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PubMed2002

Biosynthesis of d-arabinose in Mycobacterium smegmatis: specific labeling from d-glucose.

d-Arabinose is a major sugar in the cell wall polysaccharides of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacterial species. The reactions involved in the biosynthesis and activation of d-arabinose represent excellent potential sites for drug intervention since d-arabinose is not found in mammalian cells, and the cell wall arabinomannan and/or arabinogalactan appear to be essential for cell survival. Since the pathway involved in conversion of d-glucose to d-arabinose is unknown, we incubated cells of Mycobacterium smegmatis individually with [1-(14)C]glucose, [3,4-(14)C]glucose, and [6-(14)C]glucose and compared the specific activities of the cell wall-bound arabinose. Although the specific activity of the arabinose was about 25% lower with [6-(14)C]glucose than with other labels, there did not appear to be selective loss of either carbon 1 or carbon 6, suggesting that arabinose was not formed by loss of carbon 1 of glucose via the oxidative step of the pentose phosphate pathway, or by loss of carbon 6 in the uronic acid pathway. Similar labeling patterns were observed with ribose isolated from the nucleic acid fraction. Since these results suggested an unusual pathway of pentose formation, labeling studies were also done with [1-(13)C]glucose, [2-(13)C]glucose, and [6-(13)C]glucose and the cell wall arabinose was examined by NMR analysis. This method allows one to determine the relative (13)C content in each carbon of the arabinose. The labeling patterns suggested that the most likely pathway was condensation of carbons 1 and 2 of fructose 6-phosphate produced by the transaldolase reaction with carbons 4, 5, and 6 (i.e., glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate) formed by fructose-1,6 bisphosphate aldolase. Cell-free enzyme extracts of M. smegmatis were incubated with ribose 5-phosphate, xylulose 5-phosphate, and d-arabinose 5-phosphate under a variety of experimental conditions. Although the ribose 5-phosphate and xylulose 5-phosphate were converted to other pentoses and hexoses, no arabinose 5-phosphate (or free arabinose) was detected in any of these reactions. In addition, these enzyme extracts did not convert arabinose 5-phosphate to any other pentose or hexose. In addition, incubation of [(14)C]glucose 6-phosphate and various nucleoside triphosphates (ATP, CTP, GTP, TTP, and UTP) with cytosolic or membrane fractions from the mycobacterial cells did not result in formation of a nucleotide form of arabinose, although other radioactive sugars including rhamnose and galactose were found in the nucleotide fraction. Furthermore, no radioactive arabinose was found in the nucleotide fraction isolated from M. smegmatis cells grown in [(3)H]glucose, nor was arabinose detected in a large-scale extraction of the sugar nucleotide fraction from 300 g of cells. The logical conclusion from these studies is that d-arabinose is probably produced from d-ribose by epimerization of carbon 2 of the ribose moiety of polyprenylphosphate-ribose to form polyprenylphosphate-arabinose, which is then used as the precursor for formation of arabinosyl polymers.

Arabinose↗
PubMed1995

The in vivo rate of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in sea urchin eggs determined with a photolabile caged substrate.

Some of the earliest metabolic changes after fertilization of sea urchin eggs center around the activity of the pentose phosphate shunt. We here report on the in vivo activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), the first enzyme of this shunt, as assayed with a photolabile (caged) analog of the substrate, glucose-6-phosphate (G6P). Caged G6P was synthesized from radiolabeled (5-3H or 1-14C) glucose and loaded into unfertilized sea urchin eggs by transient electroporation. Irradiation of these eggs (either before or after fertilization) photolyses the caged G6P, thereby pulsing the cell with 3H- and 14C-labeled G6P. The fluxes of G6P into glycolysis and the pentose shunt are calculated from the rates of oxidation of labeled G6P to 3H2O and 14CO2; since the turnover of the 6-phosphogluconate pool by 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase is nearly instantaneous (Swezey, R.R., and Epel, D. (1992) Exp. Cell Res. 201:366-372), the rate of 14CO2 production by the pentose shunt is equal to the flux of G6P through G6PDH. The data indicate that G6PDH activity is very low in unfertilized eggs, increases 184- to 427-fold by 2 min after fertilization, and then decreases to a value that is 74 to 209 times the unfertilized level (maximally 0.005 x 10(-8) units per egg in unfertilized eggs, 2.14 x 10(-8) units per egg by 2 min after fertilization, and 1.05 x 10(-8) units per egg by 20 min after fertilization). In spite of this substantial activation, the enzyme activity is considerably repressed; compared with activity in broken cell extracts, G6PDH at these developmental times operates in vivo at 0-0.003%, 0.52-1.21%, and 0.21-0.59%, respectively, of its potential activity. These results are discussed in terms of various hypotheses regarding the modulation of G6PDH activity by fertilization. These activity measurements relate well to other indices of in vivo activity. The major use of the NADPH shortly after fertilization is to produce H2O2, which is used as a substrate for fertilization membrane hardening; our data indicate that the NADPH that is produced by the pentose shunt activity is 30-70% of that required for this postfertilization generation of H2O2.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Use of catabolite repression mutants for fermentation of sugar mixtures to ethanol.

