Glycogen Metabolism

**

Reducing end

**Small amounts of glycogen in red blood cells & kidney

VERY small amounts of glycogen in certain glial cells and white blood cells

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Breakdown (Glycogenolysis) and Glycogen Synthesis
Why breakdown glycogen and not lipid to produce glc?
1. Mobilized faster
2. Can be metabolized anaerobically

Glycogen breakdown
Glc units are removed one at a time from the nonreducing ends by
phosphorolysis

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Breakdown
Remove all the 14 branches and an additional enzyme is recd to
remove 16

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Breakdown - Glycogen phosphorylase
First known example of an allosterically regulated enzyme
First enzyme shown to be controlled by reversible phosphorylation
In muscle:

Resting muscle

During vigorous muscular

activity, epinephrine
triggers phos
Triggers glycogen
breakdown

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Breakdown - Glycogen phosphorylase
In muscle:

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Breakdown - Glycogen phosphorylase
In liver:

phosphorylase kinase
Low blood sugar glucagon activates
phosphorylase b kinase,
initiates release of glc
into blood

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Breakdown
Fate of glucose 1-phosphate
Muscle / liver
phosphoglucomutase

G1P

G6P

Glycolysis

If you just need glucose:

Liver
Gluconeogenesis or
glucose 6-phosphatase

Glycogen G1P

G6P + H2O

Glc + Pi

In brain & muscle:

No gluconeogenesis and no glucose 6-phosphatase so
get glc from gluconeogenesis in liver or from injested glc, both of
which get delivered through bloodstream
In liver, glycogen is a reservoir of glc, converted into blood glc that
moves to other tissues
In muscle, glycogen breakdown produces glc that is metabolized via
glycolysis to provide ATP for muscle contraction

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Synthesis
Want to polymerize glc, need an activated form of glc - UDP-glucose
Occurs in almost all tissues, especially in liver and muscle

UDP-glucose
pyrophosphorylase
Glycogen
chain

Glycogen synthase

UDP
Glycogen chain + one more glucose residue

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Synthesis

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Synthesis

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Synthesis
Glycogen synthase cannot initiate a
chain - it needs a primer
Protein enzyme glycogenin makes the
primer
Once 8 glucose molecules have been
added, Glycogenin-[glc]8 is a
substrate for glycogen synthase

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Synthesis
Glycogen synthase cannot make the (16) bonds found at branches,
these are formed by branching enzymes

Glycogen Metabolism
Glycogen Synthesis
Glycogen synthase cannot make the (16) bonds found at branches,
these are formed by branching enzymes

Glycogen Metabolism
Control
Hormones reciprocally regulate synthesis and degradation by controlling
the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of the key enzymes
Glucagon, epinephrine: stimulate phosphorylase & inhibit synthase
Insulin: inhibit phosphorylase & stimulate synthase

Glycogen Metabolism
Control
Hormones reciprocally regulate synthesis and degradation by controlling
the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of the key enzymes

Glycogen Metabolism
Control
Hormones reciprocally regulate synthesis and degradation by controlling
the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of the key enzymes

Glucagon, epinephrine:

stimulate phosphorylase
inhibit synthase

Insulin:

inhibit phosphorylase
stmulate synthase

(+)
Insulin

(+)
Glucagon,
epinephrine

Glycogen Metabolism

Glycogen Metabolism

Low blood sugar

Glycogen Metabolism

Glycogen Metabolism