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PubMed2003

Differential modulation of citrate synthesis and release by fatty acids in perfused working rat hearts.

The objective of this study was to test the effect of increasing fatty acid concentrations on substrate fluxes through pathways leading to citrate synthesis and release in the heart. This was accomplished using semirecirculating work-performing rat hearts perfused with substrate mixtures mimicking the in situ milieu (5.5 mM glucose, 8 nM insulin, 1 mM lactate, 0.2 mM pyruvate, and 0.4 mM oleate-albumin) and 13C methods. Raising the fatty acid concentration from 0.4 to 1 mM with long-chain oleate or medium-chain octanoate resulted in a lowering ( approximately 20%) of cardiac output and efficiency with unaltered O2 consumption. At the metabolic level, beyond the expected effects of high fatty acid levels on the contribution of pyruvate decarboxylation (reduced >3-fold) and beta-oxidation (enhanced approximately 3-fold) to citrate synthesis, there was also a 2.4-fold lowering of anaplerotic pyruvate carboxylation. Despite the dual inhibitory effect of high fatty acids on pyruvate decarboxylation and carboxylation, tissue citrate levels were twofold higher, but citrate release rates remained unchanged at 11-14 nmol/min, representing <0.5% of citric acid cycle flux. A similar trend was observed for most metabolic parameters after oleate or octanoate addition. Together, these results emphasize a differential modulation of anaplerotic pyruvate carboxylation and citrate release in the heart by fatty acids. We interpret the lack of effects of high fatty acid concentrations on citrate release rates as suggesting that, under physiological conditions, this process is maximal, probably limited by the activity of its mitochondrial or plasma membrane transporter. Limited citrate release at high fatty acid concentrations may have important consequences for the heart's fuel metabolism and function.

Aconitate Hydratase↗
PubMed1993

Disruption of the Kluyveromyces lactis GGS1 gene causes inability to grow on glucose and fructose and is suppressed by mutations that reduce sugar uptake.

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae the GGS1 gene is essential for growth on glucose or other readily fermentable sugars. GGS1 is the same gene as TPS1 which was identified as encoding a subunit of the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase/phosphatase complex and it is allelic to the fdp1, byp1, glc6 and cif1 mutations. Its precise function in the regulation of sugar catabolism is unknown. We have cloned the GGS1 homologue from the distantly related yeast Kluyveromyces lactis. The KlGGS1 gene is 74% and 79% identical at the nucleotide and amino acid sequence level, respectively, to the S. cerevisiae counterpart. We also compared the sequence with the partly homologous products of the S. cerevisiae genes TPS2 and TSL1 which code for the larger subunits of the trehalose synthase complex and with a TSL1 homologue, TPS3, of unknown function. Multiple alignment of these sequences revealed several particularly well conserved elements. Disruption of GGS1 in K. lactis caused the same pleiotropic phenotype as in S. cerevisiae, i.e. inability to grow on glucose or fructose and strongly reduced trehalose content. We have also studied short-term glucose-induced regulatory effects related to cAMP and cAMP-dependent protein kinase, i.e. the cAMP signal, trehalase activation, trehalose mobilization and inactivation of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase. These effects occur very rapidly in S. cerevisiae and are absent in the Scggs1 mutant. In K. lactis all these effects were much slower and largely unaffected by the Klggs1 mutation. On the other hand, glucose strongly induced pyruvate decarboxylase and activated the potassium transport system in K. lactis and both effects were absent in the Klggs1 mutant. Addition of glucose to galactose-grown cells of the Klggs1 mutant caused, as in S. cerevisiae, intracellular accumulation of free glucose and of sugar phosphates and a rapid drop of the ATP and inorganic phosphate levels. Glucose transport kinetics were the same for the wild type and the Klggs1 mutant in both derepressed cells and in cells incubated with glucose. We have isolated phenotypic revertants of the Klggs1 mutant for growth on fructose. The suppressors that we characterized had, to different extents, diminished glucose uptake in derepressed cells but cells incubated in glucose showed very different characteristics. The suppressor mutations prevented deregulation of glycolysis in the Klggs1 mutant but not the accumulation of free glucose. The mutants with higher residual uptake activity showed partially restored induction of pyruvate decarboxylase and activation of potassium transport.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Use of carbon sources for lipid biosynthesis in Mycobacterium leprae: a comparison with other pathogenic mycobacteria.

