Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026
09:27
Rapid One-step Enzymatic Synthesis and All-aqueous Purification of Trehalose Analogues
Published on: February 17, 2017
Trehalose synthase converts glycogen to trehalose.
Yuan-Tseng Pan1, J D Carroll, Naoki Asano
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA.
The FEBS Journal
|May 29, 2008
Summary
Trehalose synthase (TreS) in mycobacteria exhibits both amylase and maltose-trehalose interconverting activities, suggesting a novel pathway for trehalose production from glycogen. This enzyme also plays a role in glycogen accumulation.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Microbiology
- Enzymology
Background:
- Trehalose is crucial for mycobacterial growth.
- Mycobacteria possess multiple trehalose biosynthesis pathways.
- Trehalose synthase (TreS) interconverts trehalose and maltose.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the enzymatic activities of Mycobacterium smegmatis trehalose synthase (TreS).
- To elucidate the role of TreS in trehalose and glycogen metabolism in mycobacteria.
Main Methods:
- Enzyme purification from Mycobacterium smegmatis and recombinant expression in Escherichia coli.
- Assays for maltose-trehalose interconverting (MTase) and amylase activities.
- Enzyme chromatography and crystallization.
- Glycogen accumulation studies in wild-type and mutant mycobacteria.
Main Results:
- TreS exhibits both MTase and amylase activities.
- Amylase activity is stimulated by Ca2+, while MTase is inhibited.
- Validoxylamine inhibits MTase activity, and acarbose inhibits amylase activity.
- TreS facilitates trehalose production from glycogen via maltose.
- TreS is involved in glycogen accumulation in response to high trehalose concentrations.
Conclusions:
- TreS represents a novel pathway for trehalose synthesis from glycogen.
- TreS and trehalose metabolism are interconnected with glycogen production.
- Understanding TreS function offers insights into mycobacterial energy metabolism and survival.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Oligosaccharide Assembly
Protein glycosylation starts in the ER lumen and continues in the Golgi apparatus. Glycosyltransferases catalyze the addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins. Usually, these enzymes add sugars to the hydroxyl groups of selected serine or threonine residues to form O-linked glycans or the amino groups of asparagine residues to form N-linked glycans. Different positions on the same polypeptide chain can contain differently linked glycans.
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
01:20Energy-requiring Steps of Glycolysis
Glucose is the source of nearly all energy used by organisms. The first step of converting glucose into usable energy is called glycolysis. Glycolysis occurs in the cytosol of the cell over two phases: an energy-requiring phase and an energy-releasing phase. Over the first three steps, glucose is converted into different forms and attached to two phosphate groups donated by two ATP molecules, resulting in an unstable sugar. In the next two stages, the unstable sugar splits into two sugar...
01:21Glycolysis: Preparatory Phase
In cellular metabolism (the complete breakdown of glucose to extract energy), glycolysis is the first step. Glycolysis takes place in the cytoplasm of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Glucose enters heterotrophic cells in two ways. One method is through secondary active transport, where the transport takes place against the glucose concentration gradient. The other mechanism uses a group of integral proteins called GLUT proteins, also known as glucose transporter proteins. These...
01:19Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism
Carbohydrate metabolism is a fundamental biochemical process that ensures a constant supply of energy to living cells. The most important carbohydrate is glucose, which can be broken down via glycolysis to enter into the Krebs cycle and eventually lead to the production of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.
Glucose transport into cells is facilitated by a family of transport proteins called GLUT (Glucose Transporters). GLUT4 is the primary glucose transporter for insulin-stimulated glucose...
Glucose transport into cells is facilitated by a family of transport proteins called GLUT (Glucose Transporters). GLUT4 is the primary glucose transporter for insulin-stimulated glucose...
01:26Biosynthesis of Polysaccharides
Polysaccharides such as glycogen and starch are synthesized from nucleoside diphosphate sugars, primarily uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG) and adenosine diphosphate glucose (ADPG). These activated glucose donors act as key intermediates in carbohydrate metabolism and biosynthesis. UDPG primarily involves glycogen synthesis in animals and many bacteria, while ADPG plays a fundamental role in starch synthesis in plants and certain bacteria.UDPG is formed when glucose-1-phosphate reacts with...
01:31ATP Energy Storage and Release
ATP is a highly unstable molecule. Unless quickly used to perform work, ATP spontaneously dissociates into ADP and inorganic phosphate (Pi), and the free energy released during this process is lost as heat. The energy released by ATP hydrolysis is used to perform work inside the cell and depends on a strategy called energy coupling. Cells couple the exergonic reaction of ATP hydrolysis with endergonic reactions, allowing them to proceed.
One example of energy coupling using ATP involves a...
One example of energy coupling using ATP involves a...