Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

The allosteric transition of glycogen phosphorylase

Abstract

The crystal structure of R-state glycogen phosphorylase b has been determined at 2.9 Å resolution. A comparison of T-state and R-state structures of the enzyme explains its cooperative behaviour on ligand binding and the allosteric regulation of its activity. Communication between catalytic sites of the dimer is provided by a change in packing geometry of two helices linking each site with the subunit interface. Activation by AMP or by phosphorylation results in a quaternary con-formational change that switches these two helices into the R-state conformation.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cori, C. F. & Cori, G. T. Proc. Soc. exp. Biol. Med. 34, 202–205 (1936).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Graves, D. J. & Wang, J. H. in The Enzymes, 3rd edn Vol. 7 (ed. Boyer, P.) 435–482 (Academic Press, New York, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Monod, J., Wyman, J. & Changeux, J.-P. J. molec. Biol. 12, 88–118 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Black, W. J. & Wang, J. H. J. biol. Chem. 243, 5892–5898 (1968).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Helmreich, E. & Cori, C. F. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 51, 131–138 (1964).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Metzger, B. E., Helmreich, E. & Glaser, L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 57, 994–1001 (1967).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Huang, C. Y. & Graves, D. J. Biochemistry 9, 660–671 (1970).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Wang, J. H., Shonka, M. L. & Graves, D. J. Biochemistry 4, 2296–2301 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Meyer, F., Heilmeyer, L. M. G. Jr., Haschke, R. H. & Fischer, E. H. J. biol. Chem. 245, 6642–6663 (1970).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Wansom, J.-C. & Drochmans, P. J. Cell Biol. 38, 130–150 (1968).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Busby, S. J. W. & Radda, G. K. Curr. Topics cell Regul. 10, 89–160 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Johnson, L. N., Madsen, N. B., Mosley, J. & Wilson, K. S. J. molec. Biol. 90, 703–717 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Fletterick, R. J., Sygusch, J., Murray, N., Madsen, N. B. & Johnson, L. N. J. molec. Biol. 103, 1–13 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Kasvinsky, P. J., Schechosky, S. & Fletterick, P. J. J. biol. Chem. 253, 9102–9106 (1978).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Sprang, S. R. et al. Nature 536, 215–221 (1988).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Sansom, M. S. P. et al. J. molec. Structure 123, 3–25 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Madsen, N. B., Honikel, K. O. & James, M. N. G. in Metabolic Interconversion of Enzymes (eds. Wieland, O., Helmreich, E. & Holzer, H.) 448 (Springer, Berlin, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Fasold, H., Ortlandel, F., Huber, R., Bartels, K. & Schwager, P. FEBS Lett. 21, 229–232 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Bartels, K. & Colman, P. M. Biophys. Struct. Mechanism 2, 43–59 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Engers, H. D. & Madsen, N. B. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 33, 49–54 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Sotiroudis, J. G., Oikonomakos, N. G. & Evangelopoulos, A. E. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 90, 234–239 (1978).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Fitzgerald, P. M. J. appl. Crystallogr. 21, 274–278 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Crowther, R. A. & Blow, D. M. Acta crystallogr. 23, 544–548 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Sussman, J. L., Holbrook, S. R., Church, G. M. & Kim, S. H. Acta crystallogr. A33, 800–804 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Brunger, A. T., Karplus, M. & Petsko, G. A. Acta crystallogr. A45, 50–61 (1989).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Oikonomakos, N. G. et al. Biochemistry 26, 8381–8389 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Johnson, L. N. et al. in Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology 139, 81–134 (eds Clark, A. E. & Wilson, I. A) (Springer, Berlin & Heidelberg, 1988).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Hendrickson, W. A. Acta crystallogr. A35, 158–173 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Chothia, C. A. Rev. Biochem. 53, 537–572 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Johnson, L. N. et al. in Allosteric Enzymes (ed. Herve, G.) (CRC, Boca Ratn, Florida, in the press).

  31. Hajdu, J. et al. EMBO J. 6, 539–546 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Lorek, A. et al. Biochem. J. 218, 45–60 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Kastenschmidt, L. L., Kastenschmidt, J. & Helmreich, E. Biochemistry 7, 4543–4556 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Klein, H. W., Im, M. J. & Helmreich, E. J. M. in Chemical and Biological Aspects of Vitamin B6 Catalysis Part A (ed. Evangelopoulos, A. E.) 147–160 (Liss, New York, 1984).

    Google Scholar 

  35. McLaughlin, P. J., Stuart, D. I., Klein, H. W., Oikonomakos, N. G. & Johnson, L. N. Biochemistry 23, 5862–5873 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Dreyfus, M., Vandebunder, B. & Buc, H. Biochemistry 19, 3634–3642 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Vandebunder, B. & Buc, H. Eur. J. Biochem. 133, 509–513 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Parrish, R. F., Uhing, R. J. & Graves, D. J. Biochemistry 16, 4824–4831 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Feldman, K. & Hull, W. E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 836–860 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  40. Helmreich, E. J. M. & Klein, H. W. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 19, 441–455 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Koshland, Jr., D. E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 44, 98–99 (1958).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Buc, H., Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 28, 59–64 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Lesk, A. M. & Chothia, C. J. molec. Biol. 174, 175–191 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Chothia, C., Lesk, A. M., Dodson, G. G. & Hodgkin, D. C. Nature 302, 500–505 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Nybourg, J. & Wonacott, A. J. in The Rotation Method in Crystallography (eds Arndt, U. W. & Wonacott, A. J.) 139–152 (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  46. Barford, D. thesis, Univ. Oxford (1988).

  47. Weber, I. T. et al. Nature 274, 433–437 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Sprang, S. R., Goldsmith, E. & Fletterick, R. J. Science 237, 1012–1019 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barford, D., Johnson, L. The allosteric transition of glycogen phosphorylase. Nature 340, 609–616 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/340609a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/340609a0

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing