Hog kidney gluconokinase.

Previous studies (1, 2) have indicated that gluconate is extensively metabolized in the mammal without, prior conversion to glucose. The int,erpretation of experiments performed with labeled gluconate has rested upon the assumption (3) that gluconate is converted to 6-phosphogluconate in t,he course of its metabolism. The enzyme, gluconokinase, which catalyzes this reaction has been partially purified from Escherichia coli (4) and yeast (5), but has not previously been demonstrat,ed in mammalian systems. In the present study, the phosphorylat,ion of g1uconat.e according t,o Equation 1 has been shown to occur in extracts of mammalian tissues and the enzyme, gluconokinase, has been partially purified from hog kidney.