Glycolysis
Glycolysis takes place in the cytosol of cells.
Glucose enters the Glycolysis pathway by conversion
to glucose-6-phosphate.
Initially there is energy input corresponding to
cleavage of two ~P bonds of ATP.
H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OPO3
2
H
OH
H
1
6
5
4
3 2
glucose-6-phosphate
H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OH
H
OH
H H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OPO3
2
H
OH
H
23
4
5
6
1 1
6
5
4
3 2
ATP ADP
Mg2+
glucose glucose-6-phosphate
Hexokinase
1. Hexokinase catalyzes:
Glucose + ATP  glucose-6-P + ADP
The reaction involves nucleophilic attack of the C6
hydroxyl O of glucose on P of the terminal phosphate
of ATP.
ATP binds to the enzyme as a complex with Mg++.
Mg++ interacts with negatively charged phosphate
oxygen atoms, providing charge compensation &
promoting a favorable conformation of ATP at the
active site of the Hexokinase enzyme.
N
N
N
N
NH2
O
OHOH
HH
H
CH2
H
OPOPOP
O
O
O

O

O O
O

adenine
ribose
ATP
adenosine triphosphate
The reaction catalyzed by Hexokinase is highly
spontaneous.
A phosphoanhydride bond of ATP (~P) is cleaved.
The phosphate ester formed in glucose-6-phosphate
has a lower DG of hydrolysis.
H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OH
H
OH
H H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OPO3
2
H
OH
H
23
4
5
6
1 1
6
5
4
3 2
ATP ADP
Mg2+
glucose glucose-6-phosphate
Hexokinase
 the C6 hydroxyl of the
bound glucose is close to
the terminal phosphate of
ATP, promoting catalysis.
 water is excluded from the active site.
This prevents the enzyme from catalyzing ATP
hydrolysis, rather than transfer of phosphate to glucose.
glucose
Hexokinase
H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OH
H
OH
H H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OPO3
2
H
OH
H
23
4
5
6
1 1
6
5
4
3 2
ATP ADP
Mg2+
glucose glucose-6-phosphate
Hexokinase
Induced fit:
Glucose binding
to Hexokinase
stabilizes a
conformation
in which:
It is a common motif for an enzyme active site to be
located at an interface between protein domains that are
connected by a flexible hinge region.
The structural flexibility allows access to the active site,
while permitting precise positioning of active site
residues, and in some cases exclusion of water, as
substrate binding promotes a particular conformation.
glucose
Hexokinase
2. Phosphoglucose Isomerase catalyzes:
glucose-6-P (aldose)  fructose-6-P (ketose)
The mechanism involves acid/base catalysis, with ring
opening, isomerization via an enediolate intermediate,
and then ring closure. A similar reaction catalyzed by
Triosephosphate Isomerase will be presented in detail.
H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OPO3
2
H
OH
H
1
6
5
4
3 2
CH2OPO3
2
OH
CH2OH
H
OH H
H HO
O
6
5
4 3
2
1
glucose-6-phosphate fructose-6-phosphate
Phosphoglucose Isomerase
3. Phosphofructokinase catalyzes:
fructose-6-P + ATP  fructose-1,6-bisP + ADP
This highly spontaneous reaction has a mechanism similar
to that of Hexokinase.
The Phosphofructokinase reaction is the rate-limiting step
of Glycolysis.
The enzyme is highly regulated, as will be discussed later.
CH2OPO3
2
OH
CH2OH
H
OH H
H HO
O
6
5
4 3
2
1 CH2OPO3
2
OH
CH2OPO3
2
H
OH H
H HO
O
6
5
4 3
2
1
ATP ADP
Mg2+
fructose-6-phosphate fructose-1,6-bisphosphate
Phosphofructokinase
4. Aldolase catalyzes: fructose-1,6-bisphosphate 
dihydroxyacetone-P + glyceraldehyde-3-P
The reaction is an aldol cleavage, the reverse of an aldol
condensation.
