Antonio Fazi

Regulatory properties of human erythrocyte hexokinase during cell ageing.

Human red blood cell hexokinase exists in multiple molecular forms with different isoelectric points but similar kinetic and regulatory properties. All three major isoenzymes (HK Ia, Ib, and Ic) are inhibited competitively with respect to Mg.ATP by glucose 6-phosphate (Ki = 15 microM), glucose 1,6-diphosphate (Ki - 22 microM), 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (Ki = 4 mM), ATP (Ki = 1.5 mM), and reduced glutathione (Ki = 3 mM). All these compounds are present in the human erythrocyte at concentrations able to modify the hexokinase reaction velocity. However, the oxygenation state of hemoglobin significantly modifies their free concentrations and the formation of the Mg complexes. The calculated rate of glucose phosphorylation, in the presence of the mentioned compounds, is practically identical to the measured rate of glucose utilization by intact erythrocytes (1.43 +/- 0.15 mumol h-1 ml red blood cells-1). Hexokinase in young red blood cells is fivefold higher when compared with the old ones, but the concentration of many inhibitors of the enzyme is also cell age-dependent. Glucose 6-phosphate, glucose 1,6-diphosphate, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, ATP, and Mg all decay during cell ageing but at different rates. The free concentrations and the hemoglobin and Mg complexes of both ATP and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate with hemoglobin in the oxy and deoxy forms have been calculated. This information was utilized in the calculation of glucose phosphorylation rate during cell ageing. The results obtained agree with the measured glycolytic rates and suggest that the decay of hexokinase during cell ageing could play a critical role in the process of cell senescence and destruction.

Vanadate affects glucose metabolism of human erythrocytes

Vanadate causes a rapid breakdown of 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate in intact erythrocytes. This metabolite is nearly stoichiometrically transformed into pyruvate, which changes the cell redox state and enhances the glycolytic flux. The results show that the vanadate effect on 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate, also evident in hemolysates, is attributable to the stimulation of a phosphatase activity of the phosphoglycerate mutase. In agreement with others (J. Carreras, F. Climent, R. Bartrons, and G. Pons (1982) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 705, 238-242), vanadate is thought to destabilize the phosphoryl form of this enzyme which shows competitive inhibition between the ion and 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate in the mutase reaction. A competitive inhibition between vanadate and glucose 1,6-bisphosphate is also found for phosphoglucomutase, without evidence for phosphatase activity toward the bisphosphate cofactor.

Comparison of Uricase-Bound and Uricase-Loaded Erythrocytes as Bioreactors for Uric Acid Degradation

Uric acid is a normal end product of purine catabolism that when it increases in blood over normal values (hyperuricemia) can contribute to a group of diseases characteristic of gout.1 Hyperuricemia can arise by several mechanisms including increased uric acid production or reduced excretion by the kidney. Several approaches have been employed to reduce serum urate levels such as dietary means, promotion of uric acid excretion, administration of uricase and inhibitors of the enzymes responsible for its synthesis.

Glucose-1,6-P2 synthesis, phosphoglucomutase and phosphoribomutase correlate with glucose-1,6-P2 concentration in mammals' red blood cells

Glucose 1,6-biphosphate (G1,6P2) was measured in human, pig, cow, rabbit, rat and sheep red blood cells. Mean values are variable among the species and range from 33 to 122 nmol/ml RBC for pig and rabbit erythrocytes, respectively. The activities of G1,6P2 synthase, phosphoglucomutase (PGM) and phosphoribomutase (PRM) have also been assayed in red cell haemolysates of the same species. The correlations between the biphosphate content and the occurrence of the three enzymatic activities have been studied in order to gain an insight into the regulation of the G1,6P2 turnover in mammalian erythrocytes.

Cell age dependent decay of human erythrocytes glucose-6-phosphate isomerase

Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase shows a biphasic decay pattern during red blood cell aging, which is very fast during the first part of cells life span in circulation. This decay is not due to accumulation of inactive enzyme molecules, as shown by immunological studies, but is accompanied by the formation of secondary isozymes (i.e., chemically modified forms). Electrophoretic and ion-exchange chromatographic experiments show that glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (D-glucose-6-phosphate ketol-isomerase, EC 5.3.1.9) consists of only one isozymic form in young erythrocytes but is present in two components, with different electric charge, in mature and old cells. This secondary isozyme is more stable to heat treatment and is inactivated by IgG anti-glucose-6-phosphate isomerase with a lower affinity than the native isozyme. In vitro incubation of homogeneous human glucose-6-phosphate isomerase under conditions known to produce enzyme deamination does not reproduce the isozymic pattern found in erythrocytes, suggesting that one or more mechanisms other than those previously described to explain glucose-6-phosphate isomerase microheterogeneity occur in the human erythrocyte.

Simultaneous preparation from human placenta of several enzymes of glucose metabolism.

