Regulation of the futile cycle of fructose phosphate in sea mussel.

Carbohydrate metabolism in mussels shows two phases separated seasonally. During summer and linked to food supply, carbohydrates, mainly glycogen, are accumulated in the mantle tissue. During winter, mantle glycogen decreases concomitantly with an increase in triglyceride synthesis. In spring, after spawning, the animals go in to metabolic rest until the beginning of a new cycle. This cycle is regulated by the futile cycle of fructose phosphate that implicates PFK-1 and FBPase-1 activities. These enzymes and the bifunctional PFK-2/FBPase-2 that regulates the Fru-2,6-P2 levels, are seasonally modulated by covalent phosphorylation/dephosphorylation mechanisms, as a response to unknown factors. The futile cycle of the fructose phosphates also controls the transition from physiological aerobiosis to hypoxia. The process is independent of the phosphorylation state. In this sense, a pH decrease triggers a small Pasteur effect during the first 24 h of aerial exposure. Variations in the concentration of Fru-2,6-P2 and AMP are the sole factor responsible for this effect. Longer periods of hypoxia induce a metabolic depression characterized by a decrease in Fru-2,6-P2 which is hydrolyzed by drop in the pH. In this review, the authors speculate on the two regulation processes.

Measurement of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate and guanosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate in mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis lmk.) by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection.

Two fast and sensitive methods for the determination of cAMP and cGMP levels in mantle tissue of the sea mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk. are described. Both methods use ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The use of the diode array detector permitted the simultaneous detection of the absorbance at two different wavelengths and the obtaining of the UV absorption spectrum for each detected peak, confirming peak purity and identity. Method precision was good. The detection limit for both nucleotides was 2.5 pmol (signal-to-noise ratio = 4 at 254 nm). Previous to the injection onto the chromatograph, both nucleotides were purified by precipitation of the adenine and guanine 5'-ribonucleotides with ZnSO(4)-Na(2)CO(3). The supernatant obtained was subsequently passed over an anion-exchange column (AG l-X8 formate form resin). Early results seem to indicate that there is a seasonal variation in the contents of both cyclic nucleotides in mantle tissue. Such variation is probably related to the annual gametogenic cycle.