the sole substrate, approximately equal portions of glucose carbon (10%) were oxidized to CO2 in the pentose phosphate pathway, in the pyruvate dehydrogenase reaction and in the citrate cycle. Fifteen percent of the glucose carbon was incorporated into fatty acids and 43% was released as lactate and pyruvate. Addition of acetate to the medium increased glucose carbon uptake by 1.5-fold. Most of this increase was accounted for by a sevenfold increase in the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway. Acetate increased glucose carbon fluxes via pentose phosphate pathway to triose phosphates, from triose phosphate to pyruvate, into glyceride glycerol, into lactate and pyruvate and into pyruvate dehydrogenase and citrate cycle CO2. Glucose carbon incorporated into fatty acids was decreased 50% by acetate while, carbon fluxes through the phosphofructokinase-aldolase reactions were not significantly increased. Results of this study suggest that, when glucose is the sole substrate, the conversion of glucose to fatty acids in ovine adipocytes may not be limited by the maximum capacity of hexokinase, the pentose phosphate pathway or enzymes involved in the conversion of triose phosphates to pyruvate and of pyruvate to fatty acid. Acetate increased glucose utilization apparently by increasing activity of the pentose phosphate pathway as a result of enhanced NADPH utilization for fatty acid synthesis.

Acetates↗

Metabolic flux and metabolic network analysis of Penicillium chrysogenum using 2D [13C, 1H] COSY NMR measurements and cumulative bondomer simulation.

At present two alternative methods are available for analyzing the fluxes in a metabolic network: (1) combining measurements of net conversion rates with a set of metabolite balances including the cofactor balances, or (2) leaving out the cofactor balances and fitting the resulting free fluxes to measured (13)C-labeling data. In this study these two approaches are applied to the fluxes in the glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway of Penicillium chrysogenum growing on either ammonia or nitrate as the nitrogen source, which is expected to give different pentose phosphate pathway fluxes. The presented flux analyses are based on extensive sets of 2D [(13)C, (1)H] COSY data. A new concept is applied for simulation of this type of (13)C-labeling data: cumulative bondomer modeling. The outcomes of the (13)C-labeling based flux analysis substantially differ from those of the pure metabolite balancing approach. The fluxes that are determined using (13)C-labeling data are shown to be highly dependent on the chosen metabolic network. Extending the traditional nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway with additional transketolase and transaldolase reactions, extending the glycolysis with a fructose 6-phosphate aldolase/dihydroxyacetone kinase reaction sequence or adding a phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase reaction to the model considerably improves the fit of the measured and the simulated NMR data. The results obtained using the extended version of the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway model show that the transketolase and transaldolase reactions need not be assumed reversible to get a good fit of the (13)C-labeling data. Strict statistical testing of the outcomes of (13)C-labeling based flux analysis using realistic measurement errors is demonstrated to be of prime importance for verifying the assumed metabolic model.

Ammonia↗

Glucose, glutathione, and cellular response to spermine oxidation products.

Bovine serum amineoxidase (BSAO) oxidatively deaminates polyamines, which contain primary amine groups with formation of several toxic products, H2O2, and aldehyde(s). We evaluated the role of glucose metabolism via the pentose phosphate cycle and the level of intracellular glutathione on cytotoxicity induced by each of the toxic products in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Glucose protected cells against cytotoxicity in the presence of BSAO at low spermine concentrations ( < 50 microM), where H2O2 was the only toxic species present. When catalase was present, cytotoxicity is attributed to spermine-derived aldehyde(s). Glucose did not protect cells against cytotoxicity induced by spermine-derived aldehyde(s), nor by the aldehyde acrolein. Hydrogen peroxide produced by spermine and BSAO stimulated pentose cycle activity, whereas the aldehyde(s) did not. Depletion of intracellular glutathione with L-buthionine sulfoximine (1 mM, 24 h) sensitized cells to the cytotoxic effects of both H2O2 and the aldehyde(s) produced by spermine and BSAO. The pentose cycle and the glutathione redox cycle have an important role in protection against H2O2 generated from spermine oxidation. Glutathione appears to have a role in protecting cells against cytotoxicity attributed to spermine-derived aldehyde(s), most likely by conjugation in a reaction catalyzed by glutathione S-transferase, whereas metabolism of glucose via the pentose cycle did not. The metabolism of both glucose and glutathione, affect the cellular response to H2O2 and aldehyde(s) derived from spermine, although different pathways are involved.