A procedure for the simultaneous purification to homogeneity of hexokinase, phosphoglucomutase 1 and 2, aldolase, phosphoglucose isomerase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from human origin has been developed. Human placenta homogenate was first chromatographed on DE-52 column which retains hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase while the other enzymes are recovered in the unabsorbed protein fraction. The other steps in the purification involve Matrex gel and specific affinity chromatography for the DE-52 retained enzymes and phosphocellulose and Matrex gel chromatography for the other enzymes. All the enzymes mentioned were obtained in one week, with recoveries from 14 percent for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase to 75 percent for hexokinase. Thus, the procedures utilized seem to be useful in obtaining large amounts of enzymes in a a homogeneous form from an easily available human tissue.

Glucose 1,6-bisphosphate-overloaded erythrocytes: A strategy to investigate the metabolic role of the bisphosphate in red blood cells

Human erythrocytes overloaded with glucose 1,6-bisphosphate were prepared in order to establish the metabolic significance of this phosphorylated sugar in the intact red cell. The intracellular glucose 1,6-bisphosphate concentration was increased six- and twofold over the normal level by encapsulating (i) the commercially available compound and (ii) the glucose 1,6-bisphosphate synthase obtained from rabbit skeletal muscle, respectively. In both experimental conditions, a reduction of glucose utilization by the loaded cells was observed after reequilibration to the steady state. At the steady state, the concentrations of the glycolytic intermediates and of the adenine nucleotides appeared substantially unmodified when compared with those of controls, with the exception of a 50% reduction of glucose and fructose 6-phosphate measured in erythrocytes encapsulated with exogenous glucose 1,6-bisphosphate. Under the considered experimental conditions, the elevated intracellular glucose 1,6-bisphosphate appears to display an inhibitory effect on hexokinase that overcomes the possible activation of phosphofructokinase or pyruvate kinase.

Relationships between the age-dependent decay of glucose-1,6-bisphosphate synthesis, phosphoribomutase and phosphoglucomutase in human red cells.

In human red blood cells phosphoglucomutase exists in multiple molecular forms with different isoelectric points determined by two distinct loci called PGM1 and PGM2. With regard to the phosphoglucomutase PGM1 and PGM2 isoenzymes, the latter appear to be more important in erythrocyte metabolism owing to their ability to mutate ribose monophosphates and synthetize glucose-1,6-bisphosphate. In this paper we show that, beside undergoing age-related postranslational modifications, both phosphoglucomutase PGM1 and PGM2 forms decrease their activities as the mean cell age increases. Under the experimental conditions used to separate erythrocytes by age the comparison of the younger erythrocytes with the older shows that total phosphoglucomutase, phosphoribomutase and glucose-1,6-bisphosphate synthetic activities decay by 55%, 26% and 28%, respectively. We consider that these results substantiate the multifunctionality of PGM2 isoenzymes. Furthermore we discuss the role of these forms in the age-related decay of erythrocyte metabolism.

Acetaldehyde Influences Glucose 1,6-Bisphosphate Level of Human Erythrocytes in vitro and in vivo

In intact erythrocytes from normal adults, acetaldehyde, besides inducing metabolite modifications otherwise observed, markedly decreases the glucose 1,6-bisphosphate (G1,6P2) level. Pyruvate rapidly reverses the acetaldehyde effects. Also in vivo, the acetaldehyde that occurs in the blood stream after heavy alcohol intake produces a significant decrease of the erythrocyte G1,6P2 concentration. These changes support the role of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate as the first substrate in the G1,6P2 synthesis. The significance of the glucose bisphosphate as glycolytic modulator is also discussed.

The Metabolic Role of Glucose 1,6-P2 in Human Erythrocytes Studied by Encapsulation Procedures

Red blood cells (RBC) possess many desirable properties of a suitable carrier of exogenous agents to modify the plasma environment or to be organ targeted within the reticuloendothelial system.1-4 Among the agents that can be encapsulated are: enzymes to correct inborn errors of metabolisms5, antineoplastic molecules in cancer6, chelators for transfusion iron overload.7,8 A different, non therapeutic, application of loaded RBC can be that of studying the metabolism of a certain substance transferred inside the cell or to observe its effect on the normal cellular metabolism. In this second view, we have applied the encapsulation procedures based on hypotonic hemolysis, isotonic resealing and reannealing, described by Ropars et al.9, to overloaded human RBC with glucose 1,6bisphosphate (G1c1,6P2) in order to investigate the metabolic role of the phosphorylated sugar in the whole cell. This study is of interest since Glc1,6P2 in RBC, besides being the coenzyme of phosphoglucomutase, appears to affect the three key enzymes of glycolysis, namely it inhibits hexokinase, and activates phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase.10 Intracellular Glc1,6P2 concentration has been increased by loading human RBC with the commercial product or with the enzyme Glc1,6P2- synthase purified from rabbit skeletal muscle11. In both experimental conditions the augmentation of the Glc1,6P2 cellular level is accompanied by a reduced glucose utilization. The significance of the results, with reference to the site(s) of glucose metabolism regulation by the bisphosphate, is discussed.