Use of agricultural biomass, other than corn-starch, to produce fuel ethanol requires a microorganism that can ferment the mixture of sugars derived from hemicellulose. Escherichia coli metabolizes a wide range of substrates and has been engineered to produce ethanol in high yield from sugar mixtures. E. coli metabolizes glucose in preference to other sugars and, as a result, utilization of the pentoses in hemicellulose-derived sugar mixtures is delayed and may be incomplete. Residual sugar lowers the ethanol yield and is problematic for downstream processing of fermentation products. Therefore, a catabolite repression mutant that simultaneously utilizes glucose and pentoses would be useful for fermentation of complex substrate mixtures. We constructed ethanologenic E. coli strains with a glucose phosphotransferase (ptsG) mutation and used the mutants to ferment glucose, arabinose, and xylose, singly and in mixtures, to ethanol. Yields were 87-94% of theoretical for both the wild type and mutants, but the mutants had an altered pattern of mixed sugar utilization. Phosphotransferase mutants metabolized the pentoses simultaneously with glucose, rather than sequentially. Based upon fermentations of sugar mixtures, a catabolite-repression mutant of ethanologenic E. coli is expected to provide more efficient fermentation of hemicellulose hydrolysates by allowing direct utilization of pentoses.

Biomass↗
PubMed2003

Compositional difference of the exopolysaccharides produced by the virulent and virulence-deficient strains of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae.

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, the bacterial blight pathogen of rice, is known to produce phytotoxic polysaccharides. The extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) was isolated from virulent (BXO1) and virulence-deficient gum G mutant (BXO1002) strains of X. oryzae pv. oryzae and characterized using fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Data from the FT-IR suggested that the aldehyde (R-CHO) group and C=O of acid anhydride are present in BXO1 but absent in BXO1002. The (1)H-NMR spectra showed the presence of an acetyl amine of hexose or pentose, free amines of glucose, an beta-anomeric carbon of hexose and pentose, hydrogen next to hydroxyl group, an acetyl amine of hexose and pentose in the polysaccharides of both BXO1 and BXO1002, and the absence of alpha-anomeric carbon of hexose or pentose and the glucuronic acid in the polysaccharides produced by BXO1002. The test for glucuronic acid also confirmed the absence of glucuronic acid in the polysaccharides of BXO1002 and the presence glucuronic acid (32 microg/mg) in the polysaccharides produced by BXO1.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1983

Inhibition of p-nitroanisole O-demethylation in perfused rat liver by potassium cyanide.

The effect of potassium cyanide on p-nitroanisole O-demethylation in perfused rat livers has been examined. Cyanide (2 mM), an inhibitor of cytochrome oxidase, diminished p-nitroanisole O-demethylation by 50-75% in perfused livers from normal and phenobarbital-treated rats, but had much less effect on hepatic microsomal p-nitroanisole O-demethylation. The inhibition was also observed in livers where the activity of the pentose phosphate shunt was abolished by pretreatment with 6-aminonicotinamide. Cyanide infusion decreased hepatic ATP/ADP ratios and cellular concentrations of glutamate, alpha-ketoglutarate, and isocitrate, but caused an increase in the NADP+/NADPH ratio. Rates of NADPH generation via the pentose phosphate shunt were unchanged by cyanide, and hepatic concentrations of glucose 6-phosphate were markedly increased by cyanide. Thus, inhibition of p-nitroanisole metabolism could not be explained solely by a direct interaction of cyanide with mixed-function oxidases or diminished NADPH generation via the pentose cycle. These data indicate that cyanide inhibits mixed-function oxidation in intact cells by diminishing the generation of NADPH from sources other than the pentose cycle. Further, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that some NADPH for mixed-function oxidation arises from cyanide-sensitive mitochondrial sources.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Glucose consumption by red cells of diabetic patients and normal subjects. Effect of ethanol.

