Members of the PGAM (phosphoglycerate mutase) family of proteins are important components of glucose and 2,3-BPGA (2,3-bisphosphoglycerate) metabolism. They are responsible for catalyzing the transfer of phospho groups between the carbon atoms of phosphoglycerates. In mammals there are two types of PGAM isozymes: PGAM1 (also known as PGAMB) and PGAM2 (also known as PGAMA). In the cell, PGAM1 and PGAM2 exist as either homodimers or heterodimers and are responsible for the interconversion of 3-phosphoglycerate and 2-phosphoglycerate. PGAM2 homodimers are expressed in skeletal muscle, mature sperm cells and heart; PGAM1 homodimers are found in most other tissues; and PGAM1/PGAM2 heterodimers are found exclusively in the heart. PGAM4, also known as PGAM3, is a protein formerly considered to be specific to humans. Initially the PGAM4 gene was described as a pseudogene but it is now known to encode a functional protein at least 25 million years old. The gene encoding PGAM4 is believed to have originated by retrotransposition, with the original copy being the PGAM1 gene.
