Showing papers on "Glycolysis published in 1989"

Overproduction of glycolytic enzymes in yeast.

Abstract: Eight different enzymes for glycolysis and alcoholic fermentation were overproduced in a common Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain by placing their genes on multicopy vectors. The specific enzyme activities were increased between 3.7- and 13.9-fold above the wild-type level. The overproduction of the different glycolytic enzymes had no effect on the rate of ethanol formation, even with those enzymes that catalyse irreversible steps: hexokinase, phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase. Also the simultaneous increase in the activities of pairs of enzymes such as pyruvate kinase and phosphofructokinase or pyruvate decarboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase, did not increase the rate of ethanol production. The levels of key glycolytic metabolites were also normal, compared to the reference strain.

Phosphate Starvation Inducible ;Bypasses' of Adenylate and Phosphate Dependent Glycolytic Enzymes in Brassica nigra Suspension Cells.

Abstract: When Brassica nigra leaf petiole suspension cells were subjected to 7 days of inorganic phosphate (Pi) starvation the extractable activity of: (a) pyrophosphate:fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase, nonphosphorylating NADP-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphoenolpyruvate phosphatase, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase increased at least fivefold, (b) phosphorylating NAD-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase decreased about sixfold, and (c) ATP:fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase, 3-phosphoglycerate kinase, pyruvate kinase, or NAD malic enzyme was not altered. Pi deprivation also resulted in significant reductions in extractable levels of Pi, ATP, ADP, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, and soluble protein, but caused a sixfold elevation in free amino acid concentrations. No change in inorganic pyrophosphate concentration was observed following Pi starvation. It is hypothesized that pyrophosphate:fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase, nonphosphorylating NADP-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and phosphoenolpyruvate phosphatase bypass nucleotide phosphate or Pi-dependent glycolytic reactions during sustained periods of Pi depletion.

Cardiac ATP-sensitive K+ channels. Evidence for preferential regulation by glycolysis.

Abstract: The ability of glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, the creatine kinase system, and exogenous ATP to suppress ATP-sensitive K+ channels and prevent cell shortening were compared in patch-clamped single guinea pig ventricular myocytes. In cell-attached patches on myocytes permeabilized at one end with saponin, ATP-sensitive K+ channels were activated by removing ATP from the bath, and could be closed equally well by exogenous ATP or substrates for endogenous ATP production by glycolysis (with the mitochondrial inhibitor FCCP present), mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, or the creatine kinase system. In the presence of an exogenous ATP-consuming system, however, glycolytic substrates (with FCCP present) were superior to substrates for either oxidative phosphorylation or the creatine kinase system at suppressing ATP-sensitive K+ channels. All three groups of substrates were equally effective at preventing cell shortening. In 6 of 38 excised inside-out membrane patches, ATP-sensitive K+ channels activated by removing ATP from the bath were suppressed by a complete set of substrates for the ATP-producing steps of glycolysis but not by individual glycolytic substrates, which is consistent with the presence of key glycolytic enzymes located near the channels in these patches. Under whole-cell voltage-clamp conditions, inclusion of 15 mM ATP in the patch electrode solution dialyzing the interior of the cell did not prevent activation of the ATP-sensitive K+ current under control conditions or during exposure to complete metabolic inhibition. In isolated arterially perfused rabbit interventricular septa, selective inhibition of glycolysis caused an immediate increase in 42K+ efflux rate, which was prevented by 100 microM glyburide, a known blocker of ATP-sensitive K+ channels. These observations suggest that key glycolytic enzymes are associated with cardiac. ATP-sensitive K+ channels and under conditions in which intracellular competition for ATP is high (e.g., in beating heart) that act as a preferential source of ATP for these channels.

The transient responses of hybridoma cells to nutrient additions in continuous culture: II. Glutamine pulse and step changes.

