Gluconeogenesis (GNG) is a metabolic pathway that results in the generation of glucose from certain non-carbohydrate carbon substrates. It is a ubiquitous process, present in plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms. In vertebrates, gluconeogenesis occurs mainly in the liver and, to a lesser extent, in the cortex of the kidneys. It is one of two primary mechanisms – the other being degradation of glycogen (glycogenolysis) – used by humans and many other animals to maintain blood sugar levels, avoiding low levels (hypoglycemia). In ruminants, because dietary carbohydrates tend to be metabolized by rumen organisms, gluconeogenesis occurs regardless of fasting, low-carbohydrate diets, exercise, etc. In many other animals, the process occurs during periods of fasting, starvation, low-carbohydrate diets, or intense exercise.
5' AMP-activated protein kinase or AMPK or 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase is an enzyme that plays a role in cellular energy homeostasis, largely to activate glucose and fatty acid uptake and oxidation when cellular energy is low. It belongs to a highly conserved eukaryotic protein family and its orthologues are SNF1 in yeast, and SnRK1 in plants. It consists of three proteins (subunits) that together make a functional enzyme, conserved from yeast to humans. It is expressed in a number of tissues, including the liver, brain, and skeletal muscle. In response to binding AMP and ADP, the net effect of AMPK activation is stimulation of hepatic fatty acid oxidation, ketogenesis, stimulation of skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation and glucose uptake, inhibition of cholesterol synthesis, lipogenesis, and triglyceride synthesis, inhibition of adipocyte lipogenesis, inhibition of adipocyte lipolysis, and modulation of insulin secretion by pancreatic β-cells.
Glucokinase is an enzyme that facilitates phosphorylation of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate. Glucokinase occurs in cells in the liver and pancreas of humans and most other vertebrates. In each of these organs it plays an important role in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism by acting as a glucose sensor, triggering shifts in metabolism or cell function in response to rising or falling levels of glucose, such as occur after a meal or when fasting. Mutations of the gene for this enzyme can cause unusual forms of diabetes or hypoglycemia.
In molecular biology, biosynthesis is a multi-step, enzyme-catalyzed process where substrates are converted into more complex products in living organisms. In biosynthesis, simple compounds are modified, converted into other compounds, or joined to form macromolecules. This process often consists of metabolic pathways. Some of these biosynthetic pathways are located within a single cellular organelle, while others involve enzymes that are located within multiple cellular organelles. Examples of these biosynthetic pathways include the production of lipid membrane components and nucleotides. Biosynthesis is usually synonymous with anabolism.
In biochemistry, dephosphorylation is the removal of a phosphate (PO43−) group from an organic compound by hydrolysis. It is a reversible post-translational modification. Dephosphorylation and its counterpart, phosphorylation, activate and deactivate enzymes by detaching or attaching phosphoric esters and anhydrides. A notable occurrence of dephosphorylation is the conversion of ATP to ADP and inorganic phosphate.
Pyruvate carboxylase (PC) encoded by the gene PC is an enzyme of the ligase class that catalyzes the physiologically irreversible carboxylation of pyruvate to form oxaloacetate (OAA).
Phosphofructokinase-2 (6-phosphofructo-2-kinase, PFK-2) or fructose bisphosphatase-2 (FBPase-2), is an enzyme indirectly responsible for regulating the rates of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis in cells. It catalyzes formation and degradation of a significant allosteric regulator, fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2,6-P2) from substrate fructose-6-phosphate. Fru-2,6-P2 contributes to the rate-determining step of glycolysis as it activates enzyme phosphofructokinase 1 in the glycolysis pathway, and inhibits fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase 1 in gluconeogenesis. Since Fru-2,6-P2 differentially regulates glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, it can act as a key signal to switch between the opposing pathways. Because PFK-2 produces Fru-2,6-P2 in response to hormonal signaling, metabolism can be more sensitively and efficiently controlled to align with the organism's glycolytic needs. This enzyme participates in fructose and mannose metabolism. The enzyme is important in the regulation of hepatic carbohydrate metabolism and is found in greatest quantities in the liver, kidney and heart. In mammals, several genes often encode different isoforms, each of which differs in its tissue distribution and enzymatic activity. The family described here bears a resemblance to the ATP-driven phospho-fructokinases, however, they share little sequence similarity, although a few residues seem key to their interaction with fructose 6-phosphate.
