NOVEL PRONOUNCED REVERSIBLE INHIBITION OF PHOSPHOFRUCTOKINASE, GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE, AND PHOSPHOGLUCOSE ISOMERASE BY HEXACYANOFERRATE(II)

At pH 6.8, pig kidney phosphofructokinase (PFK) is inhibited 90% by 1 mm hexacyanoferrate(II), in a reaction mixture containing 0.2 mm fructose 6-phosphate (F-6-P) and 1 mm ATP. Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and phosphoglucose isomerase are inhibited 70% by 5 mm hexacyanoferrate(II), at a 0.2 mm concentration of their respective substrates. Unlike all previously reported inhibitions of glycolytic enzymes by hexacyanoferrate, this inhibition seems not to involve an oxidation of enzyme, substrate, or enzyme-substrate complex. It appears to be due to reversible binding of the hexacyanoferrate at, or near, the hexose phosphate binding site of each enzyme. These inhibition studies were carried out in 50 mm 2-mercaptoethanol, and spectral studies showed that these conditions ensured that all the hexacyanoferrate was in the reduced (II) state. The inhibition of PFK was competitive with respect to the substrate F-6-P. Some reaction between hexacyanoferrate(II) and the substrate could not be definitely ruled out, but such reactions cannot be the major basis for the inhibitions observed. Increasing the magnesium concentration did not overcome the PFK inhibition. For all three enzymes, addition of a high concentration of hexose phosphate substrate to an assay mixture containing highly inhibited enzyme resulted in removal of the inhibition. The inhibition was instantaneous, and there was no increase in inhibition with time of incubation with hexacyanoferrate(II). These results may provide an approach to active-site labeling of these three enzymes at their hexose phosphate binding sites. These results should also be of interest to other workers, especially those involved in oxidative phosphorylation studies, who use ferro- and ferricyanide as research tools. The effects from such experiments may, in some cases, be due to binding of these compounds at, or near, hexose phosphate binding sites in the system. © 1979.