Abstract: Glucose and glutamine are the main nutrients used by mammalian cells in culture. Each provides unique biosynthetic precursors but are complementary for production of other metabolites and energy. The transient and steady-state responses of hybridoma growth and metabolism to glucose pulse and step changes have been examined. Metabolic quotients are reported for oxygen, glucose, lactate, ammonia, glutamine, alanine, and other amino acids. The glucose consumption rate increased by 100-200% immediately after glucose was added to the reactor, and the increased glycolytic ATP production appears to be responsible for the concurrent rapid decrease in the oxygen consumption rate. The effects on glutamine consumption were delayed, probably due to buffering by the TCA cycle and interrelated pathways. A period of increased biosynthetic activity, as evidenced by an increase in the estimated specific ATP production rate and lower by-product yields from glutamine, preceded the increase in cell concentration after the glucose step change. The biosynthetic yield of cells from ATP was calculated, and it was estimated that maintenance accounted for about 60% of the energy used by the cells at a specific growth rate of 0.66 day(-1). The estimated 22% ATP production due to glycoysis was twice as great as that before the step change.

Regulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis by catecholamines in rainbow trout during environmental hypoxia

Abstract: This study tests the hypothesis that catecholamines regulate glucose availability during hypoxia in the rainbow trout by activating glycogen phosphorylase (GPase) while inhibiting pyruvate kinase (PK) in the liver. The net result would be an increase in liver glycogenolysis and a reduction of glycolysis and/or enhancement of gluconeogenesis. We used the criteria of Stalmans & Hers (1975) and report much lower resting percent GPase a (active) values (20–30%) than those previously published. Dorsal aortic injections of epinephrine or norepinephrine increased plasma glucose (16–46%), had no effect on liver or muscle glycogen levels, decreased the activity of PK, and increased total and percent GPase a activities. Pre-treatment with the beta-adrenoreceptor antagonist propranolol eliminated these effects. During moderate hypoxia, plasma glucose remained unchanged, while lactate levels increased fourfold. When fish were pre-treated with propranolol, hypoxia depressed plasma glucose levels (−26%), total and percent GPase a, and increased PK activity, suggesting that hypoxia mediated the dephosphorylation of these enzymes. We conclude that catecholamines stimulate hepatic beta-adrenoreceptors during hypoxia and sustain plasma glucose levels by nullifying the deleterious effects of hypoxia on metabolic function. The specific metabolic consequences of these catecholamine-mediated effects are an increase in the activity of the active form of GPase and a reduction in PK activity, which suggests an activation of glycogenolysis and an inhibition of glycolysis and/or activation of gluconeogenesis, respectively.

Intermediary metabolism in the dauer larva of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans— 1. Glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation and the tricarboxylic acid cycle

Abstract: 1. 1. The enzymes involved in glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle were investigated in the dauer larva of C. elegans and their activities compared with those obtained for the corresponding enzymes in adult C. elegans . 2. 2. The dauer larva possesed a considerable capacity to metabolise glycogen, as evident from the high phosphofructokinase activity relative to adult. 3. 3. Re-synthesis of glycogen was suppressed in the dauer and this was indicated by the relatively low activity of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase. 4. 4. Relatively high levels of phosphoenolpyruvate-carboxykinase fixation of CO 2 to form oxaloacetate were observed in dauer larvae. 5. 5. The maximal rate of flux of metabolites through the TCA was reduced 11.6 fold in dauer larvae relative to adults. 6. 6. A three fold reduction in the oxidative capacity of dauer larvae mitochondria relative to that of adults was also observed. 7. 7. These metabolic changes form part of the adaptive response which enables dauer larvae to survive for several months without feeding .

Preferential support of Ca2+ uptake in smooth muscle plasma membrane vesicles by an endogenous glycolytic cascade.

Abstract: Studies of intact smooth muscle have suggested that its anomalous aerobic lactate production may reflect an intracellular compartmentation of glycolytic enzyme cascades designed to support specific exergonic processes. In particular, we have postulated a membrane-associated glycolytic cascade that preferentially supports the ATP requirements of membrane functions. We tested this hypothesis by using a smooth muscle plasma membrane fraction (PMV) purified for calcium pump activity. We show that glycolytic enzymes are endogenous in PMV and can produce NADH, ATP, and lactate from fructose 1,6-diphosphate in the presence of glycolytic cofactors. This glycolytic cascade can fuel the calcium pump despite the presence of an ATP trap that eliminated calcium uptake fueled by exogenously added ATP. This plasma membrane glycolytic cascade is coupled to calcium pump function in a tissue with both oxidative and glycolytic metabolism. Thus coupling of metabolic cascades with the specific processes they subserve may be a...