Carbon from glycerol and palmitate, but not significantly from five other carbon sources tested, was incorporated into lipids by suspensions of non-growing Mycobacterium leprae organisms. However, of the five other substrates three-citrate, glucose and pyruvate-were taken up. Nongrowing Mycobacterium microti and Mycobacterium avium incorporated carbon into lipids from most simple carbon sources tested unless they were obtained from growth media including palmitate or from experimentally infected animals, when incorporation of carbon into lipids from carbon sources except palmitate occurred up to 20 times more slowly. Thus, utilization of simple carbon appeared to be repressible while utilization of the one fatty acid tested, palmitate, appeared constitutive. In M. leprae, carbon from glycerol was incorporated into the glycerol moiety of acylglycerols but not into the fatty acid moieties or into free fatty acids. M. microti and M. avium incorporated carbon from simple carbon sources into fatty acids, even (though very slowly) when these organisms were obtained from host tissue. Isocitrate lyase, malate synthase and acetate kinase were detected in M. leprae. However acetyl-CoA synthetase was not detectable and phosphoacetylase was deficient; thus, M. leprae may be incapable of making acetyl-CoA from acetate. Phosphotransacetylase was readily detected in both host-grown M. avium and M. microti.

Acetate Kinase↗
PubMed1990

Anaerobic Metabolism in the N-Limited Green Alga Selenastrum minutum: II. Assimilation of Ammonium by Anaerobic Cells.

The green alga Selenastrum minutum (Naeg.) Collins is able to assimilate NH(4) (+) in the dark under anaerobic conditions (GC Vanlerberghe, AK Horsey, HG Weger, DH Turpin [1989] Plant Physiol 91: 1551-1557). In the present study, analysis of metabolites following addition of NH(4) (+) to cells acclimated to anaerobic conditions has shown the following. There was a transient decline in adenylate energy charge from 0.6 to 0.4 followed by a recovery back to ~0.6. This was accompanied by a rapid increase in pyruvate/phosphoenolpyruvate and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate/fructose-6-phosphate ratios indicating activation of pyruvate kinase and 6-phosphofructokinase, respectively. There was also an increase in fructose-2,6-bisphosphate, which, since this alga lacks pyrophosphate dependent 6-phosphofructokinase can be inferred to inhibit gluconeogenic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase. These changes resulted in an increase in the rate of anaerobic starch breakdown. Anaerobic NH(4) (+) assimilation also resulted in a two-fold increase in the rate of production of the major fermentative end-products in this alga, d-lactate and ethanol. There was no change in the rate of accumulation of the fermentative end product succinate but malate accumulated under anoxia during NH(4) (+) assimilation. A rapid increase in Gln and decline in Glu indicates that primary NH(4) (+) assimilation under anoxia was via glutamine synthetase-glutamate synthase. Almost all N assimilated under these conditions was sequestered in alanine. These results allow us to propose a model for the regulation of carbon metabolism during anaerobic NH(4) (+) assimilation.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1982

Maximum activities of some enzymes of glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and ketone-body and glutamine utilization pathways in lymphocytes of the rat.

