Glycosyl transferase, family 35 (IPR000811)

Short name: Glyco_trans_35

Family relationships



Glycosyltransferase family 35 GT35 comprises enzymes with only one known activity; glycogen and starch phosphorylase (EC:

The main role of glycogen phosphorylase (GPase) is to provide phosphorylated glucose molecules (G-1-P) [PMID: 2182117]. GPase is a highly regulated allosteric enzyme. The net effect of the regulatory site allows the enzyme to operate at a variety of rates; the enzyme is not simply regulated as "on" or "off", but rather it can be thought of being set to operate at an ideal rate based on changing conditions at in the cell. The most important allosteric effector is the phosphate molecule covalently attached to Ser14. This switches GPase from the b (inactive) state to the a (active) state. Upon phosphorylation, GPase attains about 80% of its Vmax. When the enzyme is not phosphorylated, GPase activity is practically non-existent at low AMP levels.

There is some apparent controversy as to the structure of GPase. All sources agree that the enzyme is multimeric, but there is apparent controversy as to the enzyme being a tetramer or a dimer. Apparently, GPase (in the a form) forms tetramers in the crystal form. The consensus seems to be that `regardless of the a or b form, GPase functions as a dimer in vivo [PMID: 2667896]. The GPase monomer is best described as consisting of two domains, an N-terminal domain and a C-terminal domain [PMID: 8798388]. The C-terminal domain is often referred to as the catalytic domain. It consists of a beta-sheet core surrounded by layers of helical segments [PMID: 2667896]. The vitamin cofactor pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) is covalently attached to the amino acid backbone. The N-terminal domain also consists of a central beta-sheet core and is surrounded by layers of helical segments. The N-terminal domain contains different allosteric effector sites to regulate the enzyme.

Bacterial phosphorylases follow the same catalytic mechanisms as their plant and animal counterparts, but differ considerably in terms of their substrate specificity and regulation. The catalytic domains are highly conserved while the regulatory sites are only poorly conserved. For maltodextrin phosphorylase from Escherichia coli the physiological role of the enzyme in the utilisation of maltidextrins is known in detail; that of all the other bacterial phosphorylases is still unclear. Roles in regulatuon of endogenous glycogen metabolism in periods of starvation, and sporulation, stress response or quick adaptation to changing environments are possible [PMID: 10077830].

GO terms

Biological Process

GO:0005975 carbohydrate metabolic process

Molecular Function

GO:0008184 glycogen phosphorylase activity

Cellular Component

No terms assigned in this category.

Contributing signatures

Signatures from InterPro member databases are used to construct an entry.
PROSITE patterns