Glucose phosphorylation and mitochondrial binding are required for the protective effects of hexokinases I and II.

ABSTRACT: Alterations in glucose metabolism have been demonstrated for diverse disorders ranging from heart disease to cancer. The first step in glucose metabolism is carried out by the hexokinase (HK) family of enzymes. HKI and II can bind to mitochondria through their N-terminal hydrophobic regions, and their overexpression in tissue culture protects against cell death. In order to determine the relative contributions of mitochondrial binding and glucose-phosphorylating activities of HKs to their overall protective effects, we expressed full-length HKI and HKII, their truncated proteins lacking the mitochondrial binding domains, and catalytically inactive proteins in tissue culture. The overexpression of full-length proteins resulted in protection against cell death, decreased levels of reactive o

SUBMITTER: Sun L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2223386 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature