Entner-Doudoroff glycolysis pathway as quadratic-cubic mixed autocatalytic network: A kinetic assay

Abstract Concentration oscillations are ubiquitous phenomenon in biochemical systems. The present paper considers the simple nonlinear chemical feedback model for standard glycolytic route with prototype autocatalytic steps Quadratic S+P ⇄ 2P Cubic S+2P ⇄ 3P We couple these steps to get the mixed quadratic –cubic model but remarkable array of complex behavior and oscillatory patterns as expected on coupling is surprisingly missing. The observation is in conformity with natural glycolytic alternatives like the Entner–Doudoroff (ED), and phosphoketolase pathways found in Archaea – Thermoproteustenax and other prokaryotes. The fundamental and the practical implications of our findings are thoroughly discussed with pilot calculations and numerical simulations supported via non-linear dynamic analysis. A basic kinetic scheme is suggested for natural glycolytic alternative, ED pathway with its comparison and contrast to other standard routes for glucose metabolism. A key outcome of the study is the phenomenon of oscillator death for the coupled network. A discussion on the thermodynamic aspect of entropy production rate for the model networks are also presented for a comparison.