A comparative study of the regulation of Ca2+ of the activities of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex and NAD+-isocitrate dehydrogenase from a variety of sources

Ca2+ was shown to activate oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and NAD+-isocitrate dehydrogenase from heart and other rat tissues by markedly decreasing the Km values of the enzymes for their respective substrates [see Denton & McCormack (1980) FEBS Lett. 119, 1-8]. Similar effects of Ca2+ were observed in the present study with both enzymes from other vertebrate sources (pigeon, trout, frog and human heart), but not with the enzymes from blowfly or locust flight muscle, or potato or Escherichia coli. In contrast, the Km values of the oxoglutarate dehydrogenases were affected by ADP, ATP and H+ to a similar extent in every case, except for the enzyme from E. coli, which was not sensitive to regulation by these agents.

Regulation of bovine kidney alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex by calcium ion and adenine nucleotides. Effects on S0.5 for alpha-ketoglutarate

Regulation of bovine kidney alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex by energy-linked metabolites was investigated. Ca2+, ADP, or inorganic phosphate markedly enhanced the activity of the complex, and ATP or, to a lesser extent, GTP decreased the activity of the complex. Initial velocity studies with alpha-ketoglutarate as the varied substrate demonstrated that these modulators induced large changes in S0.5 for alpha-ketoglutarate (based on analysis in Hill plots) with no change in the maximum velocity (as determined by double-reciprocal plots). For all conditions studied, the Hill coefficients were significantly less than 1.0 with slopes that were linear over wide ranges of alpha-ketoglutarate concentrations, indicating negative cooperativity that probably resulted from multiple site-site interactions. Ca2+ (maintained at 10 muM by a Ca2+ buffer) decreased the S0.5 for alpha-ketoglutarate 63-fold (from 25 to 0.40 mM); even in the presence of a positive effector, ADP or phosphate, Ca2+ decreased the S0.5 for alpha-ketoglutarate 7.8- or 28-fold, respectively. Consistent with a mechanism of action dependent of Ca2+, ADP (1.60 mM) or phosphate (20 mM) reduced the S0.5 for alpha-ketoglutarate in the presence of Ca2+ (i.e., 4.5- or 1.67-fold, respectively); however, these effectors elicited larger decreases in S0.5 in the absence of Ca2+ (i.e., 37- or 3.7-fold, respectively). ATP (1.6 mM) increased the S0.5 for alpha-ketoglutarate, and Ca2+ appreciably reduced the effect, lowering the S0.5 98-fold from 66 to 0.67 mM. Thus the activity of the kidney alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex is poised to increase as the energy potential in mitochondria declines, and Ca2+ has a pronounced modulatory effect. Comparative studies on bovine heart alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex and the effects of varying the ADP/ATP ratio in the presence or absence of Ca2+ or phosphate are also described.

Activities of hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, fructose bisphosphatase and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase in muscle of normal subjects and very ill surgical patients

1. The activities of hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, fructose bisphosphatase and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase have been measured in the vastus lateralis and rectus abdominus muscle of normal human subjects and in very ill surgical patients. 2. The activities of these enzymes in the muscle of control subjects were similar to the pattern seen in the skeletal muscle of other mammals and lower vertebrates. 3. Fructose bisphosphatase and phosphofructokinase activities were significantly lower in the muscle of ill patients although the depression of the activity of fructose bisphosphatase was much greater than that of phosphofructokinase in both muscle types of ill patients. 4. The maximum rate of cycling in the fructose 6-phosphate--fructose, 1,6-diphosphate cycle may be altered in the ill. 5. This decreased cycling may have a direct influence on the sensitivity of glycolysis to regulators such as the adenine nucleotides and may reduce the ability to maintain body temperature. 6. Increased glycogen synthesis in these muscles may indicate that the role of fructose bisphosphatase is unlikely to be solely in glycogen resynthesis.

Effect of thiamine deprivation on thiamine metabolism in mice

Mice were made deficient by thiamin deprivation. Thiamin pyrophosphokinase and thiamin pyrophosphatase activities were measured, and their changes were compared to transketolase (TK), pyruvate and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (DG) activities and thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) level in the same tissues. Thiamin pyrophosphokinase activity was increased on day 10 of thiamin deficiency and remained unchanged within the next period of investigation. Thiamin pyrophosphatase activity decreased after 5 days and was enhanced in 10, 15 and 20 days of deficiency. This fact may be related to the regulatory role of the enzyme in the intertissue vitamin distribution and transport. The liver TPP level was the earliest and most specific indicator of the thiamin status as thiamin deficiency developed, and pyruvate DG was more drastically inhibited than alpha-ketoglutarate DG. Blood TK was more sensitive to thiamin deprivation than liver TK. In both cases we obtained a more (20-40% in blood) or less (5-10% in liver) pronounced TPP-stimulatory effect of transketolase activity.

