A Michaelis-Menten-style model for the autocatalytic enzyme prostaglandin H synthase.

Abstract

Prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS) is an autocatalytic enzyme which plays a key role in the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway. PGHS mediates the formation of prostaglandin H2, the precursor for a number of prostaglandins which are important in a wide variety of biological processes, including inflammation, blood clotting, renal function, and tumorigenesis. Here we present a Michaelis-Menten-style model for PGHS. A stability analysis determines when the reaction becomes self-sustaining, and can help explain the regulation of PGHS activity in vivo. We also consider a quasi-steady-state approximation (QSSA) for the model, and present conditions under which the QSSA is expected to be a good approximation. Applying the QSSA for this model can be useful in computationally intensive modeling endeavors involving PGHS.

• Authors: Joseph H Tien, William D Hazelton, Rachel Sparks, Cornelia M Ulrich
• Journal: Bulletin of mathematical biology (Bull Math Biol) Vol. 67 Issue 4 Pg. 683-700 (Jul 2005) ISSN: 0092-8240 [Print] United States
• PMID: 15893548 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Prostaglandin H2
• Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases

Topics

• Catalysis
• Computer Simulation
• Kinetics
• Models, Chemical
• Prostaglandin H2 (chemistry, metabolism)
• Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases (chemistry, metabolism)