Purification and characterization of phosphoglycerate kinase from Fasciola hepatica

Phosphoglycerate kinase (EC 2.7.2.3) of Fasciola hepatica was purified 375-fold to homogeneity. The enzyme was monomeric, and had a molecular weight of 47 900 and a sedimentation coefficient of 3.0–3.5 S. The enzyme was composed of 397 amino acids and was relatively rich in sulfur amino acids containing 13 methionine and 2 cysteine residues per mole. The enzyme possessed a highly reactive essential sulfhydryl group and was inhibited irreversibly by iodoacetamide and N-ethyl-maleimide and reversibly by p-chloromercuribenzoate and 5,5′-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). Initial velocity studies suggested that reaction occurred via a sequential mechanism. The K m values for 3-phosphoglycerate and ATP were 1.26 and 0.90 mM, respectively. ADP was a noncompetitive inhibitor with respect to both ATP and 3-phosphoglycerate.