The effects of injury and sepsis on fuel utilization

Abstract: The metabolic response to injury may be presumed to be adaptive, at least in terms of days to weeks. In the wild state where these patterns developed, the wounded organism has poor access to food and must live off its own stores of nutrients, mainly fat, and tissue proteins, mainly from muscle. In fasting, without injury, the organism conserves protein. In this condition there are reductions in blood glucose and insulin levels and increases in glucagon and fatty acid levels. Insulin-dependent tissues stop using glucose; the liver converts fatty acids to ketone bodies, which increase about 100-fold in the fasting human; and the brain substitutes ketone bodies for more than one half of what would otherwise be an obligatory consumption of 100 to 150 g glucose per day in humans. This substitution spares the amount of muscle protein required for gluconeogenesis in liver and kidney, and net N losses can be reduced to less than 6 g per day. Energy expenditure decreases up to 30%. The fasted, injured subject has additional nutritional requirements. Regeneration of the wound and rapidly proliferating white and red blood cells require a source of amino acids and other nutrients. Synthesis of acute-phase proteins required for host defense also needs amino acids. In addition, the wound, regenerating tissue, and white blood cells require large amounts of glucose for glycolysis. That the wound is poorly vascularized may be the major reason for hyperglycemia, which provides a glucose gradient between plasma and tissue high enough for extraction of sufficient glucose. The wound does not increase net consumption of glucose; rather, lactate returns to the liver to be converted again to glucose. Hyperglycemia due to the wound increases the requirements for gluconeogenesis from muscle protein, however. The high concentrations of counterregulatory hormones, cortisol, epinephrine, and glucagon will minimize glucose utilization by insulin-sensitive tissues, despite high concentrations of both glucose and insulin, but these hormones are not able to prevent suppression of ketone body synthesis in the liver. As a result, the brain continues to derive almost all its energy from oxidation of glucose. Synthesis of this glucose in liver is the biggest consumer of amino acids made available by net degradation of muscle protein. The metabolic response to injury, initiated by afferent nerve impulses and cytokines and mediated by increases in counterregulatory hormones and sympathetic activity, is a well-coordinated, well-regulated process controlled largely by the hypothalamus. Increased consumption of nutrients occurs simultaneously with but is not caused by increase in production.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The mechanism of chondrocyte hydrogen peroxide damage. Depletion of intracellular ATP due to suppression of glycolysis caused by oxidation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

Abstract: Exposure of articular cartilage to H2O2 in vitro inhibits proteoglycan synthesis in a fashion which parallels the inhibition which occurs in cartilage in animal models of acute inflammation. Our study shows that exposure to H2O2 also inhibits other chondrocyte functions, including total protein and DNA synthesis. Since these intracellular biosynthetic processes require adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the effect of exposure of H2O2 on chondrocyte ATP was measured. Exposure to H2O2 caused an immediate (less than 2 min) dose dependent decrease in cartilage ATP levels--found to be due to the oxidative inactivation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-3-PDH). We suggest that intrachondrocyte oxidant damage occurs through oxidation of the sensitive thiol (-SH) residue at the active center of G-3-PDH, with subsequent reduction in the rate of glycolytic ATP synthesis and the intracellular concentration of ATP which is required for DNA, protein, proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid synthesis.

Sucrose Metabolism in Lima Bean Seeds

Abstract: Developing and germinating lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus var Cangreen) seeds were used for testing the sucrose synthase pathway, to examine the competition for uridine diphosphate (UDP) and pyrophosphate (PPi), and to identify adaptive and maintenance-type enzymes in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. In developing seeds, sucrose breakdown was dominated by the sucrose synthase pathway; but in the seedling embryos, both the sucrose synthase pathway and acid invertase were active. UDPase activity was low and seemingly insufficient to compete for UDP during sucrose metabolism in seed development or germination. In contrast, both an acid and alkaline pyrophosphatase were active in seed development and germination. The set of adaptive enzymes identified in developing seeds were sucrose synthase, PPi-dependent phosphofructokinase, plus acid and alkaline pyrophosphatase; and, the adaptive enzymes identified in germinating seeds included the same set of enzymes plus acid invertase. The set of maintenance enzymes identified during development, in the dry seed, and during germination were UDP-glucopyrophosphorylase, neutral invertase, ATP and UTP-dependent fructokinase, glucokinase, phosphoglucomutase, ATP and UTP-dependent phosphofructokinase and sucrose-P synthase.

