Glycogen is the storage from of glucose. The metabolism of glycogen both as glycogenolysis, breakdown of glycogen, and glycogenesis, formation of glycogen along with their regulation is briefed in the slides.
2. Outline:
General view & biomedical importance
Synthesis of glycogen
Degradation of glycogen
Regulation.
3. Glycogen- bank account.
“a friend in need is a friend indeed”
Glucose- essential for energy
Glycogen - stored
- when glucose is abundant
- degraded
- when glucose is below normal
glycogen glucose
4. Claude Bernard, 1857, isolated glycogen
Carl Cori & Gerty Cori, NP, 1947, glycogen
degradation
Luis Leloir, Argentina, NP, 1970, glycogen synthesis
Earl Sutherland, NP 1971, role of cAMP
General overview
• Polymer of α-D glucose, 108 Da
• Liver and muscle, liver content more than muscle
• Muscle has more glycogen than liver.
• Muscle- synthesis of ATP, Liver- blood glucose
%age of weight Tissue weight Body content
Liver glycogen 5.0 1.8 90 gm.
Muscle glycogen 0.7 35 245 gm.
Extracellular
glucose
0.1 10 L 10 gm.
5. General view & biomedical importance
• Liver glycogen after a fast of 12-18 hours falls by
125%
• Muscle pyruvate transamination
Gluconeogenesis liver muscle
• 8% muscle glycogen release glucose
• Exercise triggers mobilization to form ATP
6. In muscles-
Red muscle White muscle
Rich blood flow Poor blood supply
Large no of mitochondria &
Oxygen
Lesser
Pyruvate Lactate
End product- CO2 & H2O Substrate for glycolysis
Can work for longer period Short period
7. Glycogen
• Composed entirely of glucosyl residues
• Linked together by α- 1, 4 glycosidic linkages
• 8-10: branch, α- 1, 6 linkage
• Branch- large sites for glycogenolysis: glucose 1-(P)
• Stored as granules: cytoplasm
• Formation of branch: slower
• Liver glycogen store increase in well fed state
• Depleted during fast
• Muscle glycogen not affected by fasting
8. I. Synthesis of glycogen:
A. Synthesis of UDP-glucose
Glucose-6-℗
Glucose-1-℗
phosphoglucomutase
UTP PPi
UDP- glucoseUDP-
glucosepyropho
sphorylase
2 Pi
H20
Pyrophosphatase
hydrolysis
10. B. Synthesis of a primer to initiate glycogen synthesis
UDP -
UDP
Glycogen synthase
Tyr-OH
Tyr-O-
Tyr-O-
Glycogen synthase
Glycogenin
primer
11. • Protein
• An enzyme
• 37 kDa
• Constitutes of 332 amino acids
• Glycosylation occurs at tyrosine residue
• The –OH group of Tyr serves as the site
• Reaction catalyzed by Glycogenin itself
12. Tyr-O-
α- 1, 4 glycosidic linkages
C. Elongation of chain by glycogen synthase
Non-reducing end
Glycogen synthase
O O
O
CH2OH CH2OH
UDP + ATP
UTP + ADP
Nucleoside diphosphate kinase
14. D. Formation of branches
Tyr-O-
Action of enzyme α- (1, 4),
α- (1, 6) transglucosidase
α- 1, 6 glycosidic linkage 4:6 transferase
Non-reducing ends
15. E. Synthesis of additional branches
• After elongation of the two ends
• The new formed 6- 8 glucosyl residues are removed
• Added & the additional branches made
• α- (1, 4), α- (1, 6) transglucosidase and 4:6 transferase
are together called the “branching enzyme”
O
O
CH2OH
CH2OH
O α- (1, 6) glycosidic linkage
16. ll. Degradation of Glycogen
• Not a reversal of synthetic pathway
• A separate set of cytosolic enzyme is required
• Primary product is
• Glucose-1- phosphate
• Glucose
18. B. Removal of branches:
Tyr-O-
Oligo α- (1, 4), α- (1, 4)
glucantransferase Formation of α- (1, 4)
linkage by 4:4 transferase
Action of amylo α- (1, 6) glucosidase
H20
Tyr-O-
Glucose-1-℗
Glycogen phosphorylase
19. C. Fate of glucose-1- phosphate in liver and
muscled
Glucose-6-℗glucose
H2O Pi
Glucose-6- phosphatase
Released into blood to maintain blood glucose level
Glycolysis
Energy for muscle
contraction
20. D. Lysosomal degradation of glycogen
• Small amount: glycogen, 1-3% degraded continuously
• Purpose: unknown
• The enzyme: alpha (1, 4) glucosidase, alias acid maltase
• Deficiency: accumulation of glycogen
• Pompe’s disease type II: only lysososmal storage disease
21. SPECIAL FEATURES OF GLYCOGEN
DEGRADATION AND SYNTHESIS
• WHY STORE GLUCOSE AS GLYCOGEN?
