Hexokinase and D-glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) from Schizosaccharomyces pmbe have been purified 250-fold by an identical three-step. Both enzymes are dimeric with a molecular mass of 88 kDa for the kinase and 112 kDa for the dehydrogenase. Steady-state kinetic studies were performed on hexokinase and G6PDH, which form the glucose phosphate branch of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway of S. pombe (fission yeast). Hexokinase promotes Mg(2+)-activated phosphorylation of D-glucose by the equilibrium random Bi Bi mechanism with formation of the abortive enzyme-ADP-glucose complex. ADP inhibits the kinase competitively versus ATP and noncompetitively versus D-glucose. The Mg2+ activation of hexokinase is associated with an increase in the maximal velocity by its interaction with the ternary complex to facilitate the transfer of the phosphoryl group. G6PDH catalyzes NADP(+)-linked oxidation of D-glucose-6-phosphate by the ordered Bi Bi mechanism with NADP+ as the leading reactant. High NADP+ concentration inhibits the dehydrogenase by forming the dead-end ternary complex. In addition, G6PDH is also subjected to product inhibition by NADPH and noncompetitive inhibition by A(G)TP. Thus, the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in S. pombe may be regulated via inhibition of hexokinase by ADP in conjunction with inhibition of G6PDH by NADPH and ATP.