Metabolic control of glucose degradation in yeast and tumor cells.

Abstract: Regulation of glucose degradation in both yeasts and tumor cells is very similar in many respects In both cases it leads to excretion of intermediary metabolites (eg, ethanol, lactate) in those cell types where uptake of glucose is unrestricted (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Bowes melanoma cells) The similarities between glucose metabolism observed in yeast and tumor cells is explained by the fact that cell transformation of animal cells leads to inadequate expression of (proto-)oncogenes, which force the cell to enter the cell cycle These events are accompanied by alterations at the signal transduction level, a marked increase of glucose transporter synthesis, enhancement of glycolytic key enzyme activities, and slightly reduced respiration of the tumor cell In relation to homologous glucose degradation found in yeast and tumor cells there exist strong similarities on the level of cell division cycle genes, signal transduction and regulation of glycolytic key enzymes It has been demonstrated that ethanol and lactate excretion in yeast and tumor cells, respectively, result from an overflow reaction at the point of pyruvate that is due to a carbon flux exceeding the capacity of oxidative breakdown Therefore, the respiratory capacity of a cell determines the amount of glycolytic breakdown products if ample glucose is available This restricted flux is also referred to as the respiratory bottleneck The expression "catabolite repression", which is often used in textbooks to explain ethanol and acid excretion, should be abandoned, unless specific mechanisms can be demonstrated Furthermore, it was shown that maximum respiration and growth rates are only obtained under optimum culture conditions, where the carbon source is limiting

Enhanced glucose transport in response to inhibition of respiration in Clone 9 cells.

Abstract: An acceleration of ATP synthesis by anaerobic glycolysis provides important compensation for interference with respiration in a variety of cells. Effective compensation for an inhibition of respiration, however, can occur in cells in which glucose entry is rate limiting only if sufficient glucose becomes available through an enhancement of transport. We present here a detailed study of the effects of inhibition of respiration in Clone 9 cells, a continuous cell line characterized by low internal glucose concentrations (less than 10% that of the external medium) and minimal stores of glycogen. Exposure of these cells to 5 mM cyanide results in a 90% fall in cell ATP and a twofold rise in cell Na+ within 20 min. By the end of 1 h, however, there is a 4.5- to 7-fold increase in cytochalasin B-inhibitable glucose transport that is accompanied by a parallel increase in the rate of lactate production, a partial recovery of cell ATP, and no further rise in cell Na+. The acute fall in ATP resulting from a submaximally effective concentration of cyanide (0.5 mM) is moreover followed by a time-dependent recovery of cell ATP to near-normal levels and subsequent resistance to challenge with even 5 mM cyanide. The stimulation of facilitative glucose transport resulting from exposure to cyanide is attributable to an increase in maximal velocity rather than to a change in Km and persists for more than 2 h after removal of the inhibitor. These results demonstrate that, in these cells characterized by low internal glucose concentrations, regulation of glucose entry is of central importance in ATP homeostasis and that a major component of the adaptive response to an inhibition of respiration is a time-dependent increase in glucose transport.

Hypoxic liver cell death: critical Po2 and dependence of viability on glycolysis.

Abstract: Viability of isolated hepatocytes was not significantly dependent on oxygen at oxygen partial pressures (Po2) from 70 to 0.3 mmHg. The critical Po2 for induction of hypoxic cell death was close to 0.1 mmHg and was distinct from the value at which mitochondrial function becomes impaired (2-5 mmHg). Hypoxic damage in hepatocytes from fasted rats occurred within 1 h but was delayed by the addition of fructose, which increased rates of lactate formation from about 1 to 12 nmol.10(6) cells-1.min-1. Hepatocytes from fed rats maintained viability for almost 180 min of anaerobic incubation and then rapidly became damaged. Addition of fructose prevented hypoxic cell damage also in these hepatocytes. Rates of lactate formation were 11-15 nmol.10(6) cells-1.min-1 and were increased two- to threefold by fructose. The rapid initial degradation of glycogen and the release of glucose were delayed with fructose, which also could have contributed to sustained glycolytic rates. Further, under conditions in which lactate production was high, e.g., in the fed state, there was also a significantly better preservation of cellular ATP levels.

