Glutamine Fructose-6-Phosphate Transaminase 1 (GFPT1)

Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) catalyzes the formation of glucosamine 6-phosphate and is the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. GFAT controls the flux of glucose into the hexosamine pathway, and thus formation of hexosamine products, and is most likely involved in regulating the availability of precursors for N- and O-linked glycosylation of proteins. Expression of these cDNA in E. coli produced a protein of approximately 77 kD and increased GFAT activity 4.5-fold over endogenous bacterial levels. Recombinant.GFAT1L protein possessed functional GFAT activities and biochemical characteristics similar to those of GFAT1. Previously, GFAT1 was considered a simplex enzyme.