Purification of glycogen synthetase-D from human polymorphomuclear leukocytes

Rate and duration of net glycogen synthesis following glucose administration to fasted human leukocytes

When glucose was added to fasted human leukocytes in a final concentration of 0.5-5 mM there was a phase of glycogen synthesis followed by a phase of glycogen breakdown. The duration of the phase of net glycogen synthesis increased with increasing concentrations of glucose applied, but the net rate of glycogen synthesis was inversely related to this figure and decreased from approx. 7 nmol/10(7) cells per min at 0.5 mM glucose to an average of 4 nmol/10(7) cells per min at 5 mM glucose.

Phosphorylation of glycogen synthase I from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Glycogen synthase I from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes was phosphorylated with cAMP dependent protein kinase, synthase kinase or phosvitin kinase prepared from these cells. Limited tryptic hydrolysis released four phosphopeptides (t-A, t-B, t-C, t-D). Subsequent alpha-chymotryptic hydrolysis of the trypsin resistant core released three phosphopeptides (c-A, c-B, c-C). The kinetic changes of glycogen synthase were compared with the phosphorylation of the peptides. Equivalent kinetic changes (Kc equals 0.2-0.3 mM Glc-6-P) were obtained when 1 Pi/subunit was introduced by cAMP dependent protein kinase, 0.5 Pi/subunit by synthase kinase and 0.8 Pi/subunit by both kinases. Initially, cAMP dependent protein kinase phosphorylated peptides c-A and t-C in parallel and somewhat later also t-B, whereas synthase kinase initially phosphorylated only c-A. The ultimate effect of the two kinases on c-A was additive. It was concluded that the initial kinetic changes were dependent on phosphorylation of c-A, which contained two sites, one for each kinase. The same kinetic changes were induced by phosphorylation on each of the sites. In the subsequent phosphorylation the kinases, separately or together, phosphorylated peptide c-C indicating one non-specific phosphorylatable site in this peptide. The cAMP dependent protein kinase alone phosphorylated t-C maximally, whereas both kinases were required for an equal phosphorylation of t-A and t-B. It is suggested that the cAMP dependent protein kinase phosphorylated t-A and t-C, whereas the data did not allow a similar suggestion for t-B. The kinetic changes occurring during the later stages of phosphorylation were an increase in Kc for Glc. 6-P to 4-5 mM at 1.85 Pi/subunit and to 20 mM at 3.3 Pi/subunit, but the changes could not be assigned to phosphorylation of any specific peptide. Phosphorylation of the peptides t-D and c-B were insignificant, but c-B may be phosphorylated under other experimental conditions (25). The phosvitin kinase phosphorylated glycogen synthase extremely slowly to an extent of 0.8 Pi/subunit, mainly in peptide c-C. Glycogen synthase would appear without physiological importance as substrate for this kinase. Phosphorylase kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle incorporated 0.7 Pi/subunit, mainly in peptide c-A causing a decrease in RI to 0.3, which upon further incubation remained constant. The rate of decrease in RI in 0.5 was unaffected by several synthase modifiers, including Glc-6-P, but was inhibited by ADP and Pi. The rate of phosphorylation by cAMP dependent protein kinase and synthase kinase was diversely affected in different buffers, however, without affecting the ultimate phosphorylation pattern.

Purification and steady state kinetic mechanism of glycogen synthase-D from human polymorpho-nuclear leukocytes

The authors' work on the purification and steady state kinetic investigation of the enzyme glycogen synthase D (UDP-glucose: glycogen 4-alpha-glucosyl-transferase, EC 2.4.1.11) from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes is reviewed. The main features of the kinetic mechanism for catalysis of the reaction interconversion of the quaternary enzyme-substrate-activator complexes. The anions interact exclusively with the G-6-P binding site of the enzyme. The dissociation constants for the enzyme-modifier complexes are determined, and a kinetic mechanism for the action of the anions is proposed, leading to activation or inhibition, depending on the concentration of G-6-P.