1. The maximum activity of hexokinase in lymphocytes is similar to that of 6-phosphofructokinase, but considerably greater than that of phosphorylase, suggesting that glucose rather than glycogen is the major carbohydrate fuel for these cells. Starvation increased slightly the activities of some of the glycolytic enzymes. A local immunological challenge in vivo (a graft-versus-host reaction) increased the activities of hexokinase, 6-phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase, confirming the importance of the glycolytic pathway in cell division. 2. The activities of the ketone-body-utilizing enzymes were lower than those of hexokinase or 6-phosphofructokinase, unlike in muscle and brain, and were not affected by starvation. It is suggested that the ketone bodies will not provide a quantitatively important alternative fuel to glucose in lymphocytes. 3. Of the enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle whose activities were measured, that of oxoglutarate dehydrogenase was the lowest, yet its activity (about 4.0mumol/min per g dry wt. at 37 degrees C) was considerably greater than the flux through the cycle (0.5mumol/min per g calculated from oxygen consumption by incubated lymphocytes). The activity was decreased by starvation, but that of citrate synthase was increased by the local immunological challenge in vivo. It is suggested that the rate of the cycle would increase towards the capacity indicated by oxoglutarate dehydrogenase in proliferating lymphocytes. 4. Enzymes possibly involved in the pathway of glutamine oxidation were measured in lymphocytes, which suggests that an aminotransferase reaction(s) (probably aspartate aminotransferase) is important in the conversion of glutamate into oxoglutarate rather than glutamate dehydrogenase, and that the maximum activity of glutaminase is markedly in excess of the rate of glutamine utilization by incubated lymphocytes. The activity of glutaminase is increased by both starvation and the local immunological challenge in vivo. This last finding suggests that metabolism of glutamine via glutaminase is important in proliferating lymphocytes.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1991

5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli--the substrate analogue bromopyruvate inactivates the enzyme by modifying Cys-408 and Lys-411.

In order to identify the essential reactive amino acid residues of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase, the reaction of the enzyme with its substrate analogue bromopyruvate was investigated. Incubation of the enzyme with bromopyruvate resulted in a time-dependent loss of enzyme activity. The inactivation followed pseudo-first-order and saturation kinetics with a Kinact of 28 microM and a maximum rate constant of 0.31 min-1. The inactivation was prevented by preincubation of the enzyme with the substrates shikimate 3-phosphate, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate or by the combination of shikimate 3-phosphate plus glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine), an inhibitor of the enzyme. Addition of sodium [3H]borohydride to the reaction mixture had no effect on the rate of inactivation but resulted in the incorporation of 3H label to the modified enzyme. Upon 90% inactivation, approximately 1 mol of bromo[14C]pyruvate was incorporated per mole of enzyme modified in the absence or presence of sodium borohydride. When the enzyme was incubated with bromopyruvate in the presence of sodium [3H]borohydride, approximately 1 mol of 3H label was found to be associated per mole of the modified enzyme. Tryptic digestion of these labeled proteins followed by reverse phase chromatographic separation resulted in the isolation of three radioactive peptides. Analyses of these three peptides indicated that bromopyruvate inactivated the enzyme by modifying Cys-408 and Lys-411, which are conserved in all enzyme sequences studied to date.

3-Phosphoshikimate 1-Carboxyvinyltransferase↗
PubMed1984

Increase of the activity state and loss of total activity of the branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase in rat diaphragm during incubation.

Actual and total branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase activities were determined in homogenates of incubated diaphragms from fed and starved rats. Incubation in Krebs-Ringer buffer increased the activity state, but caused considerable loss of total activity. Palmitate oxidation rates and citrate synthase activities did not significantly change on incubation. Starved muscles showed a higher extent of activation after 15 min of incubation (not after 30 and 60 min) and a smaller loss of total activity. Experiments with the transaminase inhibitor amino-oxyacetate confirm that the contribution of endogenous amino acids to the oxidation precursor pool is also smaller in diaphragms from starved rats on incubation in vitro. These phenomena together cause the higher 14CO2 production from 14C-labelled branched-chain amino acids and 2-oxo acids in muscles from starved than from fed rats. High concentrations of branched-chain 2-oxo acids, and the presence of 2-chloro-4-methyl-pentanoate, octanoate or ketone bodies, increase the extent of activation of the dehydrogenase complex; glucose and pyruvate had no effect. The observed changes of the activity state by these metabolites are discussed in relation to their interaction with branched-chain 2-oxo acid oxidation in incubated hemidiaphragms.