Note that C atoms are renumbered in products of Aldolase.
6
5
4
3
2
1CH2OPO3
2
C
C
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
O
HO H
H OH
H OH
3
2
1
CH2OPO3
2
C
CH2OH
O
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
H O
H OH+
1
2
3
fructose-1,6-
bisphosphate
Aldolase
dihydroxyacetone glyceraldehyde-3phosphate
phosphate
Triosephosphate Isomerase
A lysine residue at the active site functions in catalysis.
The keto group of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate reacts with
the e-amino group of the active site lysine, to form a
protonated Schiff base intermediate.
Cleavage of the bond between C3 & C4 follows.
CH2OPO3
2
C
CH
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
NH
HO
H OH
H OH
(CH2)4 Enzyme
6
5
4
3
2
1
+
Schiff base intermediate of
Aldolase reaction
H3N+
C COO
CH2
CH2
CH2
CH2
NH3
H

lysine
5. Triose Phosphate Isomerase (TIM) catalyzes:
dihydroxyacetone-P  glyceraldehyde-3-P
Glycolysis continues from glyceraldehyde-3-P. TIM's Keq
favors dihydroxyacetone-P. Removal of glyceraldehyde-3-P
by a subsequent spontaneous reaction allows throughput.
6
5
4
3
2
1CH2OPO3
2
C
C
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
O
HO H
H OH
H OH
3
2
1
CH2OPO3
2
C
CH2OH
O
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
H O
H OH+
1
2
3
fructose-1,6-
bisphosphate
Aldolase
dihydroxyacetone glyceraldehyde-3phosphate
phosphate
Triosephosphate Isomerase
The ketose/aldose conversion involves acid/base catalysis,
and is thought to proceed via an enediol intermediate, as
with Phosphoglucose Isomerase.
Active site Glu and His residues are thought to extract and
donate protons during catalysis.
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
O
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
H O
H OH
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
H OH
OH
H
H OH H+
H+
H+
H+
dihydroxyacetone enediol glyceraldehydephosphate
intermediate 3-phosphate
Triosephosphate Isomerase
C
CH2OPO3
2
O O
C
CH2OPO3
2
HC O
OH
proposed
enediolate
intermediate
phosphoglycolate
transition state
analog
2-Phosphoglycolate is a transition state analog that
binds tightly at the active site of Triose Phosphate
Isomerase (TIM).
This inhibitor of catalysis by TIM is similar in structure to
the proposed enediolate intermediate.
TIM is judged a "perfect enzyme." Reaction rate is limited
only by the rate that substrate collides with the enzyme.
TIM
Triosephosphate Isomerase
structure is an ab barrel, or
TIM barrel.
In an ab barrel there are
8 parallel b-strands surrounded
by 8 a-helices.
Short loops connect alternating
b-strands & a-helices.
TIM
TIM barrels serve as scaffolds
for active site residues in a
diverse array of enzymes.
Residues of the active site are
always at the same end of the
barrel, on C-terminal ends of
b-strands & loops connecting
these to a-helices.
There is debate whether the many different enzymes with
TIM barrel structures are evolutionarily related.
In spite of the structural similarities there is tremendous
diversity in catalytic functions of these enzymes and
little sequence homology.
TIM
Explore the structure of the Triosephosphate Isomerase
(TIM) homodimer, with the transition state inhibitor
2-phosphoglycolate bound to one of the TIM monomers.
Note the structure of the TIM barrel, and the loop that
forms a lid that closes over the active site after binding
of the substrate.