[Activity of carbohydrate metabolism enzyme activity in normal and pathologic parodontal tissues]

The activity of hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, isocytrate dehydrogenase, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and the ATR content in the alveolar process and gingiva of dogs are established to decrease considerably in experimental cholestasis, induced by ligation of the common bile duct. Incorporation of tissue proteins into the Krebs cycle through the reverse NAD-dependent malate dehydrogenase reaction is a compensatory reaction favouring an increase of the ATP amount in the alveolar process.

[Role of phosphate and divalent metal ions in regulation of the activity of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex from adrenal cortex]

Studies of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex have demonstrated that inorganic phosphate ions cause a decrease in the Km value for alpha-ketoglutarate without changing the maximum reaction rate. In the absence of phosphate (tris-HCl buffer) at low concentrations of alpha-ketoglutarate there are some indications of enzyme-substrate cooperative interactions (the Hill coefficient is 1,6). The cooperativity is removed by ADP, which increases the apparent affinity of the enzyme for alpha-ketoglutarate. Upon divalent cations binding to EDTA in the presence of high (20 mM) concentrations of alpha-ketoglutarate the reaction rate is decreased only by 20%, while the value of Km for the given substrate shows a sharp rise. The nature of Mg2+, Ca2+, Ba2+ and Mn2+ effects on the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex activity depends on their concentration.

Effect of micromolar Ca2+ on NADH inhibition of bovine kidney alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex and possible role of Ca2+ in signal amplification

NADH inhibition of bovine kidney alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex was compared at 10 microM free Ca2+ or in the absence of Ca2+ (i.e., less than 1.0 nM free Ca2+). In the presence of Ca2+, NADH inhibition was appreciably decreased for a wide range of NADH:NAD+ ratios. A half-maximal decrease in NADH inhibition occurred at slightly less than 1 microM free Ca/+ (as determined with EGTA-Ca buffers). Of necessity this was observed on top of an effect of Ca2+ on the S0.5 for alpha-ketoglutarate which was decreased by Ca2+ with a half-maximal effect at a similar concentration. The effect of Ca2+ on NADH inhibition was not observed in assays of the dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase component (using dihydrolipoamide as a substrate) or in assays of bovine kidney pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. This indicates that the overall reaction catalyzed by the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex is required to elicit the effect of Ca2+ on NADH inhibition. At a fixed alpha-ketoglutarate concentration (50 microM), removal of Ca2+ reduced the activity of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex by 8.5-fold (due to an increase in S0.5 for alpha-ketoglutarate) and, in the presence of different NADH:NAD+ ratios, decreased the activity of the complex by 50 to 100-fold. Effects of the phosphate potential (ATP/ADPxPi) or a combination of the phosphate potential and NADH:NAD+ ratio are also described. The possibility that the level of intramitochondrial free Ca/+ serves as a signal amplifier normally coupled to the energy state of mitochondria is discussed.

Friedreich's ataxia 1980. An overview of the physiopathology

Phase three of the Quebec Cooperative Study of Friedreich's Ataxia was devoted to an understanding of the physiopathology of individual symptoms on the basis of previously discovered biochemical leads. The present paper attempts to pull these results together by presenting, as a hypothesis, a unifying scheme of possible interactions and relationships. The central core of this hypothesis is the demonstration in Friedreich's ataxia of a state of mitochondrial energy deprivation. This is indirectly responsible for such associated and important symptoms as muscle weakness, dying-back neuropathy, scoliosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Secondarily, and possibly as an independent but linked-event, the entry of glucose into cells and pyruvate oxidation, are slowed down, favoring the development of diabetes. As a consequence, tissue concentrations of glutamic acid and aspartic acid are decreased, particularly in more vulnerable areas such as the cerebellum, brain stem and dorsal root ganglia. This tissue deficiency in putative excitatory neurotransmitters is directly responsible for the symptom of ataxia. This conclusion is reinforced by the correction of the ataxia in experimental animals, by the intraventricular injection of the same amino acids, and not by the injection of other stimulants of motricity. The observed mitochondrial energy deprivation could be the metabolic consequence of major changes in the linoleic acid (18.2) composition of inner mitochondrial membrane phospholipids, such as cardiolipin. Such decreases in membrane 18:2 could be the result of interference with the normal incorporation of this fatty acid to lipoproteins and/or cell membranes. It is at this level that the search for the specific enzyme defect in Friedreich's ataxia is continuing.