Acrolein↗

A carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of the metabolic fluxes associated with glucose metabolism in human erythrocytes.

We have used [2-13C]D-glucose and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to investigate metabolic fluxes through the major pathways of glucose metabolism in intact human erythrocytes and to determine the interactions among these pathways under conditions that perturb metabolism. Using the method described, we have been able to measure fluxes through the pentose phosphate pathway, phosphofructokinase, the 2,3-diphosphoglycerate bypass, and phosphoglycerate kinase, as well as glucose uptake, concurrently and in a single experiment. We have measured these fluxes in normal human erythrocytes under the following conditions: (1) fully oxygenated; (2) treated with methylene blue; and (3) deoxygenated. This method makes it possible to monitor various metabolic effects of stresses in normal and pathological states. Not only has 13C-NMR spectroscopy proved to be a useful method for measuring in vivo flux through the pentose phosphate pathway, but it has also provided additional information about the cycling of metabolites through the non-oxidative portion of the pentose phosphate pathway. Our evidence from experiments with [1-13C]-, [2-13C]-, and [3-13C]D-glucoses indicates that there is an observable reverse flux of fructose 6-phosphate through the reactions catalyzed by transketolase and transaldolase, even in the presence of a net flux through the pentose phosphate pathway.

Adult↗

Impaired growth of an Escherichia coli rpe mutant lacking ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase activity.

We present evidence that ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase, a central metabolic enzyme acting in the non-oxidative branch of the pentose-phosphate pathway, is encoded by a gene in the dam containing operon of Escherichia coli. Enzymatic assays confirm that this gene encodes ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase activity. Disruption of the gene (rpe) causes loss of enzymatic activity and renders the rpe mutant unable to utilize single pentose sugars, indicating that rpe supplies the only ribulose-5-phosphate epimerase activity in E. coli. Growth of the rpe mutant is impaired in complex LB medium and severely impaired in minimal medium containing glycolytic carbon sources or gluconate. Enrichment with casamino acids abolishes or strongly relieves growth suppression in minimal medium. Aspartate counteracts the impaired growth in glycolytic carbon sources but not in gluconate. We suggest that the absence of the Rpe enzyme causes changes in the pentose-phosphate levels which alter the regulation of (a) metabolic enzyme(s) and thereby cause growth suppression and that the severity of growth suppression is related to the internal concentration of pentose-phosphates. Target enzymes for negative regulation may be located in the early parts of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway and of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway and/or of carbohydrate transport systems feeding sugars into these sections of central metabolic pathways.

Aspartic Acid↗

Metabolic engineering applications to renewable resource utilization.

Lignocellulosic materials containing cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are the most abundant renewable organic resource on earth. The utilization of renewable resources for energy and chemicals is expected to increase in the near future. The conversion of both cellulose (glucose) and hemicellulose (hexose and pentose) for the production of fuel ethanol is being studied intensively, with a view to developing a technically and economically viable bioprocess. Whereas the fermentation of glucose can be carried out efficiently, the bioconversion of the pentose fraction (xylose and arabinose, the main pentose sugars obtained on hydrolysis of hemicellulose), presents a challenge. A lot of attention has therefore been focused on genetically engineering strains that can efficiently utilize both glucose and pentoses, and convert them to useful compounds, such as ethanol. Metabolic strategies seek to generate efficient biocatalysts (bacteria and yeast) for the bioconversion of most hemicellulosic sugars to products that can be derived from the primary metabolism, such as ethanol. The metabolic engineering objectives so far have focused on higher yields, productivities and expanding the substrate and product spectra.

Bacteria↗

Direct measurement of in vivo flux differences between electrophoretic variants of G6PD from Drosophila melanogaster.

