Kinetic mechanisms of polyphosphate glucokinase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Polyphosphate glucokinase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis catalyzes the phosphorylation of glucose using inorganic polyphosphates [poly(P)] or ATP. The steady-state kinetic mechanisms of the poly(P)- and ATP-dependent glucokinase reactions were investigated using initial velocity, product inhibition, and dead-end inhibition analyses. In the poly(P)-dependent reaction, the enzyme follows an Ordered Bi Bi sequential mechanism with poly(P) binding to the enzyme first and glucose 6-phosphate dissociating last. Polyphosphate is utilized nonprocessively with a preference for longer chains due to higher kcat/K(m) values. The lack of inhibition at high poly(P) concentrations suggests that binding of poly(P) as a product is not favorable. In the ATP-dependent glucokinase reaction, the data are also consistent with an Ordered Bi Bi sequential mechanism, with ATP binding to the enzyme first and glucose 6-phosphate leaving last. At high concentrations, ATP displays competitive substrate inhibition with respect to glucose, which is consistent with the formation of an enzyme.ATP.ATP nonproductive complex. The overall catalytic efficiencies (kcat/KiaK(b)) of the poly(P)- and ATP-dependent reactions are approximately 10(11) M-2 s-1 and approximately 10(8) M-2 s-1, respectively. The higher catalytic efficiency, high value of the substrate specificity constant (kcat/K(a)) approaching a diffusion-controlled limit, and the absence of substrate inhibition in the poly(P)-dependent reaction suggest that poly(P), rather than ATP, is the major phosphate donor for poly(P)-glucokinase in M. tuberculosis.