Inhibition of the glycolytic pathway by methylglyoxal in human platelets.

Abstract: The incubation of human platelets with methylglyoxal and glucose produces a rapid transformation of the ketoaldehyde to D-lactate by the glyoxalase system and a partial reduction in GSH. Glucose utilization is affected at the level of the glycolytic pathway. No effect of the ketoaldehyde on glycogenolysis and glucose oxidation through the hexose monophosphate shunt was demonstrated. Phosphofructokinase, fructose 1,6 diphosphate (F1, 6DP) aldolase, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and 3-phosphoglycerate mutase were mostly inhibited by methylglyoxal. A decrease in lactate and pyruvate formation and an accumulation of some glycolytic intermediates (fructose 1,6 diphosphate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, 3-phosphoglycerate) was observed. Moreover methylglyoxal induced a fall in the metabolic ATP concentration. Since methylglyoxal is an intermediate of the glycolytic bypass system from dihydroxyacetone phosphate to D-lactate, it may be assumed that ketoaldehyde exerts a regulating effect on triose metabolism.

The metabolic consequences of hydroperoxide perfusion on the isolated rat heart.

Abstract: Perfusion of rat hearts with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer containing low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide or t-butylhydroperoxide (50-500 microM) caused an imbalance in the relative synthesis versus utilization rates of ATP, leading to a net hydrolysis of ATP and phosphocreatine. Hydrogen peroxide also caused an 80% inactivation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, resulting in an inhibition of glycolysis and a rapid accumulation of sugar phosphates as detected with 31P-NMR spectroscopy. This inhibition was partially reversible with peroxide-free perfusion, resulting in a cessation of high-energy-phosphate hydrolysis and a decrease in the accumulated inorganic phosphate and sugar phosphate. t-Butylhydroperoxide toxicity was irreversible. Providing an alternative, non-glycolytic substrate (butyrate) did not protect against the toxicity of hydrogen peroxide, but altered the relative importance of sugar phosphate formation versus ATP hydrolysis. Experiments with heart homogenates in vitro suggest that the inhibition of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is a consequence of a direct reaction of the enzyme with hydrogen peroxide or one of its metabolites. Hearts subjected to total global ischemia (10-20 min), followed by reperfusion with oxygenated buffer, showed no detectable inactivation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, indicating that ischemia and reperfusion do not result in the production of high global concentrations of hydrogen peroxide.

Carbohydrate metabolism by primary cultures of rabbit proximal tubules.

Abstract: Renal proximal tubular epithelia were used to assess the factors responsible for the induction of glycolysis in cultured cells. Primary cultures of rabbit proximal tubules, which achieved confluency at 6 days, exhibited hormonal responsiveness and brush-border characteristics typical of proximal tubular cells. Beginning at day 4, these cultured cells exhibited increased glycolytic metabolism reflected by enhanced glucose uptake and lactate production, along with parallel increases in activity of the glycolytic enzymes, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. The gluconeogenic enzymes, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FDP), were downregulated, and the cultured cells exhibited lower oxygen consumption rates than fresh tubules. Cells grown on a rocker, to mitigate hypoxia, exhibited a metabolic and enzymatic profile similar to cells grown under still conditions. ATP levels in cultured cells were higher than in fresh tubules. Furthermore, pyruvate kinase activity was higher in cells grown in media containing 0.5 as contrasted with 25 mM glucose. The enhanced glycolytic metabolism exhibited by cultured proximal tubular cells appears to be a characteristic of proliferation and is not a response to hypoxia, the Pasteur effect, or environmental glucose.