Glucose consumption was measured in the red cells of 15 diabetic patients and 13 normal subjects. The red cells were incubated in autologous serum with the glucose concentration adjusted to approximately 500 mg per 100 ml. Mean glucose consumption, both total and via the pentose phosphate pathway, by the red cells of the diabetic patients was not significantly different from that by the red cells of the normal subjects. Stimulation of the pentose phosphate pathway with ascorbate or methylene blue similarly revealed no difference between the two groups. Exposure of the red cells to ethanol in the incubation medium had no discernible effect on total glucose consumption but caused a decrease in glucose consumption by the pentose phosphate pathway. An effect of ethanol on glucose consumption by the pentose phosphate pathway was not evident in the presence of ascorbate or methylene blue. No difference in response to ethanol by the red cells of the diabetic patients and normal subjects was observed.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Glucogenic blood sugar formation in an insect Manduca sexta L.: asymmetric synthesis of trehalose from 13C enriched pyruvate.

Gluconeogenesis and blood sugar formation were examined in Manduca sexta, fed carbohydrate- and fat-free diets with varying levels of casein. De novo carbohydrate synthesis was examined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the 13C enrichment in blood trehalose and alanine derived from (2-(13)C)pyruvate and (2,3-(13)C(2))pyruvate administered to 5th instar larvae. Gluconeogenic flux and blood trehalose concentration were positively correlated with protein consumption. On all diets, the 13C distribution in trehalose was asymmetric, with C6 more highly enriched than C1. The C6/C1 13C enrichment ratio, however, decreased with increased protein consumption and gluconeogenic flux. Although the asymmetric 13C enrichment pattern in trehalose is consistent with pentose cycling via the pentose phosphate pathway following de novo synthesis, experiments employing [2,3-(13)C(2)]pyruvate demonstrated that pentose cycling is not detected in insects under these nutritional conditions. Analysis of the multiplet NMR signal structure in trehalose due to spin-spin coupling between adjacent 13C enriched carbons showed the absence of uncoupling expected by pentose phosphate pathway activity. Here we suggest that the asymmetric 13C distribution in trehalose results from a disequilibrium of the triose phosphate isomerase-catalyzed reaction.

Animals↗
PubMed1961

Effects of insulin on the permeability of D- and L-xylose and D- and L-arabinose in rat diaphragm muscle.

The permeability characteristics of D- and L-xylose and D- and L-arabinose have been compared in isolated intact rat diaphragm muscle preparations, in the absence and presence of exogenous insulin. In the absence of added insulin, these pentoses distribute in less than a third of the total cell water. In the presence of added insulin, intracellular distribution of all these pentoses is increased. L-Xylose and D-arabinose distribute in 50 per cent of the intracellular water, whereas D-xylose and L-arabinose distribute in 80 per cent of the cell water. A significant lag period was observed before the insulin effect upon the penetration of L-xylose and D-arabinose was evident whereas the effect upon D-xylose and L-arabinose was rapid. The lag period with L-xylose could be abolished by pretreating the tissues with insulin for 1 hour, but such pretreatment had little effect on D-xylose. These results indicate that insulin has a biphasic effect upon the monosaccharide exclusion system in diaphragm muscle. In dinitrophenol-treated tissues, in which all permeability processes are irreversibly damaged and in which sucrose and pentoses penetrate into most of the cell water, the entry rate of pentoses and sucrose is initially similar but subsequently D-xylose and L-arabinose penetrate more rapidly than their corresponding optical isomers.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

An analysis of intermediary metabolism and its control in a fat-synthesizing yeast (Candida 107) growing on glucose or alkanes.