• WHY NOT JUST PUMP GLUCOSE INTO CELLS?
• WHY GLYCOGEN IS A BRANCHED MOLECULE WITH ONLY
ONE BEGINNING AND MANY BRANCHES TERMINATING
WITH NON REDUCING GLUCOSYL END?
• WHY IS PRIMER NEEDED FOR GLYCOGEN SYNTHESIS?
• WHY DOES GLYCOGEN LIMIT ITS OWN SYNTHESIS?
22. WHY STORE GLUCOSE AS GLYCOGEN?
• Why not store it as fat?
• Why waste so many ATP to synthesize
glycogen?
– The answer is
• Fat stored, not mobilized rapidly as glycogen.
• Cannot be used as source of energy: absent O2
• Fat: cannot be converted to glucose to maintain its
level
23. WHY NOT JUST PUMP GLUCOSE INTO CELLS?
• Glucose: osmotically active
• Costs ATP to pump glucose
• Concn. of 400 mM to match the “glucose reserve”
• Balanced by outward movement
• Uptake of water: lysis
• High MW; 400 mM glucose stored; intracellular
glycogen; concentration of 0.01 mM
• No osmotic pressure problem
24. WHY GLYCOGEN IS A BRANCHED MOLECULE WITH
ONLY ONE BEGINNING AND MANY BRANCHES
TERMINATING WITH NON REDUCING GLUCOSYL
END?
• Numerous sites: glycogen phosphorylase &
glycogen synthase
• α amylose: polymer: only one non reducing end
• Slower
• glycogen phosphorylase & glycogen synthase: tight
association with glycogen
• Ready access to multitude of non- reducing sugars
25. WHY IS PRIMER NEEDED FOR GLYCOGEN
SYNTHESIS?
• glycogen synthase: low Km- large glycogen
Km glycogen
• Glucose alone: can’t act as primer
• Glycogen: immortal
• Glycogenin: a primer
• Alas! Glycogen: mortal
26. WHY DOES GLYCOGEN LIMIT ITS OWN SYNTHESIS?
• glycogen synthase efficient with larger glycogen
• How does glycogenesis stop?
