Hexokinase activity alters sugar-nucleotide formation in maize root homogenates

Two pools of hexokinase activities differing in sensitivity to ADP inhibition were characterised in maize roots. In order to evaluate how glucose utilisation could be affected by these hexokinases, glucose-6-P and NDP-5'-sugar levels were measured after a D-[U-C-14]glucose pulse in root extracts in the presence of 0 or 1 mM ADP. Analysis of radio-labelled activated sugars by paper chromatography revealed that: (1) without ADP, nearly 20% of the C-14 appeared in NDP-5'-sugars; (2) 0.1 mM ADP inhibited C-14-NDP-5'-sugar formation by 85%; and (3) with 1 mM ADP, C-14-NDP-5'-sugars were undetectable, but substantial (14%) C-14 accumulated as glucose-6-P. Mannoheptulose, a hexokinase inhibitor, blocked the NDP-5'-sugar formation, but did not modify the amount of C-14-glucose-6-P in root extracts either with or without ADP. The analysis of the hexokinase activities with 0.8 mM glucose in maize root extracts showed that: (1) mitochondrial hexokinase activity was totally inhibited by 30 mM mannoheptulose; and (2) the cytosolic hexokinase was inhibited by only 30%. These data suggest that NDP-5'-sugar synthesis is sensitive to ADP fluctuations and that mannoheptulose affects preferentially the mitochondrial-bound hexokinase, but the cytosolic form is less sensitive. We propose that the mitochondrial hexokinase is the main energy charge sensor in this pathway in maize. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.