Enzymes of glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, gluconeogenesis, tricarboxylate acid cycle, glyoxylate by-pass and fatty-acid biosynthesis were assayed in extracts from Candida 107 grown continuously on glucose under carbon limitation, nitrogen limitation and on n-alkanes. The yeast was therefore either in a lipogenic or lipolytic state. Phosphofructokinase was absent under all conditions whereas enzymes of gluconeogenesis, including fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase and the pentose phosphate cycle, were all present. Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase were specific for NADP+ and were inhibited in a non-competitive manner by NADPH and NADH. Phosphoenolpyruvate, citrate, ATP and acetyl CoA had no inhibitory effects. Thus glucose metabolism appears to be by the pentose phosphate pathway which will rapidly produce NADPH. This can readily be consumed during fatty-acid biosynthesis and, as there appears to be no inhibition of the flow of carbon from glucose to acetyl CoA, fatty-acid synthesis can continue for as long as there is a supply of glucose. These results help to explain the probable causes of fat build-up to high concentrations (about 40% of the cell dry weight) in this and other organisms. In alkane-grown cells, lipogenesis is repressed and carbon is able to flow from the alkanes via acetyl CoA, oxaloacetate and pyruvate into pentoses and hexoses in a unidirectional manner, because of the strong repression of pyruvate kinase and the increased activities of phosphoenolpyruvate kinase and fructose 1,6-biosphosphatase under these conditions. Although there was little change in the total activity of the TCA cycle enzymes under the various growth conditions, isocitrate lyase was induced under lipolytic conditions.

Acetyl Coenzyme A↗
PubMed1997

Characterization and Purification of an Aldose Reductase from the Acidophilic and Thermophilic Red Alga Galdieria sulphuraria.

The acidophilic and thermophilic red alga Galdieria sulphuraria is able to grow heterotrophically on at least six different pentoses. These pentoses are reduced in the cell to pentiols by an NADP-dependent aldose reductase. The pentiols are then introduced into the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway via NAD-dependent polyol dehydrogenases and pentulokinases. The aldose reductase was purified 130-fold to apparent homogeneity by column chromatography. The enzyme is a homodimer of about 80 kD, as estimated by size-exclusion chromatography and from the sedimentation behavior. The Michaelis constant values for D-xylose (27 mM), D-ribose (29 mM), D-lyxose (30 mM), and D-arabinose (38 mM) were about three to five times lower than for the L-forms of the sugars. The activity of the enzyme with hexoses, deoxysugars, and sugar phosphates was only about 5 to 10% of the rate with pentoses. In the reverse reaction the activity was low and only detectable with pentiols. No activity was measured with NAD(H) as the cosubstrate in either direction.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1984

A New Type of Hexose Monophosphate Shunt in Chlorella sorokiniana: CO(2) Release from Differentially Labeled Glucose.

Using differentially labeled glucose as a substrate to probe the operation of the hexose monophosphate shunt (pentose cycle) in Chlorella sorokiniana, we found that the labeling patterns for the release of (14)CO(2) over the first 5 minutes are compatible with the operation of the recently described L-type pentose shunt. Experimentally, this L-type differs from the F-type or ;textbook' variety in that no radioactivity is obtained from C-2 labeled glucose, and the small amount derived from C-6 labeled glucose is due to a second pass of the glucose molecule (derived from the pentose cycle) through the pentose cycle.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1978

Adaptive responses of enzymes of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism to dietary alteration in genetically obese Zucker rats (fa/fa).

1. Measurements have been made of the activities of enzymes of the glycolytic route, the pentose phosphate pathway, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and lipogenesis in liver and adipose tissue from genetically obese (fa/fa) rats and their lean litter mates (fa/ --). The effect of food restriction for a period of three weeks on the enzyme profile of liver and adipose tissue of the obese rat was also studied. 2. The most striking increases in enzyme activity in livers from obese rats were: (a) among enzymes of lipogenesis; ATP-citrate lyase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, fatty acid synthetase, malate dehydrogenase (decarboxylating) and cytoplasmic glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase; (b) within the pentose phosphate pathway; glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase; (c) within the glycolytic pathway; glucokinase, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. All of these enzymes showed a significant increase in activity on the basis of U/g liver and U/mg DNA. In adipose tissue all the enzymes of lipogenesis, of the glycolytic route, of the oxidative segment of the pentose phosphate pathway and of the tricarboxylic acid cycle were increased when expressed as U/2 fat pads or as U/mg DNA. 3. The restriction of the food intake of obese rats to that consumed by their lean litter mates for periods of three weeks did not produce the expected adaptive decrease in enzymes of lipogenesis; in adipose tissue, only ATP-citrate lyase and malate dehydrogenase (decarboxylating) showed a marked decrease; no significant change was found in adipose tissue or liver of the activities of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthetase, when expressed on a cell basis (U/mg DNA). The non-oxidative enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway and enzymes involved in glycerogenesis (pyruvate carboxylase, malate dehydrogenase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) all increased in adipose tissue from limit-fed obese rats. 4. The rate of conversion of specifically labelled glucose to (14C)O2 and 14C-labelled lipid by pieces of adipose tissue and by liver slices was also measured. Insulin caused an increase in the conversion of (1-14C)glucose to (14C)O2 and 14C-labelled lipid in obese rats fed ad libitum, limit-fed rats and in their lean litter mates. 5. The results are discussed in relation to the raised insulin and hypothyroid state of the obese rat. The effect of this altered hormonal status on the activity of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases and cellular levels of adenosine 3' :5'-monophosphate and guanosine 3' :5'-monophosphate and guanosine 3' :5'-monophosphate in relation to the obese syndrome is considered.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1977