Friedreich's ataxia in northern Italy. II. Biochemical studies in cultured cells

Pyruvate and palmitate oxidations by cultured fibroblasts suspensions were measured in optimized conditions and proved to be within normal range in the cells from Friedreich's patients. However, when pyruvate oxidation was measured by direct assay of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, this enzyme activity proved to be significantly lower in Friedreich's than in controls' cells. These abnormalities were not observed when the cells were sonicated. Moreover, lipoamide dehydrogenase activity. Km and Vmax were within the normal range in Friedreich's cells. These data suggest that the low activities of the PDH complex are not a primary defect in Friedreich's ataxia, but are more likely related to membrane abnormalities in Friedreich's cells.

Activation of oxoglutarate dehydrogenase in the kidney in response to acute acidosis

1. Activation by H+ and by Ca2+ of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase extracted from mitochondria of normal or acidotic rat kidney is described. This effect, first shown for the enzyme from heart by McCormack & Denton [Biochem. J. (1979) 180, 533--544], is of a regulatory importance in kidney, in which organ, in contrast with heart, increased flux occurs during acute acidosis. 2. In renal-cortical tubules, 2-oxoglutarate concentration fell within 1 min of decreasing the pH and rose again 1--3 min after increasing the pH of the medium. The extent of the decrease in 2-oxoglutarate was directly related to the decrease in pH. A similar fall in the oxoglutarate concentration in the whole perfused kidney was noted within 5 min of inducing acidosis. 3. In tubules, the rates of gluconeogenesis and ammoniagenesis from 1 mM-glutamine were increased by 64 and 33% respectively on decreasing pH to 7.0, the increase in rates being proportional to the fall in pH between 7.4 and 7.0. 4. The increased rates of renal ammoniagenesis and gluconeogenesis seen in acute acidosis in vitro can be accounted for by the increased activity of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and the tissue concentrations of 2-oxoglutarate when calculated from the Km determined at normal and acidotic pH. 5. The decrease in 2-oxoglutarate concentration seen in acute acidosis implies a fall in intramitochondrial pH in kidney, and is the result of two phenomena, accelerated disposal via 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and maintenance of near equilibrium of glutamate dehydrogenase.

Role of calcium ions in the regulation of intramitochondrial metabolism. Effects of Na+, Mg2+ and ruthenium red on the Ca2+-stimulated oxidation of oxoglutarate and on pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in intact rat heart mitochondria

1. In uncoupled rat heart mitochondria, the kinetic parameters for oxoglutarate oxidation were very close to those found for oxoglutarate dehydrogenase activity in extracts of the mitochondria. In particular, Ca2+ greatly diminished the Km for oxoglutarate and the k0.5 value (concentration required for half-maximal effect) for this effect of Ca2+ was close to 1 microM. 2. In coupled rat heart mitochondria incubated with ADP, increases in the extramitochondrial concentration of Ca2+ greatly stimulated oxoglutarate oxidation at low concentrations of oxoglutarate, but not at saturating concentrations of oxoglutarate. The k0.5 value for the activation by extramitochondrial Ca2+ was about 20 nM. In the presence of either Mg2+ or Na+ this value was increased to about 90 nM, and in the presence of both to about 325 nM. 3. In coupled rat heart mitochondria incubated without ADP, increases in the extramitochondrial concentration of Ca2+ resulted in increases in the proportion of pyruvate dehydrogenase in its active non-phosphorylated form. The sensitivity to Ca2+ closely matched that found to affect oxoglutarate oxidation, and Mg2+ and Na+ gave similar effects. 4. Studies of others have indicated that the distribution of Ca2+ across the inner membrane of heart mitochondria is determined by a Ca2+-transporting system which is composed of a separate uptake component (inhibited by Mg2+ and Ruthenium Red) and an efflux component (stimulated by Na+). The present studies are entirely consistent with this view. They also indicate that the intramitochondrial concentration of Ca2+ within heart cells is probably about 2--3 times that in the cytoplasm, and thus the regulation of these intramitochondrial enzymes by Ca2+ is of likely physiological significance. It is suggested that the Ca2+-transporting system in heart mitochondria may be primarily concerned with the regulation of mitochondrial Ca2+ rather than cytoplasmic Ca2+; the possible role of Ca2+ as a mediator of the effects of hormones and neurotransmitters on mammalian mitochondrial oxidative metabolism is discussed.

