Phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance studies of energy metabolism in molluscan tissues: Effect of anoxia and ischemia on the intracellular pH and high energy phosphates in the ventricle of the whelk,Busycon contrarium

Extracellular and Intracellular Acid‐Base Status with Regard to the Energy Metabolism in the OysterCrassostrea gigasduring Exposure to Air

The acid-base status of extra- and intracellular fluids was studied in relation to the anaerobic energy metabolism in the adductor muscle, mantle, gills, and heart of the marine bivalve Crassostrea gigas after exposure to air for periods of 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h. Such exposure was found to cause a significant reduction in the pH in the hemolymph (pH(e)) within the first 4 h. The decrease in the pHe was accompanied by elevated Pco2 values, causing [HCO3-] to rise (respiratory acidosis). Thereafter, the pHe fell at a lower rate, and this fall was partially compensated for by a further increase in [HCO3-] in the hemolymph. The increase in the [Ca] levels in the hemolymph indicates a mobilization of Ca2+ from CaCO3 and the involvement of bicarbonates in the buffering of pHe. The main anaerobic end-products that accumulated in the tissues during the first stages of anaerobiosis were alanine and succinate, at a ratio of about 2 : 1. Later on, propionate and acetate were also accumulated at significant rates. In contrast to the adductor muscle, gills, and mantle, opine production in the heart was significant after 12-24 h of exposure to air. Determination of intracellular pH (pHi) revealed that there is a close relationship between the rate of anaerobic end-product accumulation and the extent of intracellular acidosis in the adductor muscle, mantle, and gills. On the contrary, accumulation of anaerobic end-products in the heart did not cause any significant change in its pHi. The intracellular nonbicarbonate, nonphosphate buffering value (beta (NB,NPi)) was determined to be higher in the heart than in the other three tissues and thus probably plays a crucial role in stabilizing heart pHi during exposure to air.

Preservation of phosphagen kinase function during transient hypoxia via enzyme abundance or resistance to oxidative inactivation

Mammalian lactate dehydrogenase and phosphofructokinase are more susceptible in vitro to superoxide (O2) and hydroxyl (.OH) radicals than pyruvate kinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, suggesting that differential inactivation of regulatory enzymes contributes to the metabolic disintegration in stenoxic tissues during transient hypoxia. Likewise, creatine kinase in smooth muscle from porcine ileum is significantly reduced by hypoxia-reoxygenation ex vivo from 300 (+/- 18.2 SE, n = 8) to 196 U.g wet wt-1 (+/- 16.7, P < 0.001, ANOVA). Conversely, arginine kinase, from the myocardium of Limulus polyphemus, a species that tolerates anoxia for days was 2.9-fold less susceptible to oxidative inactivation. To examine whether preservation of kinase function is related to euryoxic capacity, a combination of non-invasive 31P-NMR spectroscopy and enzyme-linked assays was used to follow ATP and phosphagen status during hypoxia-reoxygenation in porcine ileum smooth muscle, L. polyphemus myocardium, and the myocardium of Argopecten irradians, a scallop species tolerant of hypoxia for only 24 h. Despite wide differences in phylogeny, euryoxic capacity and oxidative vulnerability of the phosphagen kinases, in all three tissues, the phosphagen pool recovered concomitant with ATP during reoxygenation, thereby revealing competent kinase function. In the mammalian tissue, such preservation of kinase function is facilitated by a 2400-fold excess of enzyme activity.

The Pasteur effect in facultative anaerobic metazoa

The existence and the regulatory mechanisms of the Pasteur effect in facultative anaerobic metazoa are discussed. There are three reasons for the controversy surrounding this phenomenon. 1) The different definitions of the Pasteur effect, 2) the antagonistic effect of metabolic depression and its species specific response to hypoxia, as well as 3) the laboratory-specific differences in the experimental procedures for analyzing the Pasteur effect and its regulation. This review aims to clarify the confusion about the existence of the Pasteur effect in facultative anaerobic metazoa and to offer possible molecular mechanisms.

Control of glycolytic enzyme binding: effect of changing enzyme substrate concentrations on in vivo enzyme distributions

The effect of changing concentrations of glycolytic intermediates on the binding of phosphofructokinase, aldolase and pyruvate kinase to cellular particulate matter was investigated. Concentrations of glycolytic intermediates were altered by adding 2 mM iodoacetic acid (IAA) to an incubation medium containing tissues isolated from the channelled whelk Busycon canaliculatum. Iodoacetic acid inhibited glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity causing a 100-400 fold increase in the concentration of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate as well as 3-20 fold increases in glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate, and dihydroxyacetone phosphate levels depending on the experimental protocol. Cellular pH values were not statistically different in the presence of IAA. Measurement of enzyme binding to particulate matter showed that the binding of phosphofructokinase, aldolase and pyruvate kinase was unaffected by iodoacetic acid under any experimental condition. These results show that changes in the tissue concentrations of enzyme substrates and products do not regulate enzyme binding to particulate matter in the cell.