Demonstrating that naturally occurring enzyme polymorphisms significantly impact metabolic pathway flux is a fundamental step in examining the possible adaptive significance of such polymorphisms. In earlier studies of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster, we used two different methods, exploiting both genotype-dependent interactions with the 6Pgd locus, and conventional steady-state kinetics to examine activity differences between the two common allozymes. In this report we use 1-14C- and 6-14C-labeled glucose to estimate directly genotype-dependent flux differences through the pentose shunt. Our results show that G6pdA genotype possesses statistically lower pentose shunt flux than G6pdB at 25 degrees. We estimate this to be about a 32% reduction, which is consistent with the two former studies. These results reflect a significant responsiveness of pentose shunt flux to activity variation at the G6PD-catalyzed step, and predict that the G6PD allozymes generate a polymorphism for pentose shunt flux.

Animals↗

Metabolism of radiolabeled glucose by mouse oocytes and oocyte-cumulus cell complexes.

This study was carried out to examine the metabolism of [1-14C]-, [6-14C]-, and [5-3H]glucose by oocyte-cumulus cell complexes (OCC) and denuded oocytes (DO) and to test the hypothesis that metabolism of glucose through the pentose phosphate pathway is associated with meiotic induction. OCC or DO were cultured in hanging drops suspended from the cap of a microfuge tube, with NaOH serving as a trap to collect released 3H2O or 14CO2. Preliminary experiments established that this culture system supports both spontaneous and ligand-induced meiotic maturation. An initial time course experiment (1.5-6 h) showed that hypoxanthine-treated OCC from eCG-primed animals metabolized glucose principally via glycolysis, with an increase to 2.7-fold in response to FSH. Though more [1-14C]glucose was oxidized than [6-14C]glucose, its metabolism was about two orders of magnitude less than that of [5-3H]glucose. Also, FSH significantly increased oxidation of [1-14C]glucose but not [6-14C]glucose, indicating a preferential activation of the pentose phosphate pathway. Pyrroline carboxylate, an activator of the pentose phosphate pathway, increased the activity of this pathway to over 2-fold but failed to affect glucose oxidation through the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Glycolytic metabolism was increased by 25%. The addition of pyruvate to pyruvate-free medium resulted in significant reduction in the metabolism of all three glucose analogues. In OCC retrieved from hCG-injected, primed mice and cultured under hormone-free conditions, metabolic responses were similar to those in FSH-treated complexes cultured in hypoxanthine. DO metabolized glucose, but at a much reduced rate when compared to OCC. Pyruvate reduced the consumption of all three glucose analogues by DO. Pyrroline carboxylate reduced [5-3H]glucose metabolism by DO but had little effect on [1-14C]- and [6-14C]glucose oxidation. These data demonstrate metabolism of glucose by both DO and OCC, but reveal that cumulus cells are more active than the oocyte in this regard. In addition, induction of maturation by FSH, hCG, or pyrroline carboxylate was accompanied by a significant increase in the oxidation of [1-14C]glucose but not [6-14C]glucose by OCC, supporting a proposed role for the pentose phosphate pathway in meiotic induction.

Animals↗

Comparison of rates of local cerebral glucose utilization determined with deoxy[1-14C]glucose and deoxy[6-14C]glucose.

The activity of the pentose phosphate shunt pathway in brain is thought to be linked to neurotransmitter metabolism, glutathione reduction, and synthetic pathways requiring NADPH. There is currently no method available to assess flux of glucose through the pentose phosphate pathway in localized regions of the brain of conscious animals in vivo. Because metabolites of deoxy[1-14C]glucose are lost from brain when the experimental period of the deoxy[14C]glucose method exceeds 45 min, the possibility was considered that the loss reflected activity of this shunt pathway and that this hexose might be used to assay regional pentose phosphate shunt pathway activity in brain. Decarboxylation of deoxy[1-14C]glucose by brain extracts was detected in vitro, and small quantities of 14C were recovered in the 6-phosphodeoxygluconate fraction when deoxy[14C]glucose metabolites were isolated from freeze-blown brains and separated by HPLC. Local rates of glucose utilization determined with deoxy[1-14C]glucose and deoxy[6-14C]glucose were, however, similar in 20 brain structures at 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after the pulse, indicating that the rate of loss of 14CO2 from deoxy[1-14C]glucose-6-phosphate in normal adult rat brain is too low to permit assay pentose phosphate shunt activity in vivo. Further metabolism of deoxy[1-14]glucose-6-phosphate via this pathway does not interfere during routine use of the deoxyglucose method or explain the progressive decrease in calculated metabolic rate when the experimental period exceeds 45 min.