3-Methyl-2-Oxobutanoate Dehydrogenase (Lipoamide)↗
PubMed1999

Glucose signaling in yeast is partially mimicked by galactose and does not require the Tps1 protein.

Glucose produces multiple effects in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as it controls the expression of many genes and the activity of various enzymes. However, the elements involved in glucose signaling are not well characterized. In this work the capacity of galactose to bring about the same effects than glucose has been assessed. Galactose mimics glucose only partially; it is suggested that it does not interact with a "sensor" in the plasma membrane and that it produces a weaker intracellular signal than glucose. To examine whether trehalose-6P synthase (Tps1) is required to transduce the glucose signal, we have constructed a tps1 hxk2/tps1 HXK2 strain which, at difference of a tps1 strain, grows on glucose, and, at difference of a tps1 hxk2 strain, still possess the Hxk2 protein, possibly involved in glucose repression. From the response of this strain to glucose, we conclude that Tps1 does not play a prominent role in glucose signaling.

Cyclic AMP↗
PubMed2000

Characterization of Streptococcus pneumoniae 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase and its activation by univalent cations.

The aroA gene (Escherichia coli nomenclature) encoding 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase from the gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae has been identified, cloned and overexpressed in E. coli, and the enzyme purified to homogeneity. It was shown to catalyze a reversible conversion of shikimate 3-phosphate (S3P) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to EPSP and inorganic phosphate. Activation by univalent cations was observed in the forward reaction, with NH+4, Rb+ and K+ exerting the greatest effects. Km(PEP) was lowered by increasing [NH+4] and [K+], whereas Km(S3P) rose with increasing [K+], but fell with increasing [NH+4]. Increasing [NH+4] and [K+] resulted in an overall increase in kcat. Glyphosate (GLP) was found to be a competitive inhibitor with PEP, but the potency of inhibition was profoundly affected by [NH+4] and [K+]. For example, increasing [NH+4] and [K+] reduced Ki(GLP versus PEP) up to 600-fold. In the reverse reaction, the enzyme catalysis was less sensitive to univalent cations. Our analysis included univalent cation concentrations comparable with those found in bacterial cells. Therefore, the observed effects of these metal ions are more likely to reflect the physiological behavior of EPSP synthase and also add to our understanding of how to inhibit this enzyme in the host organism. As there is a much evidence to suggest that EPSP synthase is essential for bacterial survival, its discovery in the serious gram-positive pathogen S. pneumoniae and its inhibition by GLP indicate its potential as a broad-spectrum antibacterial target.

3-Phosphoshikimate 1-Carboxyvinyltransferase↗
PubMed2000

The roles played by crucial free radicals like lipid free radicals, nitric oxide, and enzymes NOS and NADPH in CCl(4)-induced acute liver injury of mice.

Mice were administered a single dose of carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) to induce acute liver injury. We found that lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) levels in serum, as well as the level of thiobarbituric acid reaction substances (TBARS) in liver homogenate increased significantly in a manner both dose dependent and time dependent after CCl(4) administration. Such results suggest that the liver is susceptible to CCl(4) treatment and that lipid peroxidation is associated with CCl(4)-induced liver injury. The spin-trapping electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) method was used to detect nitric oxide (NO) level in liver. The chemiluminescence method was also employed to measure the NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(-) concentration in serum. The NO levels in liver tissues and NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(-) concentration in serum were found to decrease significantly both in a dose-dependent manner and in time course after CCl(4) treatment. The nitric oxide synthase (NOS) II activity in the liver, in contrast, was found to increase significantly. Our study suggests that not only should the expression of NOS be analyzed but NO organ and blood concentration must be measured in the study of diseases involving nitric oxide. L-arginine treatment had no significant effect on the liver function of CCl(4)-treated mice. It was found that NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 50 or 100 microg/kg) treatment resulted in decreases of LDH, GPT, and TBARS levels, leading to a protective effect on CCl(4)-treated mice. On the other hand, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 or 300 mg/kg) treatment caused more severe liver damage. Moreover, we have found in an in vitro EPR study that SNP could scavenge lipid peroxyl radical LOO&z.rad;. The above results together suggest that NO may protect CCl(4)-induced liver injury through scavenging lipid radical, inhibiting the lipid peroxidation chain reaction. On the basis of our analysis, we put forth two explanations for the stated discrepancy between NOS II and NO production: (i) NO was used up gradually in terminating lipid peroxidation and (ii) NADPH was depleted (on the basis of correlation evidence only).

