Residues 1-10 of porcine fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) are poorly ordered or are in different conformations, sensitive to the state of ligation of the enzyme. Deletion of the first 10 residues of FBPase reduces k cat by 30-fold and Mg 2؉ affinity by 20-fold and eliminates cooperativity in Mg 2؉ activation. Although a fluorescent analogue of AMP binds with high affinity to the truncated enzyme, AMP itself potently inhibits only 50% of the enzyme activity. Additional inhibition occurs only when the concentration of AMP exceeds 10 mM. Deletion of the first seven residues reduces k cat and Mg 2؉ affinity significantly but has no effect on AMP inhibition. The mutation of Asp 9 to alanine reproduces the weakened affinity for Mg 2؉ observed in the deletion mutants, and the mutation of Ile 10 to aspartate reproduces the AMP inhibition of the 10-residue deletion mutant. Changes in the relative stability of the known conformational states for loop 52-72, in response to changes in the quaternary structure of FBPase, can account for the phenomena above. Some aspects of the proposed model may be relevant to all forms of FBPase, including the thioredoxinregulated FBPase from the chloroplast.Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (D-fructose 1,6-bisphosphate 1-phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.11; FBPase 1 ) catalyzes the hydrolysis of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (F16P 2 ) to fructose 6-phosphate and inorganic phosphate (P i ) (1-3). The reaction facilitated by FBPase is subject to hormone and metabolite regulation, the net result of which is the tight coordination of FBPase and fructose 6-phosphate 1-kinase activities (4). FBPase activity requires divalent cations such as Mg 2ϩ , Mn 2ϩ , or Zn 2ϩ , and plots of velocity versus metal ion concentration are sigmoidal with a Hill coefficient of 2.0 (5-7). AMP binds cooperatively (Hill coefficient of 2) 28 Å from the nearest active site (8) and inhibits the enzyme, whereas F26P 2 binds at the active site (9). Inhibition of FBPase by AMP and F26P 2 is synergistic. F26P 2 can lower the apparent inhibition constant for AMP by up to 10-fold (6).FBPase is a tetramer of identical subunits (M r ϭ 37,000). To a first approximation, these subunits lie in the same plane and occupy the corners of a square in one of the principal quaternary states of the mammalian enzyme (R-state). By past convention, subunit C1 occupies the upper left-hand corner, with subunits C2-C4 following in a clockwise direction. AMP causes a transition from the R-state to the T-state, driving a 17°r otation of the C1-C2 subunit pair with respect to the C3-C4 pair about a molecular 2-fold axis of symmetry (10). Complexes of FBPase with AMP in the presence of F16P 2 , F26P 2 , and fructose 6-phosphate are all in the T-state (9, 11, 12), whereas in the absence of AMP, the enzyme has appeared in the R-state in crystal structures (13,14).Mutations in loop 52-72 and in the hinge preceding the loop (residues 50 -51) greatly influence catalysis and AMP inhibition of FBPase and together suggest the necessity of an engaged conformation for ...