Animals↗

Sugar metabolism in transketolase mutants of Escherichia coli.

This paper continues the description of transketolase mutants of Escherichia coli; they are absolutely unable to grow on pentoses, but slightly "leaky" with respect to their aromatic requirement (B. L. Josephson and D. G. Fraenkel, 1969). Several experiments have explored the degree of leakiness and shown it to be low. There is little conversion of radioactive xylose to carbon dioxide. The labeling of ribose in cells grown on [1-(14)C]glucose and [2-(14)C]glucose accords with its origin being chiefly by the oxidative pathway. A mutant lacking both transketolase and gluconate-6-phosphate dehydrogenase has been constructed; it requires supplementation with pentose. Pentoses are inhibitory to growth of transketolase mutants, but high levels of pentose phosphates do not accumulate in this situation. Several experimental results are suggestive of regulation of metabolic flow in the oxidative branch of the hexose monophosphate shunt.

Aerobiosis↗

Integrative effects of EGF on metabolism and proliferation in renal proximal tubular cells.

This study examined the relationship between alterations in cellular metabolism and induction of proliferation in renal proximal tubular cells (RPTC) after epidermal growth factor (EGF) exposure. EGF treatment (10 ng/ml) of confluent RPTC cultures for 6 consecutive days increased monolayer DNA content 3.3-fold. EGF-stimulated proliferation of RPTC was preceded by a rapid (within 4 h) induction of glycolysis and a decrease in basal and ouabain-sensitive oxygen consumption (20 and 30%, respectively). EGF stimulated the pentose cycle by 58% and decreased gluconeogenesis by 48%. Supplementation of the culture medium with ribose-5-phosphate or ribose abolished the stimulation of glycolysis and the pentose cycle by EGF but had no effect on proliferation. These results show that EGF rapidly stimulates the pentose cycle, shifts glucose metabolism from gluconeogenesis to glycolysis, and decreases oxygen consumption before any increase in proliferation. The lack of an EGF effect on the pentose cycle and glycolysis in the presence of exogenous precursors for DNA synthesis suggests that the stimulation of these pathways before proliferation is due to increased demands for ribose for subsequent nucleic acid synthesis.

Animals↗

Enzymes of glutamine metabolism in inflammation associated with skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

Glutamine synthesis and utilization were studied in the plantaris muscle after removal of its functional synergists, the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles. Rat plantaris muscle was compared with unoperated controls at 7, 14, and 30 days after synergist ablation and induction of hypertrophy. Glutamine synthetase activity increased from 6.17 +/- 1.77 to 33.92 +/- 2.23 nmol.h-1.mg protein-1, and glutaminase activities increased from 98.63 +/- 23.05 to 478.70 +/- 64.17 nmol.h-1.mg protein-1 7 days after surgery and remained elevated at 14 and 30 days. Sham-operated controls examined 7 days after surgery did not exhibit significantly increased glutamine synthetase activity. Histological examination revealed a large proliferation of connective tissue cells, as well as cells involved in tissue repair and inflammation; this influx was maximal 1 wk after surgery. The activity of the oxidative enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway increased from 3.08 +/- 4.31 to 20.86 +/- 1.13 nmol.min-1.mg protein-1 1 wk after surgery. The time course of changes in pentose phosphate pathway enzymes was similar to that of the increases in glutamine synthetase, glutaminase, and cellular infiltration. Increases in muscle wet weight followed a different time course than changes in glutamine synthetase, glutaminase, and pentose phosphate pathway activities. It is concluded that the initial increases in plantaris muscle weight are probably due to edema, connective tissue proliferation, and cells involved in tissue repair and inflammation. The increase in glutamine synthetase activity appears to occur in skeletal muscle, whereas the changes in glutaminase and pentose phosphate pathway activities appear to represent infiltrating inflammatory cells. Furthermore, the increase in glutamine synthetase activity may serve to support the infiltrating cells, which appear to lack substantial capacity for glutamine production. These results represent a functional relationship between skeletal muscle glutamine synthesis and utilization by cells mediating inflammation and connective tissue repair and synthesis.