Fructosamines are compounds that result from glycation reactions between a sugar and a primary amine, followed by isomerization via the Amadori rearrangement. Biologically, fructosamines are recognized by fructosamine-3-kinase, which may trigger the degradation of advanced glycation end-products. Fructosamine can also refer to the specific compound 1-amino-1-deoxy-D-fructose (isoglucosamine), first synthesized by Nobel laureate Hermann Emil Fischer in 1886.
A serine/threonine protein kinase is a kinase enzyme, in particular a protein kinase, that phosphorylates the OH group of the amino-acid residues serine or threonine, which have similar side chains. At least 350 of the 500+ human protein kinases are serine/threonine kinases (STK).
Lipoyl synthase is an enzyme that belongs to the radical SAM (S-adenosyl methionine) family. Within the radical SAM superfamily, lipoyl synthase is in a sub-family of enzymes that catalyze sulfur insertion reactions. The enzymes in this subfamily differ from general radical SAM enzymes, as they contain two 4Fe-4S clusters. From these clusters, the enzymes obtain the sulfur groups that will be transferred onto the corresponding substrates. This particular enzyme participates in the final step of lipoic acid metabolism, transferring two sulfur atoms from its 4Fe-4S cluster onto the protein N6-(octanoyl)lysine through radical generation. This enzyme is usually localized to the mitochondria. Two organisms that have been extensively studied with regards to this enzyme are Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is currently being studied in other organisms including yeast, plants, and humans.
In enzymology, an aerobactin synthase (EC 6.3.2.39) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
Pyruvate dehydrogenase lipoamide kinase isozyme 4, mitochondrial (PDK4) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PDK4 gene. It codes for an isozyme of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase.
Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor-type R is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PTPRR gene.
Fructosamine-3-kinase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FN3K gene.
5'-AMP-activated protein kinase subunit gamma-3 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PRKAG3 gene.
The Walker A and Walker B motifs are protein sequence motifs, known to have highly conserved three-dimensional structures. These were first reported in ATP-binding proteins by Walker and co-workers in 1982.
3-Deoxyglucosone (3DG) is a sugar that is notable because it is a marker for diabetes. 3DG reacts with protein to form advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which contribute to diseases such as the vascular complications of diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, Alzheimer's disease, inflammation, and aging.
In molecular biology the fructosamine kinase family is a family of enzymes. This family includes eukaryotic fructosamine-3-kinase enzymes which may initiate a process leading to the deglycation of fructoselysine and of glycated proteins and in the phosphorylation of 1-deoxy-1-morpholinofructose, fructoselysine, fructoseglycine, fructose and glycated lysozyme. The family also includes ketosamine-3-kinases (KT3K). Ketosamines derive from a non-enzymatic reaction between a sugar and a protein. Ketosamine-3-kinases (KT3K) catalyse the phosphorylation of the ketosamine moiety of glycated proteins. The instability of a phosphorylated ketosamine leads to its degradation, and KT3K is thus thought to be involved in protein repair.
Octanoyl-(GcvH):protein N-octanoyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.204, LIPL, octanoyl-[GcvH]:E2 amidotransferase, YWFL (gene)) is an enzyme with systematic name (glycine cleavage system H)-N6-octanoyl-L-lysine:(lipoyl-carrier protein)-N6-L-lysine octanoyltransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Protein-ribulosamine 3-kinase (EC 2.7.1.172, FN3KRP, FN3K-related protein, FN3K-RP, ketosamine 3-kinase 2, fructosamine-3-kinase-related protein, ribulosamine/erythrulosamine 3-kinase, ribulosamine 3-kinase) is an enzyme with systematic name ATP:(protein)-N6-D-ribulosyl-L-lysine 3-phosphotransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