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1994

Mutations in NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase of Escherichia coli affect growth on mixed amino acids.

We isolated and characterized mutants defective in nuo, encoding NADH dehydrogenase I, the multisubunit complex homologous to eucaryotic mitochondrial complex I. By Southern hybridization and/or sequence analysis, we characterized three distinct mutations: a polar insertion designated nuoG::Tn10-1, a nonpolar insertion designated nuoF::Km-1, and a large deletion designated delta(nuoFGHIJKL)-1. Cells carrying any of these three mutations exhibited identical phenotypes. Each mutant exhibited reduced NADH oxidase activity, grew poorly on minimal salts medium containing acetate as the sole carbon source, and failed to produce the inner, L-aspartate chemotactic band on tryptone swarm plates. During exponential growth in tryptone broth, nuo mutants grew as rapidly as wild-type cells and excreted similar amounts of acetate into the medium. As they began the transition to stationary phase, in contrast to wild-type cells, the mutant cells abruptly slowed their growth and continued to excrete acetate. The growth defect was entirely suppressed by L-serine or D-pyruvate, partially suppressed by alpha-ketoglutarate or acetate, and not suppressed by L-aspartate or L-glutamate. We extended these studies, analyzing the sequential consumption of amino acids by both wild-type and nuo mutant cells growing in tryptone broth. During the lag and exponential phases, both wild-type and mutant cells consumed, in order, L-serine and L-aspartate. As they began the transition to stationary phase, both cell types consumed L-tryptophan. Whereas wild-type cells then consumed L-glutamate, glycine, L-threonine, and L-alanine, mutant cells utilized these amino acids poorly. We propose that cells defective for NADH dehydrogenase I exhibit all these phenotypes, because large NADH/NAD+ ratios inhibit certain tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes, e.g., citrate synthase and malate dehydrogenase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Escherichia coli nucleoside diphosphate kinase interactions with T4 phage proteins of deoxyribonucleotide synthesis and possible regulatory functions.

In both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, nucleoside diphosphate kinase is a multifunctional protein, with well defined functions in ribo- and deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate biosynthesis and more recently described functions in genetic and metabolic regulation, signal transduction, and DNA repair. This paper concerns two unusual properties of nucleoside diphosphate (NDP) kinase from Escherichia coli: 1) its ability to interact specifically with enzymes encoded by the virulent bacteriophage T4 and 2) its roles in regulating metabolism of the host cell. By means of optical biosensor analysis, fluorescence spectroscopy, immunoprecipitation, and glutathione S-transferase pull-down assays, we have shown that E. coli NDP kinase interacts directly with T4 thymidylate synthase, aerobic ribonucleotide reductase, dCTPase-dUTPase, gene 32 single-strand DNA-binding protein, and deoxycytidylate hydroxymethylase. The interactions with ribonucleotide reductase and with gp32 are enhanced by nucleoside triphosphates, suggesting that the integrity of the T4 dNTP synthetase complex in vivo is influenced by the composition of the nucleotide pool. The other investigations in this work stem from the unexpected finding that E. coli NDP kinase is dispensable for successful T4 phage infection, and they deal with two observations suggesting that the NDP kinase protein plays a genetic role in regulating metabolism of the host cell: 1) the elevation of CTP synthetase activity in an ndk mutant, in which the structural gene for NDP kinase is disrupted, and 2) the apparent ability of NDP kinase to suppress anaerobic growth in a pyruvate kinase-negative E. coli mutant. Our data indicate that the regulatory roles are metabolic, not genetic, in nature.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1975

Effect of a leu-linked mutation on the valine sensitivity of acetohydroxy acid synthase activity in Escherichia coli.

