Isolation and characterization of phosphofructokinase C from rabbit brain.

Phosphofructokinase from rabbit brain consists of hybrids of the A, B, and C isozymes. Phosphofructokinase C was isolated from a purified mixture of such hybrids in a 2-step procedure. In the first step, phosphofructokinase B was removed by chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex. In the second step, subunits of phosphofructokinases A and C were separated by dissociation at pH 5.0 followed by chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose. The separated isozymes were then reassociated by neutralization. Phosphofructokinase C was structurally distinct from phosphofructokinases A (obtained from muscle or brain) and B (obtained from liver) as shown by one-dimensional chymotryptic and staphylococcal V8 protease fingerprints of all three isozymes. In addition, phosphofructokinase C cross-reacted weakly or not at all with antisera raised against phosphofructokinase B or phosphofructokinase A. Phosphofructokinase C was also kinetically distinct from the A and B isozymes. The C isozyme was more sensitive than the A isozyme but less sensitive than the B isozyme to inhibition by ATP, was less sensitive than the A isozyme but more sensitive than the B isozyme to inhibition by citrate, and was less sensitive than either of the other two isozymes to activation by inorganic phosphate, AMP, and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. The self-association properties of phosphofructokinase C differed from those of the A and B isozymes in that at pH 8.0, the C isozyme did not form oligomers larger than a tetramer under conditions where the other two isozymes did. Thus the properties of phosphofructokinase C are in general quite distinct from those of the other two phosphofructokinase isozymes.