Transketolase (abbreviated as TK) is an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

that is encoded by the TKT

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

. It participates in both the

pentose phosphate pathway The pentose phosphate pathway (also called the phosphogluconate pathway and the hexose monophosphate shunt and the HMP Shunt) is a metabolic pathway parallel to glycolysis. It generates NADPH and pentoses (5-carbon sugars) as well as ribose 5-pho ...

in all organisms and the Calvin cycle of

photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...

. Transketolase catalyzes two important reactions, which operate in opposite directions in these two pathways. In the first reaction of the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, the cofactor

thiamine diphosphate Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP or ThPP), or thiamine diphosphate (ThDP), or cocarboxylase is a thiamine (vitamin B1) derivative which is produced by the enzyme thiamine diphosphokinase. Thiamine pyrophosphate is a cofactor that is present in all liv ...

accepts a 2-carbon fragment from a 5-carbon ketose ( D-xylulose-5-P), then transfers this fragment to a 5-carbon aldose ( D-ribose-5-P) to form a 7-carbon ketose ( sedoheptulose-7-P). The abstraction of two carbons from D-xylulose-5-P yields the 3-carbon aldose glyceraldehyde-3-P. In the Calvin cycle, transketolase catalyzes the reverse reaction, the conversion of sedoheptulose-7-P and glyceraldehyde-3-P to pentoses, the aldose D-ribose-5-P and the ketose D-xylulose-5-P. The second reaction catalyzed by transketolase in the pentose phosphate pathway involves the same thiamine diphosphate-mediated transfer of a 2-carbon fragment from D-xylulose-5-P to the aldose

erythrose-4-phosphate Erythrose 4-phosphate is a phosphate of the simple sugar erythrose. It is an intermediate in the pentose phosphate pathway and the Calvin cycle. In addition, it serves as a precursor in the biosynthesis of the aromatic amino acids tyrosine, pheny ...

, affording

fructose 6-phosphate Fructose 6-phosphate (sometimes called the Neuberg ester) is a derivative of fructose, which has been phosphorylated at the 6-hydroxy group. It is one of several possible fructosephosphates. The β-D-form of this compound is very common in cells. ...

and glyceraldehyde-3-P. Again, in the Calvin cycle exactly the same reaction occurs, but in the opposite direction. Moreover, in the Calvin cycle this is the first reaction catalyzed by transketolase, rather than the second. In mammals, transketolase connects the pentose phosphate pathway to glycolysis, feeding excess sugar phosphates into the main carbohydrate metabolic pathways. Its presence is necessary for the production of NADPH, especially in tissues actively engaged in biosyntheses, such as fatty acid synthesis by the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

and

mammary glands A mammary gland is an exocrine gland in humans and other mammals that produces milk to feed young offspring. Mammals get their name from the Latin word ''mamma'', "breast". The mammary glands are arranged in organs such as the breasts in prima ...

, and for steroid synthesis by the

and

adrenal glands The adrenal glands (also known as suprarenal glands) are endocrine glands that produce a variety of hormones including adrenaline and the steroids aldosterone and cortisol. They are found above the kidneys. Each gland has an outer cortex whic ...

. Thiamine diphosphate is an essential cofactor, along with

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar t ...

. Transketolase is abundantly expressed in the mammalian

cornea The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical ...

by the stromal keratocytes and epithelial cells and is reputed to be one of the corneal

crystallin In anatomy, a crystallin is a water-soluble structural protein found in the lens and the cornea of the eye accounting for the transparency of the structure. It has also been identified in other places such as the heart, and in aggressive breast c ...

Species distribution

Transketolase is widely expressed in a wide range of organisms including bacteria, plants, and mammals. The following human genes encode proteins with transketolase activity: * ''TKT'' (transketolase) * ''

TKTL1 Transketolase-like-1 (TKTL1) is a gene closely related to the transketolase gene (TKT). It emerged in mammals during the course of evolution and, according to the latest research findings, is considered one of the key genes that distinguishes mod ...

'' (transketolase-like protein 1) * ''

TKTL2 Transketolase-like protein 2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''TKTL2'' gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation' ...

'' (transketolase-like protein 2)

Structure

The entrance to the active site for this enzyme is made up mainly of several arginine,

histidine Histidine (symbol His or H) is an essential amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated –NH3+ form under biological conditions), a carboxylic acid group (which is in the d ...

, serine, and aspartate side-chains, with a glutamate side-chain playing a secondary role. These side-chains, to be specific Arg359, Arg528, His469, and Ser386, are conserved within each transketolase enzyme and interact with the

phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phosph ...

group of the donor and acceptor substrates. Because the substrate channel is so narrow, the donor and acceptor substrates cannot be bound simultaneously. Also, the substrates conform into a slightly extended form upon binding in the active site to accommodate this narrow channel. Although this enzyme is able to bind numerous types of substrates, such as phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated monosaccharides including the keto and aldosugars fructose,

ribose Ribose is a simple sugar and carbohydrate with molecular formula C5H10O5 and the linear-form composition H−(C=O)−(CHOH)4−H. The naturally-occurring form, , is a component of the ribonucleotides from which RNA is built, and so this compo ...