C
CH2OPO3
2
O O
C
CH2OPO3
2
HC O
OH
proposed
enediolate
intermediate
phosphoglycolate
transition state
analog
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
H O
H OH
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
O OPO3
2
H OH
+ Pi
+ H+
NAD+
NADH 1
2
3
2
3
1
glyceraldehyde- 1,3-bisphospho-
3-phosphate glycerate
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
Dehydrogenase
6. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate Dehydrogenase
catalyzes:
glyceraldehyde-3-P + NAD+ + Pi 
1,3-bisphosphoglycerate + NADH + H+
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
H O
H OH
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
O OPO3
2
H OH
+ Pi
+ H+
NAD+
NADH 1
2
3
2
3
1
glyceraldehyde- 1,3-bisphospho-
3-phosphate glycerate
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
Dehydrogenase
Exergonic oxidation of the aldehyde in glyceraldehyde-
3-phosphate, to a carboxylic acid, drives formation of an
acyl phosphate, a "high energy" bond (~P).
This is the only step in Glycolysis in which NAD+ is
reduced to NADH.
A cysteine thiol at the active site of Glyceraldehyde-
3-phosphate Dehydrogenase has a role in catalysis.
The aldehyde of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate reacts
with the cysteine thiol to form a thiohemiacetal
intermediate.
H3N+
C COO
CH2
SH
H
cysteine
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
H O
H OH
1
2
3
glyceraldehyde-3-
phosphate
The “high energy” acyl thioester is attacked by Pi to
yield the acyl phosphate (~P) product.
CH CH2OPO3
2
OHEnz-Cys SH
Enz-Cys S CH CH CH2OPO3
2
OHOH
Enz-Cys S C CH CH2OPO3
2
OHO
HC
NAD+
NADH
Enz-Cys SH
Pi
C CH CH2OPO3
2
OHO
O3PO
2
O
glyceraldehyde-3-
phosphate
1,3-bisphosphoglycerate
thiohemiacetal
intermediate
acyl-thioester
intermediate
Oxidation to a
carboxylic acid
(in a ~ thioester)
occurs, as NAD+
is reduced to
NADH.
Recall that NAD+ accepts 2 e plus one H+ (a hydride)
in going to its reduced form.
N
R
H
C
NH2
O
N
R
C
NH2
O
H H
+
2e
+ H
+
NAD+
NADH
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
O OPO3
2
H OH
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
O O
H OH
ADP ATP
1
22
3 3
1
Mg2+
1,3-bisphospho- 3-phosphoglycerate
glycerate
Phosphoglycerate Kinase
7. Phosphoglycerate Kinase catalyzes:
1,3-bisphosphoglycerate + ADP 
3-phosphoglycerate + ATP
This phosphate transfer is reversible (low DG), since
one ~P bond is cleaved & another synthesized.
The enzyme undergoes substrate-induced conformational
change similar to that of Hexokinase.
C
C
CH2OH
O O
H OPO3
2
2
3
1
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
O O
H OH2
3
1
3-phosphoglycerate 2-phosphoglycerate
Phosphoglycerate Mutase
8. Phosphoglycerate Mutase catalyzes:
3-phosphoglycerate  2-phosphoglycerate
Phosphate is shifted from the OH on C3 to the
OH on C2.
C
C
CH2OH
O O
H OPO3
2
2
3
1
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
O O
H OH2
3
1
3-phosphoglycerate 2-phosphoglycerate
Phosphoglycerate Mutase
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
O O
H OPO3
2
2
3
1
2,3-bisphosphoglycerate
An active site histidine side-chain
participates in Pi transfer, by
donating & accepting phosphate.
The process involves a
2,3-bisphosphate intermediate.
View an animation of the
Phosphoglycerate Mutase reaction.
H3N+
C COO
CH2
C
HN
HC NH
CH
H

histidine
9. Enolase catalyzes:
2-phosphoglycerate  phosphoenolpyruvate + H2O
This dehydration reaction is Mg++-dependent.
2 Mg++ ions interact with oxygen atoms of the substrate
carboxyl group at the active site.
The Mg++ ions help to stabilize the enolate anion
intermediate that forms when a Lys extracts H+ from C #2.