Aspects of carbohydrate metabolism in developing brain.

This review considers carbohydrate metabolism in the developing brain, in particular the proportion of glucose metabolized via the pentose phosphate pathway. Although small in amount, this fraction serves a vital rôle in some aspects of brain function. Evidence is presented that the pentose phosphate pathway subserves different functions as the developing brain progresses through the stages of growth and myelination to full neurological competence. The general aspects considered are the changing patterns of brain enzymes during development; the flux of glucose through the alternative pathways of glucose metabolism in the developing brain; the functional significance of the pentose phosphate pathway; and the regional and functional association of the pentose phosphate pathway activity and the detoxication of biogenic amínes.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1993

Xylose and arabinose utilization by the rumen bacterium Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens.

The rumen bacterium Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens strain D1 co-utilized xylose and glucose in batch culture, but there was a marked preference for glucose over arabinose. When both pentoses were provided, xylose was preferred over arabinose. Strain D1 co-utilized a combination of either pentose and cellobiose, but preferred over maltose. Pentose sugars were depleted less rapidly in the presence of sucrose than controls containing only pentose. In contrast, B. fibrisolvens strain A38 exhibited a strong preference for disaccharides, including maltose, over either xylose or arabinose. Theoretical maximum growth yields for strain D1 in single-substrate continuous culture were highest for sucrose and cellobiose and the maintenance energy coefficient for arabinose was at least 3.8-fold greater than for other substrates. We suggest that B. fibrisolvens may have evolved a mechanism to utilize certain sugars before arabinose in order to avoid this high maintenance energy expenditure.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Acholeplasma laidlawii B-PG9 adenine-specific purine nucleoside phosphorylase that accepts ribose-1-phosphate, deoxyribose-1-phosphate, and xylose-1-phosphate.

An adenylate-specific purine nucleoside phosphorylase (purine nucleoside:orthophosphate ribosyltransferase, EC12.4.2.1) (PNP) was isolated from a cytoplasmic fraction of Acholeplasma laidlawii B-PG9 and partially purified (820-fold). This partially purified PNP could only ribosylate adenine and deribosylate adenosine and deoxyadenosine. The A. laidlawii partially purified PNP could not use hypoxanthine, guanine, uracil, guanosine, deoxyguanosine, or inosine as substrates, but could use ribose-1-phosphate, deoxyribose-1-phosphate, or xylose-1-phosphate as the pentose donor. Mg2+ and a pH of 7.6 were required for maximum activity for each of the pentoses. The partially purified enzyme in sucrose density gradient experiments had an approximate molecular weight of 108,000 and a sedimentation coefficient of 6.9, and in gel filtration experiments it had an approximate molecular weight of 102,000 and a Stoke's radius of 4.1 nm. Nondenaturing polyacrylamide tube gels of the enzyme preparation produced one major and one minor band. The major band (Rf, 0.57) corresponded to all enzyme activity. The Kms for the partially purified PNP with ribose-1-phosphate, deoxyribose-1-phosphate, and xylose-1-phosphate were 0.80, 0.82, and 0.81 mM, respectively. The corresponding Vmaxs were 12.5, 14.3, and 12.0 microM min-1, respectively. The Hill or interaction coefficients (n) for all three pentose phosphates were close to unity. The characterization data suggest the possibility of one active site on the enzyme which is equally reactive toward each of the three pentoses. This is the first report of an apparently adenine-specific PNP activity.

Acholeplasma laidlawii↗
PubMed1978

Primary role of decreased fatty acid synthesis in insulin resistance of large rat adipocytes.

