TIGAR, human recombinant

TIGAR is a p53-inducible enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of fructose-2-6 bisphosphate (F-2-6-BP) to fructose-6-phosphate and inorganic phosphate. F-2-6-BP is a powerful activator of 6-phosphofructose-1 kinase, the rate limiting enzyme of glycolysis. By lowering the intracellular level of F-2-6-BP, TIGAR expression leads to increased glucose processing via the pentose phosphate pathway, the major cellular source for NADPH. Recombinant human TIGAR expressed in E. coli is a 29.9 kDa protein containing 269 amino-acid residues.