C
C
CH2OH
O O
H OPO3
2
C
C
CH2OH

O O
OPO3
2
C
C
CH2
O O
OPO3
2
OH
2
3
1
2
3
1
H
2-phosphoglycerate enolate intermediate phosphoenolpyruvate
Enolase
10. Pyruvate Kinase catalyzes:
phosphoenolpyruvate + ADP  pyruvate + ATP
C
C
CH3
O O
O2
3
1
ADP ATP
C
C
CH2
O O
OPO3
2
2
3
1
phosphoenolpyruvate pyruvate
Pyruvate Kinase
This phosphate transfer from PEP to ADP is spontaneous.
 PEP has a larger DG of phosphate hydrolysis than ATP.
 Removal of Pi from PEP yields an unstable enol, which
spontaneously converts to the keto form of pyruvate.
Required inorganic cations K+ and Mg++ bind to anionic
residues at the active site of Pyruvate Kinase.
C
C
CH3
O O
O2
3
1
ADP ATPC
C
CH2
O O
OPO3
2
2
3
1
C
C
CH2
O O
OH2
3
1
phosphoenolpyruvate enolpyruvate pyruvate
Pyruvate Kinase
Hexokinase
Phosphofructokinase
glucose Glycolysis
ATP
ADP
glucose-6-phosphate
Phosphoglucose Isomerase
fructose-6-phosphate
ATP
ADP
fructose-1,6-bisphosphate
Aldolase
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate + dihydroxyacetone-phosphate
Triosephosphate
Isomerase
Glycolysis continued
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
Dehydrogenase
Phosphoglycerate Kinase
Enolase
Pyruvate Kinase
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
NAD+
+ Pi
NADH + H+
1,3-bisphosphoglycerate
ADP
ATP
3-phosphoglycerate
Phosphoglycerate Mutase
2-phosphoglycerate
H2O
phosphoenolpyruvate
ADP
ATP
pyruvate
Glycolysis
continued.
Recall that
there are 2
GAP per
glucose.
Glycolysis
Balance sheet for ~P bonds of ATP:
 How many ATP ~P bonds expended? ________
 How many ~P bonds of ATP produced? (Remember
there are two 3C fragments from glucose.) ________
 Net production of ~P bonds of ATP per glucose:
________
2
4
2
Balance sheet for ~P bonds of ATP:
 2 ATP expended
 4 ATP produced (2 from each of two 3C fragments
from glucose)
 Net production of 2 ~P bonds of ATP per glucose.
Glycolysis - total pathway, omitting H+:
glucose + 2 NAD+ + 2 ADP + 2 Pi 
2 pyruvate + 2 NADH + 2 ATP
In aerobic organisms:
 pyruvate produced in Glycolysis is oxidized to CO2
via Krebs Cycle
 NADH produced in Glycolysis & Krebs Cycle is
reoxidized via the respiratory chain, with production
of much additional ATP.
They must reoxidize NADH produced in Glycolysis
through some other reaction, because NAD+ is needed for
the Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate Dehydrogenase reaction.
Usually NADH is reoxidized as pyruvate is converted to
a more reduced compound.
The complete pathway, including Glycolysis and the
reoxidation of NADH, is called fermentation.
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
H O
H OH
C
C
CH2OPO3
2
O OPO3
2
H OH
+ Pi
+ H+
NAD+
NADH 1
2
3
2
3
1
glyceraldehyde- 1,3-bisphospho-
3-phosphate glycerate
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
Dehydrogenase
Fermentation:
Anaerobic
organisms lack a
respiratory chain.
C
C
CH3
O
O
O
C
HC
CH3
O
OH
O
NADH + H+
NAD+
Lactate Dehydrogenase
pyruvate lactate
E.g., Lactate Dehydrogenase catalyzes reduction of
the keto in pyruvate to a hydroxyl, yielding lactate, as
NADH is oxidized to NAD+.
