The synthesis and degradation of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, a ubiquitous stimulator of glycolysis, are catalyzed by 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase (EC 2.7.1.105) and fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (EC 3.1.3.46), respectively. In liver, these two activities belong to separate domains of the same 470-residue polypeptide. Various mRNAs have been described for this bifunctional enzyme, which is controlled by hormonal and metabolic signals. To understand the origin and regulation of these mRNAs, we have characterized rat genomic clones encoding the liver isozyme, which is regulated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and the muscle isozyme, which is not. We describe here a 55-kilobase gene that encodes these isozymes by alternative splicing from two promoters. Each of the putative promoters was sequenced over about 3 kilobases and found to include nucleotide motifs for binding regulatory factors. The two isozymes share the same 13 exons and differ only by the first exon that, in the liver but not in the muscle isozyme, contains the serine phosphorylated by cAMPdependent protein kinase. The gene was assigned to the X chromosome. An analysis ofthe exon limits of6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase in relation to its functional domains and to its similarity with other proteins plus its G+C content at the third codon position suggests that this gene originates from several fusion events.Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is the most potent allosteric stimulator of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (EC 2.7.1.11), a key enzyme of glycolysis. The synthesis of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is catalyzed by 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase (PFK-2; EC 2.7.1.105) and its degradation is catalyzed by fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase-2; EC 3.1.3.46). In liver, these two activities belong to separate domains of each subunit (470 amino acids) of the same homodimeric protein. This bifunctional enzyme integrates a number of hormonal and metabolic signals including cAMP. In fibroblasts, PFK-2 activity is stimulated by growth factors, tumor promoters, and tyrosinespecific oncogenic protein kinases (1, 2).Biochemical and immunologic data suggest the existence of distinct PFK-2/FBPase-2 isozymes. Using PFK-2/ FBPase-2 cDNA probes from rat liver (4), we have identified a 2.1-kilobase (kb) mRNA coding for the liver (L) isozyme, a 1.9-kb mRNA coding for the skeletal muscle (M) isozyme, and a 6.8-kb mRNA presumably coding for the heart isozyme (5). The L and M isozymes have a common sequence of438 amino acids and differ only at the N terminus. In the L isozyme, the divergent sequence is 32 residues long and includes the serine (Ser-32) phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. In the M isozyme, the N terminus is 10 residues long and is unrelated to the unique part of the L isozyme. Expression of the L, but not the M, isozyme of PFK-2/FBPase-2 is controlled by diet and insulin (6, 7). This gene is 55 kb long and contains 15 exons, 13 of which are common to the two isozymes. Part of this work has been presented in the form of an abstract (9).
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