%0 Journal Article %A Kouril, Theresa %A Eicher, Johann J. %A Siebers, Bettina %A Snoep, Jacky L. %T Phosphoglycerate kinase acts as a futile cycle at high temperature %D 2017 %J Microbiology, %V 163 %N 11 %P 1604-1612 %@ 1465-2080 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.000542 %K thermophiles %K NMR spectroscopy %K archaea %K kinetic modelling %K gluconeogenesis %K thermal degradation %I Microbiology Society, %X In (hyper)thermophilic organisms metabolic processes have to be adapted to function optimally at high temperature. We compared the gluconeogenic conversion of 3-phosphoglycerate via 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate at 30 °C and at 70 °C. At 30 °C it was possible to produce 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate from 3-phosphoglycerate with phosphoglycerate kinase, but at 70 °C, 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate was dephosphorylated rapidly to 3-phosphoglycerate, effectively turning the phosphoglycerate kinase into a futile cycle. When phosphoglycerate kinase was incubated together with glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase it was possible to convert 3-phosphoglycerate to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, both at 30 °C and at 70 °C, however, at 70 °C only low concentrations of product were observed due to thermal instability of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. Thus, thermolabile intermediates challenge central metabolic reactions and require special adaptation strategies for life at high temperature. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.000542