Highly Damped Oscillations in a Peroxidase-like Enzyme Reaction

Abstract

RHYTHMIC biological processes are known to occur in most living organisms¹. Even though these rhythms have been extensively investigated, little is known about their enzymatic or physical basis. Damped oscillations of glycolytic intermediates have been reported to occur in anaerobic yeast^2–5. These findings heightened interest in oscillatory phenomena because the basis for these oscillations is more readily examined in this system. Indeed, simulation studies by Higgins⁶ indicated that an activation of phosphofructokinase by fructose-1,6-diphosphate could produce oscillations similar to those experimentally observed. Another oscillatory system based on an inactive enzyme has been described by Spangler and Snell⁷.