Structure and mechanism of the heterotetrameric ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase essential for starch synthesis in plants

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) catalyzes the conversion of glucose-1-phosphate and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) to ADP-glucose (ADPG), the dedicated precursor of starch in plants. It is a rate-limiting enzyme of the starch biosynthesis pathway, and its activity is closely linked to crop productivity. Plant AGPase is a heterotetramer composed of two types of subunits, and its activity is subject to allosteric regulation by photosynthetic metabolites, with 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA) acting as an activator and phosphate as an inhibitor. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structures of Arabidopsis heterotetrameric AGPase in apo, 3-PGA-bound, phosphate-bound, ATP/3-PGA-bound, and ADPG/3-PGA-bound states. AGPase consists of two small subunits (APS1) and two large subunits (APL1), organized as a dimer of APS1-APL1 heterodimers. Both the small and large subunits comprise an N-terminal catalytic domain and a C-terminal left-handed β-helix domain. By combining structural analysis with functional characterization, we identified the binding sites of the allosteric modulators and substrate/product in the AGPase and elucidated the mechanism of allosteric regulation, which involves 3-PGA binding-induced conformational changes at the active site. These findings provide critical insights into ADPG synthesis by plant heterotetrameric AGPase and offer clues to engineer the AGPase to enhance starch production and increase crop yields.