Participation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in the regulation of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate level in erythrocytes.

Data are presented concerning the possible participation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) in regulation of the glycolytic pathway and the level of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in erythrocytes. Experimental support has been obtained for the hypothesis according to which a mild oxidation of GAPDH must result in acceleration of glycolysis and in decrease in the level of 2, 3-diphosphoglycerate due to the acyl phosphatase activity of the mildly oxidized enzyme. Incubation of erythrocytes in the presence of 1 mM hydrogen peroxide decreases 2,3-diphosphoglycerate concentration and causes accumulation of 3-phosphoglycerate. It is assumed that the acceleration of glycolysis in the presence of oxidative agents described previously by a number of authors could be attributed to the acyl phosphatase activity of GAPDH. A pH-dependent complexing of GAPDH and 3-phosphoglycerate kinase or 2, 3-diphosphoglycerate mutase is found to determine the fate of 1,3-diphosphoglycerate that serves as a substrate for the synthesis of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate as well as for the 3-phosphoglycerate kinase reaction in glycolysis. A withdrawal of the two-enzyme complexes from the erythrocyte lysates using Sepharose-bound anti-GAPDH antibodies prevents the pH-dependent accumulation of the metabolites. The role of GAPDH in the regulation of glycolysis and the level of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in erythrocytes is discussed.