General Description
Hexokinases, which catalyze the ATP-dependent phosphorylation of aldo- and keto-hexoses to hexose-6-phosphate, catalyze the first step in a number of important biochemical pathways. In mammalian tissues, glucose is the predominant substrate for the hexokinases. There are four isozymes of hexokinase in mammalian tissue, (HK-I, -II, -III, and -IV), which differ in their kinetic and regulatory properties as well as tissue distribution and cofactor use. The hexokinases catalyze the first step in most of the relevant glucose metabolism pathways. Alterations in hexokinase activity are associated with multiple disorders such as X-linked muscular dystrophy, hemolytic anermias, and cancer.
