Oscillations of the glycolytic pathway and the purine nucleotide cycle

Abstract

In a treatment modeled after the oscillatory behavior of the glycolytic pathway and the purine nucleotide cycle observed in skeletal muscle extracts, it is shown that the basis of the oscillations is the AMP-dependent activation of phosphofructokinase by fructose diphosphate. Control of phosphofructokinase by the adenine nucleotides alone leads to the establishment of a steady state. Whether steady state or oscillatory behavior occurs depends in part on the activity of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, which controls the rate of removal of fructose diphosphate. Under appropriate conditions oscillatory behavior can maintain a higher [ATP]/[ADP] ratio than steady state behavior. Viewed in the context of conditions that may be encountered in skeletal muscle in vivo, oscillatory behavior of glycolysis is shown to have additional advantages for maintaining a high [ATP]/[ADP] ratio.