Dynamic structures of the fructose 6-phosphate/fructose 1,6-bisphosphate cycle in a reconstituted enzyme system

The dynamics of the fructose 6-phosphate/fructose 1,6-bisphosphate cycle was investigated in an open and homogeneous system reconstituted from purified enzymes. In addition to phosphofructokinase and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, pyruvate kinase, adenylate kinase and glucose 6-phosphate isomerases are involved. The time evolution of the metabolite concentrations is governed by a set of differential equations which take into account flow processes and enzymic conversions of metabolites. Depending on the experimental parameters stable attractors, multiple states and sustained oscillations occur. The main source of the nonlinear dynamics is the reciprocal effect of AMP on the activities of phosphofructokinase and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase. States are characterized by the net flow rates of substrates and by the rate of futile substrate cycling. For efficient glycolytic states high ratios between the influx rates of fructose 6-phosphate and fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and between the maximum activities of phosphofructokinase and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase must be maintained, while for an efficient gluconeogenic mode the reverse must hold. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate exerts reciprocal effects on the activities of phosphofructokinase and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase. In dependence on the experimental conditions fructose 2,6-bisphosphate was found either to generate or to extinguish oscillations.