Evidence for Preferential Regulation by Glycolysis

Abstract: The ability of glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, the creatine kinase system, and exogenous ATP to suppress ATP-sensitive K § channels and pre- vent cell shortening were compared in patch-clamped single guinea pig ventricular myocytes. In cell-attached patches on myocytes permeabilized at one end with saponin, ATP-sensitive K § channels were activated by removing ATP from the bath, and could be closed equally well by exogenous ATP or substrates for endog- enous ATP production by glycolysis (with the mitochondrial inhibitor FCCP pres- ent), mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, or the creatine kinase system. In the presence of an exogenous ATP-consuming system, however, glycolytic sub- strates (with FCCP present) were superior to substrates for either oxidative phos- phorylation or the creatine kinase system at suppressing ATP-sensitive K + chan- nels. All three groups of substrates were equally effective at preventing cell short- ening. In 6 of 38 excised inside-out membrane patches, ATP-sensitive K + channels activated by removing ATP from the bath were suppressed by a complete set of substrates for the ATP-producing steps of glycolysis but not by individual glyco- lytic substrates, which is consistent with the presence of key glycolytic enzymes located near the channels in these patches. Under whole-cell voltage-clamp condi- tions, inclusion of 15 mM ATP in the patch electrode solution dialyzing the inte- rior of the cell did not prevent activation of the ATP-sensitive K § current under control conditions or during exposure to complete metabolic inhibition. In iso- lated arterially perfused rabbit interventricular septa, selective inhibition of glyco- lysis caused an immediate increase in 42K+ efflux rate, which was prevented by 100 ~M glyburide, a known blocker of ATP-sensitive K § channels. These observations suggest that key glycolytic enzymes are associated with cardiac ATP-sensitive K + channels and under conditions in which intracellular competition for ATP is high (e.g., in beating heart) that act as a preferential source of ATP for these chan-

Quantitative analysis of intermediary metabolism in rat hepatocytes incubated in the presence and absence of ethanol with a substrate mixture including ketoleucine.

Abstract: Hepatocytes isolated from livers of fed rats were incubated with a mixture of glucose (10 mM), ribose (1.0 mM), acetate (1.25 mM), alanine (3.5 mM), glutamate (2.0 mM), aspartate (2.0 mM), 4-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid (ketoleucine) (3.0 mM), and, in paired flasks, 10 mM-ethanol. One substrate was 14C-radiolabelled in any given incubation. Incorporation of 14C into glucose, glycogen, CO2, lactate, alanine, aspartate, glutamate, acetate, urea, lipid glycerol, fatty acids and the 1- and 2,3,4-positions of ketone bodies was measured after 20 and 40 min of incubation under quasi-steady-state conditions. Data were analysed with the aid of a realistic structural metabolic model. In each of the four conditions examined, there were approx. 77 label incorporation measurements and several measurements of changes in metabolite concentrations. The considerable excess of measurements over the 37 independent flux parameters allowed for a stringent test of the model. A satisfactory fit to these data was obtained for each condition. There were large bidirectional fluxes along the gluconeogenic/glycolytic pathways, with net gluconeogenesis. Rates of ureagenesis, oxygen consumption and ketogenesis were high under all four conditions studied. Oxygen utilization was accurately predicted by three of the four models. There was complete equilibration between mitochondrial and cytosolic pools of acetate and of CO2, but for several of the metabolic conditions, two incompletely equilibrated pools of mitochondrial acetyl-CoA and oxaloacetate were required. Ketoleucine was utilized at a rate comparable to that reported by others in perfused liver and entered the mitochondrial pool of acetyl-CoA directly associated with ketone body formation. Ethanol, which was metabolized at rates comparable to those in vivo, caused relatively few changes in overall flux patterns. Several effects related to the increased NADH/NAD+ ratio were observed. Pyruvate dehydrogenase was completely inhibited and the ratio of acetoacetate to 3-hydroxybutyrate was decreased; flux through glutamate dehydrogenase, the citric acid cycle, and ketoleucine dehydrogenase were, however, only slightly inhibited. Net production of ATP occurred in all conditions studied and was increased by ethanol. Futile cycling was quantified at the glucose/glucose 6-phosphate, glycogen/glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate/fructose 1,6-bis-phosphate, and phosphoenolpyruvate/pyruvate/oxaloacetate substrate cycles. Cycling at these four loci consumed about 22% of cellular ATP production in control hepatocytes and 14% in ethanol-treated cells.

Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase and Pyruvate Kinase Involvement in Protein and Oil Biosynthesis during Soybean Seed Development

Abstract: (…) The correlation of PEP carboxylase activity with protein was generally higher than with oil, suggesting that much of the oxaloacetate (OAA) produced may be used for synthesis of protein precursors. However, the high r values between PEP carboxylase and oil suggested that OAA may also be converted to malate and then to pyruvate (a precursor for oil) via a transhydrogenase system. Therefore, PEP carboxylase and pyruvate kinase activities appeared to contribute to a complex interaction that regulates the metabolic flow of glycolytic carbon into precursors for both protein and oil biosynthesis during soybean seed development

13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Evidence for γ-Aminobutyric Acid Formation via Pyruvate Carboxylase in Rat Brain: A Metabolic Basis for Compartmentation0

Abstract: The compartmentation of amino acid metabolism is an active and important area of brain research. 13C labeling and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are powerful tools for studying metabolic pathways, because information about the metabolic histories of metabolites can be determined from the appearance and position of the label in products. We have used 13C labeling and 13C NMR in order to investigate the metabolic history of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in rat brain. [1-13C]Glucose was infused into anesthetized rats and the 13C labeling patterns in GABA and glutamate examined in brain tissue extracts obtained at various times after infusion of the label. Five minutes after infusion, most of the 13C label in glutamate appeared at the C4 position; at later times, label was also present at C2 and C3. This 13C labeling pattern occurs when [1-13C]glucose is metabolized to pyruvate by glycolysis and enters the pool of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) intermediates via pyruvate dehydrogenase. The label exchanges into glutamate from the TCA cycle pool through glutamate transaminases or dehydrogenase. After 30 min of infusion, approximately 10% of the total 13C in brain extracts appeared in GABA, primarily (greater than 80%) at the amino carbon (C4), indicating that the GABA detected is labeled through pyruvate carboxylase. The different labeling patterns observed for glutamate and GABA show that the large detectable glutamate pool does not serve as the precursor to GABA. Our NMR data support previous experiments suggesting compartmentation of metabolism in brain, and further demonstrate that GABA is formed from a pool of TCA cycle intermediates derived from an anaplerotic pathway involving pyruvate carboxylase.

Regulation of glycolytic enzymes during anoxia in the turtle Pseudemys scripta.

Abstract: The glycolytic enzymes glycogen phosphorylase, phosphofructokinase (PFK), and pyruvate kinase (PK) were assessed in liver, heart, red muscle, and white muscle of aerobic and 5-h anoxic turtles (Pseudemys scripta) for changes in total activity and kinetic parameters. Anoxia induced statistically significant changes in these glycolytic enzymes in each of the four organs assayed. Compared with normoxic controls, anoxic liver showed a 3.3-fold increase in glycogen phosphorylase activity, a 1.5-fold increase in the PFK I50 value for citrate (concentration that inhibits initial activity by 50%), a 1.5-fold increase in the PFK Michaelis constant (Km) value for fructose 6-phosphate (P), and an increased maximal activity of PK. Anoxic heart muscle showed a 2.6-fold decrease in glycogen phosphorylase activity and, for PFK, a 1.7-fold decrease in the Km value for ATP and a twofold increase in the I50 value for citrate. In anoxic white muscle, PFK showed a fivefold lower Km value for fructose-6-P and a threefold lower activator concentration producing half-maximal activation (A50) for potassium phosphate than the aerobic enzyme form. Changes in anoxic white muscle PK included a twofold increase in the Km value for ADP and a 1.7-fold decrease in the I50 value for alanine. In red muscle, anoxia affected only the Km value for ATP, which was 50% higher than the value for the aerobic enzyme form. Fructose 2,6-diphosphate (P2) levels also decreased in heart muscle and increased in red and white muscle during anoxia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

ATP utilization and provision in fast-twitch skeletal muscle during tetanic contractions

