Glucose metabolism by trout (Salmo trutta) red blood cells

Glucose metabolism has been studied in Salmo trutta red blood cells. From non-metabolizable analogue (3-O-methyl glucose and L-glucose) uptake experiments it is concluded that there is no counterpart to the membrane transport system for glucose found in mammalian red blood cells. Once within the cells, glucose is directed to CO2 and lactate formation through both the Embden-Meyerhoff and hexose monophosphate shunts; lactate appears as the most important end-product of glucose metabolism in these cells. From experiments under anaerobic conditions, and in the presence of an inhibitor of pyruvate transfer to mitochondria, most of the CO2 formed appears to derive from the hexose monophosphate pathway. Appreciable O2 consumption has been detected, but there is no clear relationship between this and substrate metabolism. Key enzymes of glucose metabolism, hexokinase, fructose-6-phosphate kinase and, probably, pyruvate kinase are out of equilibrium, confirming their regulatory activity in Salmo trutta red blood cells. The presence of isoproterenol, a catecholamine analogue, induces important changes in glucose metabolism under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and increases the production of both CO2 and lactate. From the data presented, glucose appears to be the major fuel for Salmo trutta red blood cells, showing a slightly different pattern of glucose metabolism from rainbow trout red blood cells.