Lactate, in addition to being an end-product of
fermentation, serves as a mobile form of nutrient energy,
& possibly as a signal molecule in mammalian organisms.
Cell membranes contain carrier proteins that facilitate
transport of lactate.
C
C
CH3
O
O
O
C
HC
CH3
O
OH
O
NADH + H+
NAD+
Lactate Dehydrogenase
pyruvate lactate
Skeletal muscles ferment glucose to lactate during
exercise, when the exertion is brief and intense.
Lactate released to the blood may be taken up by other
tissues, or by skeletal muscle after exercise, and converted
via Lactate Dehydrogenase back to pyruvate, which may
be oxidized in Krebs Cycle or (in liver) converted to back
to glucose via gluconeogenesis
C
C
CH3
O
O
O
C
HC
CH3
O
OH
O
NADH + H+
NAD+
Lactate Dehydrogenase
pyruvate lactate
Lactate serves as a fuel source for cardiac muscle as
well as brain neurons.
Astrocytes, which surround and protect neurons in the
brain, ferment glucose to lactate and release it.
Lactate taken up by adjacent neurons is converted to
pyruvate that is oxidized via Krebs Cycle.
C
C
CH3
O
O
O
C
CH3
OHC
CH3
OH H
H
NADH + H+
NAD+
CO2
Pyruvate Alcohol
Decarboxylase Dehydrogenase
pyruvate acetaldehyde ethanol
Some anaerobic organisms metabolize pyruvate to
ethanol, which is excreted as a waste product.
NADH is converted to NAD+ in the reaction
catalyzed by Alcohol Dehydrogenase.
Glycolysis, omitting H+:
glucose + 2 NAD+ + 2 ADP + 2 Pi 
2 pyruvate + 2 NADH + 2 ATP
Fermentation, from glucose to lactate:
glucose + 2 ADP + 2 Pi  2 lactate + 2 ATP
Anaerobic catabolism of glucose yields only 2 “high
energy” bonds of ATP.
Glycolysis Enzyme/Reaction
DGo'
kJ/mol
DG
kJ/mol
Hexokinase -20.9 -27.2
Phosphoglucose Isomerase +2.2 -1.4
Phosphofructokinase -17.2 -25.9
Aldolase +22.8 -5.9
Triosephosphate Isomerase +7.9 negative
Glyceraldehyde-3-P Dehydrogenase
& Phosphoglycerate Kinase
-16.7 -1.1
Phosphoglycerate Mutase +4.7 -0.6
Enolase -3.2 -2.4
Pyruvate Kinase -23.0 -13.9
*Values in this table from D. Voet & J. G. Voet (2004) Biochemistry, 3rd Edition, John
Wiley & Sons, New York, p. 613.
Flux through the Glycolysis pathway is regulated by
control of 3 enzymes that catalyze spontaneous reactions:
Hexokinase, Phosphofructokinase & Pyruvate Kinase.
 Local control of metabolism involves regulatory effects
of varied concentrations of pathway substrates or
intermediates, to benefit the cell.
 Global control is for the benefit of the whole organism,
& often involves hormone-activated signal cascades.
Liver cells have major roles in metabolism, including
maintaining blood levels various of nutrients such as
glucose. Thus global control especially involves liver.
Some aspects of global control by hormone-activated
signal cascades will be discussed later.
Hexokinase is inhibited by product glucose-6-phosphate:
 by competition at the active site
 by allosteric interaction at a separate enzyme site.
Cells trap glucose by phosphorylating it, preventing exit
on glucose carriers.
Product inhibition of Hexokinase ensures that cells will
not continue to accumulate glucose from the blood, if
[glucose-6-phosphate] within the cell is ample.
H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OH
H
OH
H H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OPO3
2
H
OH
H
23
4
5
6
1 1
6
5
4
3 2
ATP ADP
Mg2+
glucose glucose-6-phosphate
Hexokinase
 Glucokinase has a high KM for glucose.