Abstract: Rat fast-twitch muscles were tetanically stimulated in situ with an occluded circulation to examine ATP utilization and provision during isometric tension production. Plantaris (PL) and gastrocnemius (G) muscles were stimulated for 60 s in four conditions: A) 1.0-Hz train rate, 200-ms train duration at 80 Hz, B) 1.0 Hz (100 ms, 80 Hz), C) 0.5 Hz (100 ms, 80 Hz), and D) 1.0 Hz (200 ms, 40 Hz). Muscles were sampled pre- and post-stimulation for pH, high-energy phosphates, and glycolytic intermediates. Contributions to total ATP utilization (all muscles and conditions) were 64-67% glycolysis, 24-28% phosphocreatine, and 8-9% endogenous ATP. Glycogenolysis and glycolysis were greatest in white G (WG), 40% lower in red G (RG), and intermediate in PL muscles. Average energy costs in conditions A and D were approximately 0.60 mumol ATP/(N.s). Decreasing the train duration to 100 ms in B and the number of tetani to 30 in C increased energy costs to 0.93 +/- 0.05 and 1.26 +/- 0.07 mumol ATP/(N.s). Despite a lower pH, WG glycogenolytic (phosphorylase) activity was constant during condition A, whereas RG activity decreased in the final 30 contractions. Larger accumulations of Pi and inosine monophosphate may account for the maintained phosphorylase activity. Glycolytic (phosphofructokinase, PFK) activity was highest in WG and associated with higher fructose 6-phosphate concentration, greater depletion of ATP and, in later contractions, a higher NH4+ concentration. During tetanic in situ stimulation of fast-twitch muscle, the H+ profiles of phosphorylase and PFK are extended beyond in vitro predictions via the accumulation of positive modulators. This permits significant anaerobic ATP production via the glycolytic pathway despite increasing [H+]. The findings also suggest that lengthening the duration of tetani, generating lower peak tensions, and prolonging relaxation time all contribute to lower energy costs in fast-twitch muscle.

Protective role of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate during CCl4 hepatotoxicity in rats.

Abstract: Rats were injected intraperitoneally with CCl4 (2.5 ml/kg body wt.) and the hepatotoxicity was compared with that of rats receiving the same dose of CCl4 and an intraperitoneal injection of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (2 g/kg body wt.). A 50-70% decrease in plasma aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities was observed in the latter treatment, indicating a protective role of the sugar bisphosphate in CCl4 hepatotoxicity. The protection was accompanied by elevated hepatic activities of ornithine decarboxylase at 2, 6 and 24 h, S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase at 6 h, and spermidine N1-acetyltransferase at 2 h. The increase in the enzymes involved in polyamine metabolism was shown in our previous work [Rao, Young & Mehendale (1989) J. Biochem. Toxicol. 4, 55-63] to correlate with increased polyamine synthesis or interconversion, which was related to the extent of hepatocellular regeneration. The hepatic contents of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and ATP significantly decreased after CCl4 treatment, and administration of the sugar bisphosphate increased hepatic ATP. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, an intermediary metabolite of the glycolytic pathway, may decrease CCl4 toxicity by increasing the ATP in the hepatocytes. The ATP generated is useful for hepatocellular regeneration and tissue repair, events which enable the liver to overcome CCl4 injury.

Altered control of carbohydrate metabolism in endotoxemia.

Abstract: Based on our data, we envisage the following sequence of events to occur after the administration of a moderately severe dose of endotoxin: Sympathetic stimulation due to hypotension, and possibly other factors, increases plasma concentration of catecholamines. Increased hepatic phosphorylase a activity depletes existing glycogen stores and causes transient hyperglycemia. Lactate release from skeletal muscle is also enhanced, due to the more sustained activation of muscle phosphorylase a and increased uptake of plasma glucose. Stimulation of the immunologically active tissues by endotoxin with the participation of mononuclear phagocytes and TNF results in elevated glycolysis in these tissues as well, thus further enhancing the hyperlactacidemia. The increased precursor concentration and their delivery to the liver stimulate gluconeogenesis, in spite of endotoxin-induced suppression of PEPCK activity. Thus, an elevated precursor supply accelerates gluconeogenesis which is primarily responsible for the increased glucose Ra when hepatic glycogen stores are depleted. It appears that both an increase in blood lactate and catecholamines are important in maintaining the increased gluconeogenesis. This is illustrated schematically in Fig. 4. We postulate that in the fasted nutritionally nonsupported rat, endotoxin enhances glucose utilization in immunologically active tissues as well as in muscle. The presence of catecholamines and the glycolytically produced lactate stimulates gluconeogenesis. These events support the mounting of an effective immune response and aid the body to maintain the immune response by conserving glucose carbon.