Structure and function of human xylulokinase, an enzyme with important roles in carbohydrate metabolism.

ABSTRACT: D-Xylulokinase (XK; EC 2.7.1.17) catalyzes the ATP-dependent phosphorylation of d-xylulose (Xu) to produce xylulose 5-phosphate (Xu5P). In mammals, XK is the last enzyme in the glucuronate-xylulose pathway, active in the liver and kidneys, and is linked through its product Xu5P to the pentose-phosphate pathway. XK may play an important role in metabolic disease, given that Xu5P is a key regulator of glucose metabolism and lipogenesis. We have expressed the product of a putative human XK gene and identified it as the authentic human d-xylulokinase (hXK). NMR studies with a variety of sugars showed that hXK acts only on d-xylulose, and a coupled photometric assay established its key kinetic parameters as K(m)(Xu) = 24 ± 3 μm and k(cat) = 35 ± 5 s(-1). Crystal structures were determined for h

SUBMITTER: Bunker RD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3548474 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature