Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2025

Investigating Protein Sequence-structure-dynamics Relationships with Bio3D-web
Published on: July 16, 2017
Structure function analysis of ADP-dependent cyanobacterial phosphofructokinase reveals new phylogenetic grouping in
Lu Shen1, Carmen Peraglie1, David Podlesainski2
1Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry (MEB), Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology (EMB), Centre for Water and Environmental Research (CWE), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Abstract:
Depending on the light conditions, photosynthetic organisms switch between carbohydrate synthesis or breakdown, for which the reversibility of carbohydrate metabolism, including glycolysis, is essential. Kinetic regulation of phosphofructokinase (PFK), a key-control point in glycolysis, was studied in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The two PFK iso-enzymes (PFK- A1, PFK-A2), were found to use ADP instead of ATP, and have similar kinetic characteristics, but differ in their allosteric regulation. PFK-A1 is inhibited by 3-phosphoglycerate, a product of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle, while PFK-A2 is inhibited by ATP, which is provided by photosynthesis. This regulation enables cyanobacteria to switch PFK off in light, and on in darkness. ADP dependence has not been reported before for the PFK-A enzyme family and was thought to be restricted to the PFK-B ribokinase superfamily. Phosphate donor specificity within the PFK-A family could be related to specific binding motifs in ATP-, ADP-, and PPi-dependent PFK-As. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a distribution of ADP-PFK-As in cyanobacteria and in a few alphaproteobacteria, which was confirmed in enzymatic studies.
Related Concept Videos
Protein Kinases and Phosphatases
Protein kinases
Many proteins in the cell are regulated by phosphorylation, the addition of a phosphate group. A family of enzymes called kinases...
ATP Synthase: Structure
Phosphorylation
During phosphorylation, protein kinases transfer the terminal phosphate group of ATP to specific amino acid side chains of substrate proteins. Serine, threonine, and tyrosine are the most commonly...
ATP Energy Storage and Release
One example of energy coupling using ATP involves a...
Glycolysis: Preparatory Phase
ATP Synthase: Mechanism

