The phosphate esters of mammalian skin maintained on glucose and various deoxyglucoses

Abstract

Skin maintained on glucose regularly produced detectable amounts of 22 phosphate esters. From time to time 6 others were observed. Fourteen of the regularly occurring compounds were identified chromatographically and the majority were intermediates in normal glycolysis or were nucleotides. Respiration studies made with other substrates showed that galactose and mannose were as effective as glucose in supporting skin respiration, but N-acetylglucosamine,2-deoxy-D-glucose and 3-deoxy-D-glucose did not support respiration. 1,5-Anhydro-D-glucitol, glucosone and glucosamine supported skin respiration to some extent but were not as efficient as glucose. When mixed with glucose the following inhibited normal glucose metabolism: 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol, 2-deoxyglucose, glucosone and glucosamine. Hexose 6-phosphates not normally present in skin were formed from 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol, 2-deoxy-D-glucose, D-glucosone and glucosamine; of these 2-deoxy-D-glucose 6-phosphate appeared to accumulate in the skin cells. No new phosphate esters were produced from 3-deoxy-D-glucose or from N-acetylglucosamine.