Animals↗

Pathway analysis and metabolic engineering in Corynebacterium glutamicum.

The gram-positive bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum is used for the industrial production of amino acids, e.g. of L-glutamate and L-lysine. During the last 15 years, genetic engineering and amplification of genes have become fascinating methods for studying metabolic pathways in greater detail and for the construction of strains with the desired genotypes. In order to obtain a better understanding of the central metabolism and to quantify the in vivo fluxes in C. glutamicum, the [13C]-labelling technique was combined with metabolite balancing to achieve a unifying comprehensive pathway analysis. These methods can determine the flux distribution at the branch point between glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. The in vivo fluxes in the oxidative part of the pentose phosphate pathway calculated on the basis of intracellular metabolite concentrations and the kinetic constants of the purified glucose-6-phosphate and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenases determined in vitro were in full accordance with the fluxes measured by the [13C]-labelling technique. These data indicate that the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in C. glutamicum is mainly regulated by the ratio of NADPH/NADP concentrations and the specific activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. The carbon flux via the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway correlated with the NADPH demand for L-lysine synthesis. Although it has generally been accepted that phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase fulfills a main anaplerotic function in C. glutamicum, we recently detected that a biotin-dependent pyruvate carboxylase exists as a further anaplerotic enzyme in this bacterium. In addition to the activities of these two carboxylases three enzymes catalysing the decarboxylation of the C4 metabolites oxaloacetate or malate are also present in this bacterium. The individual flux rates at this complex anaplerotic node were investigated by using [13C]-labelled substrates. The results indicate that both carboxylation and decarboxylation occur simultaneously in C. glutamicum so that a high cyclic flux of oxaloacetate via phosphoenolpyruvate to pyruvate was found. Furthermore, we detected that in C. glutamicum two biosynthetic pathways exist for the synthesis of DL-diaminopimelate and L-lysine. As shown by NMR spectroscopy the relative use of both pathways in vivo is dependent on the ammonium concentration in the culture medium. Mutants defective in one pathway are still able to synthesise enough L-lysine for growth, but the L-lysine yields with overproducers were reduced. The luxury of having these two pathways gives C. glutamicum an increased flexibility in response to changing environmental conditions and is also related to the essential need for DL-diaminopimelate as a building block for the synthesis of the murein sacculus.

Corynebacterium↗

Adriamycin resistance in human tumor cells associated with marked alteration in the regulation of the hexose monophosphate shunt and its response to oxidant stress.

We found that Adriamycin increased the pentose phosphate shunt activity in both Adriamycin-sensitive (WT) and Adriamycin-resistant (ADRR) human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. In contrast, hydrogen peroxide and cumene hydroperoxide markedly stimulated pentose-shunt activity in ADRR but only moderately increased the activity in WT cells. Furthermore, the altered oxidation-reduction regulation is associated with changes intrinsic to the key enzymes of the pentose-shunt pathway, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and with glutathione peroxidase. We found the Vmax values for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase were 50- and 4-fold lower, respectively, in ADRR than WT cells and the Kms of NADP+ were 10-fold lower in ADRR than WT. The activity of glutathione reductase in ADRR is 42% of that in WT. In spite of these changes, the response of the cells to both hydrogen peroxide and organic peroxide is not limited by either the capacity of the pentose shunt or glutathione reductase, but is determined by the activity of glutathione peroxidase and a glutathione transferase which possess peroxidase activity. The kinetic properties of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in ADRR may, however, seriously limit the activity of cytochrome P-450 reductase, a major enzyme of Adriamycin conversion to a free radical.

Benzene Derivatives↗