A spontaneous leu-linked mutation (ilvH2015) in Escherichia coli K-12 made the strain resistant to 1 mM valine and l mM glycylvaline (Val-r) and caused the isoleucine and valine biosynthetic enzyme, acetohydroxy acid synthase, to be less sensitive to feedback inhibition by valine than the wild-type enzyme. Transfer of the ilvDAC deletion into a strain carrying ilvH2015 abolished the effect of the marker on the acetohydroxy acid synthase and rendered it as sensitive to valine as the enzyme in the isogenic control strain without the Val-r marker under both repressing and limiting conditions. In contrast, auxotrophy caused by transfer of an ilvC lesion into the Val-r strain did not interfere with the effect of ilvH2015 on valine sensitivity of acetohydroxy acid synthase. In addition, the presence of the Val-r marker produced minor but significant pleiotropic effects on several other isoleucine and valine biosynthetic enzymes but did not cause derepression of the ilv gene cluster. These studies suggest some type of interaction between a product produced by a gene close to leu and the isoleucine and valine biosynthetic enzymes.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed2006

Dihydrolipoamide acyltransferase is critical for Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has evolved to persist in host macrophages, where it faces a nutrient-poor environment and is exposed to oxidative and nitrosative stress. To defend itself against oxidative/nitrosative stress, M. tuberculosis expresses an NADH-dependent peroxidase and peroxynitrite reductase that is encoded by ahpC, ahpD, lpd, and dlaT. In addition to its central role in the peroxynitrite reductase complex, dlaT (Rv2215) also encodes the E2 component of pyruvate dehydrogenase. Here we demonstrate that inactivation of dlaT in the chromosome of H37Rv resulted in a mutant (H37RvDeltadlaT) that displayed phenotypes associated with DlaT's role in metabolism and in defense against nitrosative stress. The H37RvDeltadlaT strain showed retarded growth in vitro and was highly susceptible to killing by acidified sodium nitrite. Mouse macrophages readily killed intracellular H37RvDeltadlaT organisms, and in mice dlaT was required for full virulence.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Alternativity of methane assimilation pathways in obligate methylotrophs].

The activity of key enzymes involved in the primary pathways of methane assimilation and enzymes of the citrate cycle was determined in various obligate methylotrophs: mesophilic, thermotolerant, and thermophilic. The bacteria are characterized by the membrane ultrastructure of the I type, high activity of hexosephosphate synthase, NAD- and NADP-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase, and the absence of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. The bacteria also displayed the activity of key enzymes of the serine cycle, hydroxypyruvate reductase, and serineglyoxylate aminotransferase. Therefore, both the ribulose monophosphate and serine pathways are involved in methane assimilation, and the division of methanotrophs into two groups, according to their metabolism, is tentative.

Aldehyde-Lyases↗
PubMed1998

Changes in carbohydrate metabolism of testicular germ cells during meiosis in the rat.

A study was undertaken to estimate the activities of the key enzymes of glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in purified rat spermatocytes and spermatids, which have been shown to die in glucose-containing medium and require lactate/pyruvate for maintaining normal ATP concentrations. The aim was to elucidate the changes in the glycolytic and oxidative potential of germ cells undergoing meiosis. Pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids from adult rat testis were purified to approximately 90% purity by trypsin digestion followed by a combination of centrifugal elutriation and Percoll density gradient centrifugation. After the purity and viability of these cells had been established, their contents of hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and LDH-X of glycolysis, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase of the pentose phosphate pathway and citrate synthase, aconitase, malate dehydrogenase and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase of the TCA cycle were estimated. These enzymes were also estimated in epididymal spermatozoa for comparison with the testicular germ cells. The results indicate greater activity of glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway enzymes in spermatocytes than in spermatids, which exhibited greater activity of TCA cycle enzymes than the former. The difference in activity was statistically significant for most of the enzymes studied. In contrast, spermatozoa exhibited markedly greater activity of glycolytic enzymes and significantly lower activity of pentose phosphate pathway and TCA cycle enzymes than did the testicular germ cells. We conclude that the unusual dependence of spermatids exclusively on lactate may be due to their lower glycolytic potential, whereas spermatocytes with comparatively greater glycolytic activity have an intermediate dependence on lactate and are therefore able to utilise lactate, pyruvate, or both, while retaining a better ability to utilise glucose. Spermatozoa with the greatest glycolytic potential and the lowest TCA cycle activity appear to be 'programmed' to utilise exclusively glucose/fructose for energy.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Different distribution of dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase, dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase and ATP synthase beta-subunit in monkey brain.

