Environmental alteration of 3HOH production from D-[1-3H]glucose, D-[2-3H]glucose and D-[5-3H]glucose by rat erythrocytes.

A change in either the ionic composition of the extracellular medium or ambient temperature affects not solely the glycolytic flux in rat erythrocytes, but also the extent of D-[1-3H]glucose or D-[2-3H]glucose detritiation relative to D-[5-3H]glucose utilization. Thus, the production of 3HOH from D-[1-3H]glucose and D-[2-3H]glucose, which is mainly attributable to the reactions catalyzed by phosphomannoisomerase and phosphoglucoisomerase, respectively, is inversely related to the net glycolytic flux. Such an inverse relationship is not universal, however. These findings should serve as a warning in the interpretation of radioactive data, since they imply that experimental changes in D-[1-3H]glucose or D-[2-3H]glucose detritiation may occur in the absence of any alteration in unlabelled D-glucose turnover.