Glycogen structure and metabolism overview

Glycogen structure and metabolism overview

Glycogen structure and metabolism overview

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Glycogen Structure - The Body's Sugar Stash

  • Function: Main storage form of glucose in animals, found primarily in liver and skeletal muscle.
  • Structure: Large, branched polymer of glucose residues.
    • Linear chains: Glucose units linked by $α-1,4$ glycosidic bonds.
    • Branch points: Occur every 8-12 residues, created by $α-1,6$ glycosidic bonds.

Glycogen structure: alpha-1,4 and alpha-1,6 bonds

  • Advantage: Branching creates many non-reducing ends, allowing for rapid synthesis and degradation to maintain glucose homeostasis.

⭐ Glycogenolysis and synthesis occur at the non-reducing ends, allowing for rapid glucose release from multiple points simultaneously.

Glycogenesis - Building the Branchies

  • Activation: Glucose is converted to Glucose-1-Phosphate (G1P) and then activated by UTP to form UDP-Glucose.
    • Enzyme: UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase.
  • Elongation (Rate-Limiting): Glycogen synthase adds UDP-glucose to the non-reducing end of a glycogen primer, forming linear $α-1,4$ glycosidic bonds.
  • Branching: Branching enzyme (amylo-$α-1,4$ → $α-1,6$-transglucosidase) transfers a segment of a linear chain to create an $α-1,6$ branch point.
    • This increases glycogen solubility and the number of terminal residues for rapid synthesis or degradation.

Insulin stimulates glycogenesis by activating protein phosphatase, which dephosphorylates and activates glycogen synthase.

Glycogenolysis - Tapping the Reserve

  • Primary Goal: Maintain blood glucose homeostasis (liver) & provide immediate fuel for glycolysis (muscle).
  • Key Enzymes:
    • Glycogen Phosphorylase: Rate-limiting enzyme. Cleaves α-1,4 glycosidic bonds using inorganic phosphate ($P_i$) to release Glucose-1-Phosphate. Requires Vitamin B6 (PLP) as a cofactor.
    • Debranching Enzyme: Possesses two distinct catalytic activities:
      • 4-α-D-glucanotransferase: Transfers 3 glucose residues from a limit branch to the non-reducing end of another chain.
      • α-1,6-glucosidase: Hydrolyzes the single remaining α-1,6 bond to release free glucose.
  • Regulation:
    • Activation: Glucagon (liver), Epinephrine (liver & muscle) via ↑cAMP.
    • Inhibition: Insulin via protein phosphatase activation.

⭐ Muscle lacks Glucose-6-Phosphatase. Thus, muscle glycogen provides ATP for the muscle itself and cannot directly contribute to blood glucose levels.

Hormonal Regulation - Metabolic Master Control

  • Insulin (Well-fed state): High insulin/glucagon ratio promotes glycogen storage (dephosphorylation).
    • Activates protein phosphatase, which dephosphorylates key enzymes.
    • ↑ Glycogen Synthase activity (active when dephosphorylated).
    • ↓ Glycogen Phosphorylase activity (inactive when dephosphorylated).
  • Glucagon & Epinephrine (Fasting/Stress): Low insulin/glucagon ratio promotes glycogenolysis (phosphorylation).
    • Activate PKA via cAMP (Glucagon, β-receptors) or Ca²⁺/PKC (α₁-receptors).
    • ↓ Glycogen Synthase activity.
    • ↑ Glycogen Phosphorylase activity.

⭐ Muscle lacks glucagon receptors; its glycogenolysis responds to epinephrine but not glucagon. Muscle glycogen is for local use, not blood glucose maintenance.

Hormonal regulation of glycogen metabolism

High‑Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • Glycogen, the primary storage form of glucose, resides mainly in the liver and skeletal muscle.
  • Liver glycogen maintains blood glucose homeostasis; muscle glycogen serves as a local energy reserve.
  • Structurally, it has α-1,4 glycosidic bonds (linear) and α-1,6 glycosidic bonds (branch points).
  • Key enzymes: Glycogen synthase (synthesis) and glycogen phosphorylase (degradation).
  • Insulin stimulates synthesis; glucagon and epinephrine stimulate breakdown.
  • Branching increases solubility and creates numerous non-reducing ends for rapid glucose mobilization.

Practice Questions: Glycogen structure and metabolism overview

Test your understanding with these related questions

A 4-month-old boy is brought to his pediatrician for a well-child visit. His parents have noticed that he has had poor growth compared to his older siblings. The boy was delivered vaginally after a normal pregnancy. His temperature is 98.8°F (37.1°C), blood pressure is 98/68 mmHg, pulse is 88/min, and respirations are 20/min. On exam, his abdomen appears protuberant, and the boy appears to have abnormally enlarged cheeks. A finger stick reveals that the patient’s fasting blood glucose is 50 mg/dL. On further laboratory testing, the patient is found to have elevated blood lactate levels, as well as no response to a glucagon stimulation test. What enzymatic defect is most likely present?

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Flashcards: Glycogen structure and metabolism overview

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Which glycogen storage disorder is associated with severe fasting hypoglycemia? _____

TAP TO REVEAL ANSWER

Which glycogen storage disorder is associated with severe fasting hypoglycemia? _____

Von Gierke disease

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