TRIOSEPHOSPHATE ISOMERASE

'Triose-phosphate isomerase' (TPI or TIM), is an enzyme () that catalyzes the reversible interconversion of triose phosphates isomers dihydroxyacetone phosphate and D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate.
Triose phosphate isomerase ('TPI') plays an important role in glycolysis and is essential for efficient energy production. TPI has been found in every organism searched for the enzyme, including animals such as mammals and insects as well as in fungi, plants and bacteria.
In humans, deficiencies in TPI are associated with a progressive, severe neurological disorder called Triose Phosphate Isomerase deficiency.
Triose phosphate isomerase is a massively efficient enzyme, performing the reaction billions of times faster than it would naturally in solution. The reaction is so efficient it is limited by the rate the substrate can diffuse into the enzyme's active site.

Contents

Structure

See also

References

Structure

Triose phosphate isomerase is a dimer of identical subunits, each of which is made up of about 250 amino acid residues. The three-dimensional structure of a subunit contains eight α-helices (blue and red) on the outside and eight parallel β-strands on the inside (violet and yellow). This structural motif is called an αβ-barrel, or a TIM-barrel, and is by far the most commonly observed protein fold. The active site of this enzyme is in the center of the barrel. A glutamic acid residue is involved in the catalytic mechanism. The sequence around the active site residue is conserved in all known triose phosphate isomerases.

See also

★ TIM barrel

★ Triose Phosphate Isomerase deficiency

References

http://pdbdev.sdsc.edu:48346/pdb/molecules/pdb50_6.html