Glyoxylate cycle in Mucor racemosus

The dimorphic phycomycete Mucor racemosus was grown in media containing acetate, glutamate, and peptone as carbon sources. The component enzymes of the glyoxylate bypass, isocitrate lyase and malate synthase, were present under these conditions throughout the growth cycles. Highest specific activities for each enzyme were found in media with acetate as the carbon source. In an enriched peptone medium containing glucose, neither activity was detected until glucose was exhausted from the medium. Treatment of acetate-grown cells with glucose resulted in a rapid decline in the specific activities of both enzymes. The importance of this cycle in acetate-grown cells was indicated by the ability of itaconic acid (100 mM) to inhibit the growth of M. racemosus in acetate but not glutamate media. Itaconate was also shown to be a potent inhibitor of isocitrate lyase activity in vitro.

Regulation of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase lipoate succinyltransferase complex from cauliflower by nucleotide. Pre-steady state kinetics and physical studies

Analysis of the binding of thiamin pyrophosphate to the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenaselipoate succinyltransferase multienzyme complex using pre-steady state kinetic methods revealed that the presence of 2-oxoglutarate is not necessary for binding, although it does stabilize the complex by slowing the rate of dissociation of the holoenzyme. The rate of binding of thiamin-PPi to the enzyme and the subsequent enzyme activation are not limited by a reaction at C-2 of the thiazolium ring of thiamin-PPi since no kinetic isotope effect is observed when 2-D-thiamin-PPi is substituted for the protonated cofactor. The presence of 5'-AMP, which activates the reaction producing both a V and a Km response, causes a significant increase in kon for thiamin-PPi. The AMP analog 1,N6-ethenoadenosine-5'-monophosphate (epsilon-AMP) also activates the reaction, but shows only a K effect, with no influence on V. This effector reduces Kd for the thiamin-PPi2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex by increasing kon. The change in kon for thiamin-PPi in response to changes in hydrogen ion concentration shows pK values which are unaffected by the addition of AMP, in this respect resembling the steady state kinetic response of V/Km and differing from the pH profile of V. The dissociation constant of holoenzyme is relatively insensitive to pH over the range pH 6 to 9, but in the presence of AMP the Kd, which is decreased in the range from pH 7 to 8, increases sharply at higher or lower pH values.

[Kinetic and regulatory properties of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex from bovine adrenals]

The dependence of the rate of reactions catalyzed by the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex on the alpha-ketoglutarate, CoA and NAD+ concentration is described by Michaelis-Menten equation. Km is 0.190, 0.012 and 0.025 mM, respectively. ADP plays a role of a complex activator at low alpha-ketoglutarate concentrations. ATP, on the contrary, produces a mixed type inhibition on the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex with respect to CoA and NAD+. A conclusion is drawn that the adrenal alpha-ketoglutarate complex regulation by ATP/ADP ratio value is possible.

Evidence for the identity and some comparative properties of alpha-ketoglutarate and 2-keto-4-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase activity

Enzyme preparations of pig heart and Escherichia coli are shown to catalyze a NAD+- and CoASH-dependent oxidation of 2-keto-4-hydroxyglutarate. Several independent lines of evidence support the conclusion that this hydroxyketo acid is a substrate for the well known alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex of the citric acid cycle. The evidence includes (a) a constant ratio of specific activity values for the two substrates through several steps of purification, (b) identical elution profiles from a calcium phosphate gel-cellulose column and a constant ratio of specific activity toward the two substrates throughout the activity peak, (c) identical inactivation curves in controlled heat denaturation studies, (d) the same pH activity curves, (e) no effect on the oxidation of either keto acid by repeated freezing and thawing of dehydrogenase preparations, and (f) the same activity pattern when the E. coli complex is distributed into several fractions by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Additionally, the same cofactors are required for maximal activity and glyoxylate inhibits the oxidation of either substrate noncompetitively. Ferricyanide-linked oxidation of 2-keto-4-hydroxyglutarate yields malate as the product and a 1:2:1 stoichiometric relationship is obtained between the amount of hydroxyketo acid oxidized, ferricyanide reduced, and malate formed.