It is active only at high [glucose].
 One effect of insulin, a hormone produced when blood
glucose is high, is activation in liver of transcription of
the gene that encodes the Glucokinase enzyme.
 Glucokinase is not subject to product inhibition by
glucose-6-phosphate. Liver will take up & phosphorylate
glucose even when liver [glucose-6-phosphate] is high.
H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OH
H
OH
H H O
OH
H
OHH
OH
CH2OPO3
2
H
OH
H
23
4
5
6
1 1
6
5
4
3 2
ATP ADP
Mg2+
glucose glucose-6-phosphate
Hexokinase
Glucokinase
is a variant of
Hexokinase
found in liver.
 Glucokinase is subject to inhibition by glucokinase
regulatory protein (GKRP).
The ratio of Glucokinase to GKRP in liver changes in
different metabolic states, providing a mechanism for
modulating glucose phosphorylation.
Glucose-6-phosphatase catalyzes hydrolytic release of Pi
from glucose-6-P. Thus glucose is released from the liver
to the blood as needed to maintain blood [glucose].
The enzymes Glucokinase & Glucose-6-phosphatase, both
found in liver but not in most other body cells, allow the
liver to control blood [glucose].
Glycogen Glucose
Hexokinase or Glucokinase
Glucose-6-Pase
Glucose-1-P Glucose-6-P Glucose + Pi
Glycolysis
Pathway
Pyruvate
Glucose metabolism in liver.
Glucokinase,
with high KM
for glucose,
allows liver to
store glucose
as glycogen in
the fed state
when blood [glucose] is high.
High [glucose] within liver cells causes a transcription
factor carbohydrate responsive element binding protein
(ChREBP) to be transferred into the nucleus, where it
activates transcription of the gene for Pyruvate Kinase.
This facilitates converting excess glucose to pyruvate,
which is metabolized to acetyl-CoA, the main precursor
for synthesis of fatty acids, for long term energy storage.
C
C
CH3
O O
O2
3
1
ADP ATP
C
C
CH2
O O
OPO3
2
2
3
1
phosphoenolpyruvate pyruvate
Pyruvate Kinase
Pyruvate Kinase, the
last step Glycolysis, is
controlled in liver partly
by modulation of the
amount of enzyme.
Phosphofructokinase is usually the rate-limiting step of
the Glycolysis pathway.
Phosphofructokinase is allosterically inhibited by ATP.
 At low concentration, the substrate ATP binds only at
the active site.
 At high concentration, ATP binds also at a low-affinity
regulatory site, promoting the tense conformation.
CH2OPO3
2
OH
CH2OH
H
OH H
H HO
O
6
5
4 3
2
1 CH2OPO3
2
OH
CH2OPO3
2
H
OH H
H HO
O
6
5
4 3
2
1
ATP ADP
Mg2+
fructose-6-phosphate fructose-1,6-bisphosphate
Phosphofructokinase
The tense conformation of PFK, at high [ATP], has lower
affinity for the other substrate, fructose-6-P. Sigmoidal
dependence of reaction rate on [fructose-6-P] is seen.
AMP, present at significant levels only when there is
extensive ATP hydrolysis, antagonizes effects of high ATP.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0 0.5 1 1.5 2
[Fructose-6-phosphate] mM
PFKActivity
high [ATP]
low [ATP]
Inhibition of the Glycolysis enzyme Phosphofructokinase
when [ATP] is high prevents breakdown of glucose in a
pathway whose main role is to make ATP.
It is more useful to the cell to store glucose as glycogen
when ATP is plentiful.
Glycogen Glucose
Hexokinase or Glucokinase
Glucose-6-Pase
Glucose-1-P Glucose-6-P Glucose + Pi
Glycolysis
Pathway
Pyruvate
Glucose metabolism in liver.
Glycolysis
Copyright © 1998-2007 by Joyce J. Diwan.
All rights reserved.
Biochemistry of Metabolism