• glycogen synthase ‘a’: decreases with
accumulation of glycogen
• Glycogen inhibits the dephosphorylation of
glycogen synthase ‘b’ by phosphoprotein
phosphatase
27. III. REGULATION OF GLYCOGEGESIS &
GLYCOGENOLYSIS
• LIVER: glycogenolysis accelerates in fasting
• MUSCLE: glycogenolysis in active exercise
Glycogenesis when muscle is at rest
• 2 levels:
– Hormonal regulation
– Allosterically controlled
28. A. Activation of glycogen degradation by cAMP
mediated pathway
I. Activation of protein kinase A
glucagon epinephrine
GPCR
ATP cAMP
Active
Adenyl
cyclase
PKA ‘b’ PKA ‘a’
Inactive enzymes Active enzyme
29. II. Activation of phosphorylase kinase
cAMP dependent PKA ‘a’
Glycogen
phosphorylase
kinase ‘b’
Glycogen
phosphoryla
se kinase ‘a’ATP ADP
H2O Pi
Protein phosphatase-1INSULIN
31. III. Activation of glycogen phosphorylase
Glycogen phosphorylase kinase ’a’
Glycogen
phosphorylase
‘b’
Glycogen
phosphorylase
‘a’ATP ADP
H2O Pi
Protein phosphatase-1INSULIN
GLYCOGENOLYSIS
32. Summary
glucagon epinephrine
GPCR
ATP cAMP
Active
Adenyl
cyclase
PKA ‘b’ PKA ‘a’
Glycogen
phosphorylase
kinase ‘b’
Glycogen
phosphorylase
kinase ‘a’
ATP ADP
H2O Pi
Protein phosphatase-1
INSULIN
Glycogen
phosphorylase
‘b’
Glycogen
phosphorylase
‘a’
ATP
ADP
H2O Pi
Protein phosphatase-1
GLYCOGENOLYSIS
33. B. Inhibition of glycogen synthesis by cAMP
directed pathway
glucagon epinephrine
GPCR
ATP cAMP
Active
Adenyl
cyclase
PKA ‘b’ PKA ‘a’
Glycogen synthase ‘a’
Glycogen synthase ‘b’
ATP ADP
H2O Pi
Protein
phosphatase-1
INSULIN
INHIBITION OF GLYCOGEN SYNTHESIS
34. C. Allosteric regulation of glycogen synthesis and
degradation
• Glycogen synthase & glycogen phosphorylase
respond to the energy needs of the cell
• Glycogenesis: glucose is high
• Glycogenolysis: glucose; energy level low
• Allosteric regulation: rapid response
• Can override the effects of hormone mediated
regulation
35. I. Regulation of glycogen synthesis and degradation
in well-fed state
GLYCOGEN
GLUCOSE-1-℗
Glycogen
synthase
Glycogen
phosphorylase
GLYCOGEN
GLUCOSE-1-℗
Glycogen
synthase
Glycogen
phosphoryl
ase
GLUCOSE GLUCOSE-6-℗ ATP AMP
36. II. Activation of glycogen degradation by calcium
a. Calcium activation of muscle phosphorylase kinase
Nerve impulse
Membrane depolarisation
Ca Ca Ca Ca
Calmodulin
Ca
CaCa
Ca
Muscle phosphorylase ‘b’ Muscle phosphorylase ‘a’
Glycogen phosphorylase ‘b’ Glycogen
phosphorylase ‘a’
Pi H20
GLYCOGENOLYSIS
37. b. Calcium activation of liver phosphorylase kinase
ER Membrane depolarisationCa Ca Ca Ca
Calmodulin
Ca
CaCa
Ca
Liver
phosphorylase
kinase ‘b’
Liver phosphorylase
kinase ‘a’
Glycogen phosphorylase ‘b’ Glycogen
phosphorylase ‘a’
GLYCOGEN
SYNTHESIS-
INHIBITION
38. ER Membrane depolarisationCa Ca Ca Ca
Calmodulin
Ca
CaCa
Ca
Protein kinase ‘b’ Protein kinase ‘a’
Glycogen synthase ‘b’ Glycogen
synthase ‘a’
GLYCOGENOLYSIS
39. Bibliography
• Lipincott’s Illustrated Reviews, Biochemistry 5th edition,
Richard Harvey, Denise Terrier, Unit II, Chapter 11, Page no:
125- 136
• Jaypee’s Texbook of Biochemistry for medical students, 6th
edition, D M Vasudevan, Sreekumari S, Kannan Vaidyanath,
Section B, Unit 9, Chapter 9, glycogenolysis, glycogen
synthesis, page no 106-112
• McGraw Hills LANGE’s Harper’s Illustrated Biochemistry, R
K Murray, D A Bender, P A Weil, 28th edition, Section 11,
chapter 19, page no: 157-164
• Wiley-Liss’s Textbook of BIOCHEMISTRY with Clinical
Correlations, Thomas M Devlin, 4th edition Chapter 7,
carbohydrate metabolism I, major metabolic pathways and
their control, page no: 311-334
• Central’s Fundamentals of Biochemistry, A C Deb, 8th
edition, Chapter 17, glycogenolysis, clinical orientationof
glycogen. Page no: 240-242
40. God not only plays
dice, he throws them in
the corner you can’t
see them.
- Stephen Hawking