Transcriptional regulation of pyruvate kinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in the adductor muscle of the oyster Crassostrea gigas during prolonged hypoxia.

The response of Crassostrea gigas to prolonged hypoxia was investigated for the first time by analyzing the metabolic branch point formed by pyruvate kinase (PK) and hosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK). PK and PEPCK cDNAs were cloned and sequenced. The main functional domains of the PK sequence, such as the binding sites for ADP/ATP and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), were identified whereas the PEPCK sequence showed the specific domain to bind PEP in addition to the kinase-1 and kinase-2 motifs to bind guanosine triphosphate (GTP) and Mg(2+), specific for all PEPCKs.