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Myophosphorylase

Myophosphorylase is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Myophosphorylase rather than just read about it. In short: Myophosphorylase or glycogen phosphorylase, muscle associated (PYGM) is an enzyme which in humans is encoded by the PYGM gene. It is the muscle isoform of the enzyme glycogen phosphorylase.

Myophosphorylase — main illustration
Myophosphorylase — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Myophosphorylase belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Myophosphorylase to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Myophosphorylase from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Myophosphorylase or glycogen phosphorylase, muscle associated (PYGM) is an enzyme which in humans is encoded by the PYGM gene. It is the muscle isoform of the enzyme glycogen phosphorylase. This enzyme helps break down glycogen (a form of stored carbohydrate) into glucose-1-phosphate (not glucose), so it can be used within the muscle cell. Mutations in this gene are associated with McArdle disease (GSD-V, myophosphorylase deficiency), a glycogen storage disease of muscle. Myophosphorylase comes in two forms: form 'a' is phosphorylated by phosphorylase kinase, form 'b' is not phosphorylated. Form 'a' is de-phosphorylated into form 'b' by the enzyme phosphoprotein phosphatase, which is activated by elevated insulin. Both forms 'a' and 'b' of myophosphorylase have two conformational states: active (R or relaxed) and inactive (T or tense). When either form 'a' or 'b' are in the active state, then the enzyme converts glycogen into glucose-1-phosphate. Myophosphorylase-b is allosterically activated by elevated AMP within the cell, and allosterically inactivated by elevated ATP and/or glucose-6-phosphate. Myophosphorylase-a is active, unless allosterically inactivated by elevated glucose within the cell. In this way, myophosphorylase-a is the more active of the two forms as it will continue to convert glycogen into glucose-1-phosphate even with high levels of glycogen-6-phosphate and ATP. (See Glycogen phosphorylase§Regulation).

Structure PYGM is located on the q arm of chromosome 11 in position 13.1 and has 20 exons. PYGM, the protein encoded by this gene, is a member of the glycogen phosphorylase family and is a homodimer that associates into a tetramer to form the enzymatically active phosphorylase A. It contains an AMP binding site at p. 76, two sites involved in association of subunits at p. 109 and p. 143, and a site believed to be involved in allosteric control at p. 156. Its structure consists of 24 beta strands, 43 alpha helixes, and 11 turns. PYGM also has the following modified residues: N-acetylserine at p. 2, phosphoserine at p. 15, 2014, 227, 430, 473, 514, 747, and 748, and N6-(pyridoxal phosphate)lysine at p. 681. There is a post-translational modification in which phosphorylation of Ser-15 converts phosphorylase B (unphosphorylated) to phosphorylase A. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.

Function Phosphorylase is an important allosteric enzyme in carbohydrate metabolism. This gene, PYGM, encodes a muscle enzyme involved in glycogenolysis. PYGM has a cofactor, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, that aids this process. PYGM is located in the cytosol, extracellular exosome, and the cytoplasm. Highly similar enzymes encoded by different genes are found in liver and brain.

Catalytic activity Glycogen phosphorylase catalyses the following reaction: ((1→4)-alpha-D-glucosyl) (n) + phosphate = ((1→4)-alpha-D-glucosyl) (n-1) + alpha-D-glucose 1-phosphate

Clinical significance A myophosphorylase deficiency is associated with Glycogen storage disease type V (GSD5), also known as "McArdle disease". A case study suggested that a deficiency in myophosphorylase may be linked with cognitive impairment. Besides muscle, this isoform is present in astrocytes, where it plays a key role in neural energy metabolism. A 55-year-old woman with McArdle disease has expressed cognitive impairment with bilateral dysfunction of prefrontal and frontal cortex. Further studies are needed to assess the validity of this claim. Additionally, mutations in the genes for myophosphorylase along with deoxyguanosine kinase have been associated with muscle glycogenosis and mitochondrial hepatopathy. The G456A PYGM mutation and duplication in exon 6 of dGK that results in a truncated protein have been associated with phosphorylase deficiency in muscle, cytochrome c oxidase deficiency in liver, severe congenital hypotonia, hepatomegaly, and liver failure. This expands on the current understanding of McArdle disease and suggests that this combination of mutations could result in a complex disease with severe phenotypes. An autosomal dominant mutation on the PYGM gene impairs activity of myophosphorylase-a, but not myophosphorylase-b. Symptoms include adult-onset muscle weakness and muscle biopsy shows accumulation of the intermediate filament desmin in the myofibers. Unlike McArdle disease (GSD-V, myophosphorylase deficiency), this disease does not have exercise intolerance since glycogenolysis is still possible through allosteric AMP activation of myophosphorylase-b.

Interactions PYGM has been shown to have 64 binary protein-protein interactions including 21 co-complex interactions. PYGM appears to interact with PRKAB2, WDYHV1, PYGL, PYGB, 5-aminoisatin, 5-nh2_caproyl-isatin, PHKG1, PPP1CA, PPP1R3A, DEGS1, SET, MAP3K3, INPP5K, PACSIN3, CLASP2, NIPSNAP2, SRP72, LMNA, TRAPPC2, DNM2, IGBP1, SGCG, PDE4DIP, PPP1R3B, ARID1B, TTN, INTS4, FAM110A, TRIM54, TRIM55, WWP1, AGTPBP1, POMP, and CDC42BPB.

See also McArdle disease (GSD-V, myophosphorylase deficiency) Glycogen Storage Disease Inborn Errors of Carbohydrate Metabolism Metabolic Myopathies

References

External links

Myophosphorylase at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.

Illustrations

Myophosphorylase illustration
Myophosphorylase illustration
Myophosphorylase illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Myophosphorylase

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Myophosphorylase claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Myophosphorylase before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Myophosphorylase ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Myophosphorylase

In research
Myophosphorylase appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Myophosphorylase in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Myophosphorylase is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics EC 2.4.1, Genes on human chromosome 11, Transferases, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Myophosphorylase outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Myophosphorylase in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Myophosphorylase means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Myophosphorylase out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Myophosphorylase in simple terms?

Myophosphorylase or glycogen phosphorylase, muscle associated (PYGM) is an enzyme which in humans is encoded by the PYGM gene. It is the muscle isoform of the enzyme glycogen phosphorylase.

Why does Myophosphorylase matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Myophosphorylase?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Myophosphorylase.

Tags

  • EC 2.4.1
  • Genes on human chromosome 11
  • Transferases

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