The ability of large fat cells from spontaneously obese rats to synthesize fatty acids from D-[1-14C]glucose, D-[6-14C]glucose, or [2-14C]pyruvate was markedly diminished compared to small fat cells from lean animals. Furthermore, fatty acid synthetase and acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase activities in dialyzed homogenates of large fat cells were inhibited by 84 and 90%, respectively, compared to small cells. Pentose shunt activity, but not glycolytic flux, was also markedly inhibited in large fat cells incubated with or without insulin. However, the NADPH oxidant vitamin K5 completely restored pentose shunt activity in large cells to the elevated levels observed in small fat cells in the presence of this agent or insulin. Furthermore, inhibition of mitochondrial oxidation and fatty acid synthesis in small cells by rotenone led to a secondary inhibition of pentose shunt activity indicating a link between these two pathways. Direct measurements of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase activities in fat cell homogenates showed no difference between cell types. The data provide strong support for the hypothesis that the fatty acid synthetic pathway is the primary metabolic defect in large insulin-resistant rat adipocytes, a defect which secondarily leads to inhibited pentose shunt activity.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1998

Changes in carbohydrate metabolism of testicular germ cells during meiosis in the rat.

A study was undertaken to estimate the activities of the key enzymes of glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in purified rat spermatocytes and spermatids, which have been shown to die in glucose-containing medium and require lactate/pyruvate for maintaining normal ATP concentrations. The aim was to elucidate the changes in the glycolytic and oxidative potential of germ cells undergoing meiosis. Pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids from adult rat testis were purified to approximately 90% purity by trypsin digestion followed by a combination of centrifugal elutriation and Percoll density gradient centrifugation. After the purity and viability of these cells had been established, their contents of hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and LDH-X of glycolysis, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase of the pentose phosphate pathway and citrate synthase, aconitase, malate dehydrogenase and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase of the TCA cycle were estimated. These enzymes were also estimated in epididymal spermatozoa for comparison with the testicular germ cells. The results indicate greater activity of glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway enzymes in spermatocytes than in spermatids, which exhibited greater activity of TCA cycle enzymes than the former. The difference in activity was statistically significant for most of the enzymes studied. In contrast, spermatozoa exhibited markedly greater activity of glycolytic enzymes and significantly lower activity of pentose phosphate pathway and TCA cycle enzymes than did the testicular germ cells. We conclude that the unusual dependence of spermatids exclusively on lactate may be due to their lower glycolytic potential, whereas spermatocytes with comparatively greater glycolytic activity have an intermediate dependence on lactate and are therefore able to utilise lactate, pyruvate, or both, while retaining a better ability to utilise glucose. Spermatozoa with the greatest glycolytic potential and the lowest TCA cycle activity appear to be 'programmed' to utilise exclusively glucose/fructose for energy.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Biosynthesis of riboflavin. Incorporation of 13C-labeled precursors into the xylene ring.

Growing cultures of Ashbya gossypii were supplemented with various 13C-labeled precursors including [1-13C]acetate, [2-13C]acetate, [1-13C]ribose, [1-13C]glucose, [6-13C]glucose, and [2-13C]glycerol. Riboflavin was isolated from the culture medium, chemically converted to riboflavin tetraacetate, and analyzed by 13C NMR spectroscopy. The xylene ring of riboflavin is formed by dismutation of 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine, thus the 8 carbon atoms of the riboflavin xylene ring are composed of 4 biochemically different carbon atoms which are duplicated in the dismutation. The formation of the lumazine from a pyrimidine precursor requires the addition of these 4 carbon atoms which constitute C-6 alpha, C-6, C-7, and C-7 alpha of the lumazine. Results from the present work indicate that these 4 carbon atoms do not arise from acetate, diacetyl, acetoin, or a tetrose, nor from loss of 1 or 2 carbon atoms from either end of a pentose or hexose. Additionally, the data do not support the recent contention that these 4 atoms arise via a dismutation of the pyrimidine precursor of the lumazine. The findings show that there exists a close correspondence between the lumazine carbons 6 alpha, 6, and 7 with C-1, C-2, and C-3, respectively, of a pentose, while C-7 alpha corresponds to C-5 rather than C-4 of a pentose. This in conjunction with results reported earlier indicates an intramolecular rearrangement involving carbons 3, 4, and 5 of a pentose or its biochemical equivalent.

Acetates↗