The distribution of three mitochondrial enzymes: dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase, dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase, and beta-subunit of ATP synthase, were examined in the nucleus basalis of Meynert, substantia nigra, locus coeruleus, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex of monkey brain by immunocytochemical staining. Dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase and dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase had parallel distribution in the substantia nigra, but dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase was rich in the locus coeruleus, nucleus basalis of Meynert, and especially in the hippocampus in comparison with dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase. The ATP synthase beta-subunit was strikingly rich in many neurons of the locus coeruleus and cerebral cortex in comparison with dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase and dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase. These results show that these mitochondrial enzymes are not expressed synchronously in the neurons of brain, suggesting the differential regulation of mitochondrial enzymes and the heterogeneity of mitochondria.

Acetyltransferases↗
PubMed1978

Distribution of metabolites between the cytosolic and mitochondrial compartments of hepatocytes isolated from fed rats.

In isolated hepatocytes from normal fed rats, the subcellular distribution of malate, citrate, 2-oxoglutarate, glutamate, aspartate, oxaloacetate, acetyl-CoA and CoASH has been determined by a modified digitonin method. Incubation with various substrates (lactate, pyruvate, alanine, oleate, oleate plus lactate, ethanol and aspartate) markedly changed the total cellular amounts of metabolites, but their distribution between the cytosolic and mitochondrial compartments was kept fairly constant. In the presence of lactate, pyruvate or alanine, about 90% of cellular aspartate, malate and oxaloacetate, and 50% of citrate was located in the cytosol. The changes in acetyl-CoA in the cytosol were opposite to those in the mitochondrial space, the sum of both remaining nearly constant. The mitochondrial acetyl-CoA/CoASH ratio ranged from 0.3-0.9 and was positively correlated with the rate of ketone body formation. The mitochondrial/cytosolic (m/c) concentration gradients for malate, citrate, 2-oxoglutarate, glutamate, aspartate, oxaloacetate, acetyl-CoA and CoASH averaged from hepatocytes under different substrate conditions were determined to be 1.0, 8.8, 1.6, 2.2, 0.5, 0.7, 13 and 40, respectively. From the distribution of citrate, a pH difference of 0.3 across the inner mitochondrial membrane was calculated, yet lower values resulted from the m/c gradients of 2-oxoglutarate, glutamate and malate. The mass action ratios for citrate synthase and mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase have been calculated from the metabolite concentrations measured in the mitochondrial pellet fraction. A comparison with the respective equilibrium constants indicates that in intact hepatocytes, neither enzyme maintains its reactants at equilibrium. On the assumption that mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase and 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase operate near equilibrium, the concentration of free oxaloacetate appears to be 0.3-2 micron, depending on the substrate used. Plotting the calculated free mitochondrial oxaloacetate concentration against the citrate concentration measured in the mitochondrial pellet yielded a hyperbolic saturation curve, from which an apparent Km of citrate synthase for oxaloacetate in the intact cells of 2 micron can be derived, which is comparable to the value determined with purified rat liver citrate synthase. The results are discussed with respect to the supply of substrates and effectors of anion carriers and of key enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and fatty acid biosynthesis.

Acetyl Coenzyme A↗