, etc., it has a high specificity for the stereoconfiguration of the

hydroxyl In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydro ...

groups of the sugars. These hydroxyl groups at C-3 and C-4 of the

ketose A ketose is a monosaccharide containing one ketone group per molecule. The simplest ketose is dihydroxyacetone, which has only three carbon atoms. It is the only ketose with no optical activity. All monosaccharide ketoses are reducing sugars, be ...

donor must be in the D-''threo'' configuration in order to correctly correspond to the C-1 and C-2 positions on the aldose acceptor. Also they stabilize the substrate in the active site by interacting with the Asp477, His30, and His263 residues. Disruption of this configuration, both the placement of hydroxyl groups or their stereochemistry, would consequently alter the H-bonding between the residues and substrates thus causing a lower affinity for the substrates. In the first half of this pathway, His263 is used to effectively abstract the C3 hydroxyl proton, which thus allows a 2-carbon segment to be cleaved from

. The cofactor necessary for this step to occur is thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP). The binding of TPP to the enzyme incurs no major conformational change to the enzyme; instead, the enzyme has two flexible loops at the active site that make TPP accessible and binding possible. Thus, this allows the active site to have a "closed" conformation rather than a large conformational change. Later in the pathway, His263 is used as a proton donor for the substrate acceptor-TPP complex, which can then generate

. The histidine and aspartate side-chains are used to effectively stabilize the substrate within the active site and also participate in

deprotonation Deprotonation (or dehydronation) is the removal (transfer) of a proton (or hydron, or hydrogen cation), (H+) from a Brønsted–Lowry acid in an acid–base reaction.Henry Jakubowski, Biochemistry Online Chapter 2A3, https://employees.csbsju. ...

of the substrate. To be specific, the His 263 and His30 side-chains form hydrogen bonds to the

aldehyde In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred to as an aldehyde but can also be classified as a formyl grou ...

end of the substrate, which is deepest into the substrate channel, and Asp477 forms hydrogen bonds with the alpha hydroxyl group on the substrate, where it works to effectively bind the substrate and check for proper stereochemistry. It is also thought that Asp477 could have important catalytic effects because of its orientation in the middle of the active site and its interactions with the alpha hydroxyl group of the substrate. Glu418, which is located in the deepest region of the active site, plays a critical role in stabilizing the TPP cofactor. To be specific, it is involved in the cofactor-assisted proton abstraction from the substrate molecule. The phosphate group of the substrate also plays an important role in stabilizing the substrate upon its entrance into the active site. The tight ionic and polar interactions between this phosphate group and the residues Arg359, Arg528, His469, and Ser386 collectively work to stabilize the substrate by forming H-bonds to the oxygen atoms of the phosphate. The ionic nature is found in the

salt bridge In electrochemistry, a salt bridge or ion bridge is a laboratory device used to connect the oxidation and reduction half-cells of a galvanic cell (voltaic cell), a type of electrochemical cell. It maintains electrical neutrality within the in ...

formed from Arg359 to the phosphate group.

Mechanism

The catalysis of this mechanism is initiated by the deprotonation of TPP at the thiazolium ring. This carbanion then binds to the

carbonyl In organic chemistry, a carbonyl group is a functional group composed of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom: C=O. It is common to several classes of organic compounds, as part of many larger functional groups. A compound containi ...

of the donor substrate thus cleaving the bond between C-2 and C-3. This keto fragment remains covalently bound to the C-2 carbon of TPP. The donor substrate is then released, and the acceptor substrate enters the active site where the fragment, which is bound to the intermediate α-β-dihydroxyethyl thiamin diphosphate, is then transferred to the acceptor. Experiments have also been conducted that test the effect replacing alanine for the amino acids at the entrance to the active site, Arg359, Arg528, and His469, which interact with the phosphate group of the substrate. This replacement creates a

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...

enzyme with impaired catalytic activity.

Role in disease

Transketolase activity is decreased in deficiency of thiamine, which in general is due to

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues ...

. Several diseases are associated with thiamine deficiency, including

beriberi Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1). A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. The two main types in adults are wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system, ...

biotin-thiamine-responsive basal ganglia disease (BTBGD) Biotin-thiamine-responsive basal ganglia disease (BTBGD) is a rare disease that affects the nervous system, particularly the basal ganglia in the brain. It is a treatable neurometabolic disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance. First descri ...

Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) is the combined presence of Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) and Korsakoff syndrome. Due to the close relationship between these two disorders, people with either are usually diagnosed with WKS as a single syndrome ...

, and others (see

thiamine Thiamine, also known as thiamin and vitamin B1, is a vitamin, an essential micronutrient, that cannot be made in the body. It is found in food and commercially synthesized to be a dietary supplement or medication. Phosphorylated forms of thi ...

for a comprehensive listing). In Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome, while no mutations could be demonstrated, there is an indication that thiamine deficiency leads to Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome only in those whose transketolase has a reduced affinity for thiamine. In this way, the activity of transketolase is greatly hindered, and, as a consequence, the entire pentose phosphate pathway is inhibited.

Diagnostic use

Red blood cell Red blood cells (RBCs), also referred to as red cells, red blood corpuscles (in humans or other animals not having nucleus in red blood cells), haematids, erythroid cells or erythrocytes (from Greek ''erythros'' for "red" and ''kytos'' for "holl ...

transketolase activity is reduced in deficiency of

(vitamin B₁), and may be used in the diagnosis of

Wernicke encephalopathy Wernicke encephalopathy (WE), also Wernicke's encephalopathy, or wet brain is the presence of neurological symptoms caused by biochemical lesions of the central nervous system after exhaustion of B-vitamin reserves, in particular thiamine (vit ...

and other B₁-deficiency syndromes if the diagnosis is in doubt. Apart from the baseline enzyme activity (which may be normal even in deficiency states), acceleration of enzyme activity after the addition of thiamine pyrophosphate may be diagnostic of thiamine deficiency (0-15% normal, 15-25% deficiency, >25% severe deficiency).

References

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