Kinetic properties and related changes of molecular weight in a fructokinase from Streptomyces violaceoruber

1. A study of the initial reaction rates at variable substrate concentrations and of the molecular weight of the enzyme in the presence of different effectors, has been carried out using fructokinase (ATP: fructose 6-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.4) from Streptomyces violaceoruber. 2. Saturation curves for MgATP or CoATP are sigmoidal and they change to hyperbolic in the presence of 10 mM Mg2+ or Co2+ in excess over the nucleoside triphosphate. 3. Saturation cuvves for fructose show intermediary plateaux at high (but not at low) concentrations of ATP or Mg2+. 4. The molecular weight of the enzyme in the presence of high concentrations of MgATP is 80 000. In the presence of fructose, and/or Mg2+, the molecular weight is 20 000. 5. The effects of MgADP, uncomplexed ADP or ATP, and low concentrations of detergent on the kinetics have been studied. The results are interpreted as showing the existence of cooperative effects.