In vivo and in vitro studies on the pathway of modification of mussel pyruvate kinase

1. On aerial exposure, pyruvate kinase is inactivated in various organs of M. edulis; the decrease of activity is slower in muscle than in non-muscular tissue. 2. Anoxic in vitro incubation of gills results in a rapid inactivation of pyruvate kinase. No change occurs in an aerated medium. 3. Enzyme inactivation is mimicked in part by oxic incubation in an acidified medium containing 5,5-dimethyloxazolidine-2,4-dione, and by the action of calcium ionophore A23187. 4. Incubation of supernatant of gill homogenate results in a slow inactivation of pyruvate kinase that is inhibited by trifluoperazine or EGTA and stimulated by exogenous calmodulin. 5. Addition of ATP plus cAMP stimulates pyruvate kinase inactivation in supernatant of homogenized muscle but not so in a high molecular weight fraction thereof.

In vivo 31P NMR in crustacean muscles: fatigue and recovery in the tail musculature from the prawn Palaemon elegans

31P NMR has been used to observe the in vivo phosphometabolite concentrations in the tail musculature from the prawn Palaemon elegans, at rest and after escape swimming and subsequent recovery. Muscular fatigue corresponds to a 60% breakdown of phosphoarginine, and a 45% increase of sugar phosphates. The pHi fell from 7.10 to 6.86. During recovery, the sugar phosphates and arginine phosphate are replenished after 20 minutes. The ATP concentration did not change throughout the experiment. The pHi was restored within 20 minutes.

Impact of symbiotic algae on sea anemone metabolism: analysis by in vivo 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

High-field pulsed Fourier-transform nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) was used to quantify the adenylate levels of sea anemones (Aiptasia pulchella) with and without symbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium sp.). Animals were fed to repletion, then starved in darkness for up to six days before collection of in vivo NMR spectra. The host adenylate ratio of ATP: (ATP + ADP) declined significantly with increasing periods of starvation in both symbiotic and aposymbiotic hosts (P less than 0.05). However, the decline in the animal adenylate ratio was significantly more rapid in animals bearing symbiotic algae (P less than 0.05). This suggests that symbiotic algae in darkness cause more rapid depletion of host energy reserves, possibly by drawing on host pools of organic substrates. In vivo NMR spectroscopy was also used to evaluate the effect on A. pulchella of photosynthesis by zooxanthellae. Symbiotic anemones were fed to repletion, then starved under high irradiance (300 to 320 mu Ein m-2 s-1) or low irradiance (70 to 80 mu Ein m-2 s-1) conditions for up to five days. The host adenylate ratio declined significantly (P less than 0.01) with starvation under both treatments, but no significant difference was detected between treatments (P greater than 0.35). Blotted wet weight of anemones under high and low irradiance declined by 50% over eight days of starvation, but there was no significant difference in the rate of weight loss by anemones in the two treatments. There results suggest that translocation of photosynthate from symbiotic zooxanthellae does not significantly affect host adenylate ratio or have a sparing effect on host biomass during starvation in this symbiotic sea anemone.

Purification and properties of tauropine dehydrogenase from the shell adductor muscle of the ormer, Haliotis lamellosa

Tauropine dehydrogenase (tauropine:NAD oxidoreductase) was purified from the shell adductor muscle of the ormer, Haliotis lamellosa. The enzyme was found to utilize stoichiometrically NADH as co-enzyme and pyruvate and taurine as substrates producing tauropine [rhodoic acid; N-(D-1-carboxyethyl)-taurine]. The enzyme was purified to a specific activity of 463 units/mg protein using a combination of ammonium sulphate fractionation, ion-exchange and affinity chromatography. The relative molecular mass was 38,000 +/- 1000 when assessed by gel filtration on Ultrogel AcA 54 and 42,000 +/- 150 by electrophoresis on 5-10% polyacrylamide gels in the presence of 1% sodium dodecyl sulphate; the data suggest a monomeric structure. Tauropine and pyruvate were found to be the preferred substrates. Among the amino acids tested for activity with the enzyme, only alanine is used as an alternative substrate, but with a rate less than 6% of the enzyme activity with taurine. Of the oxo acids tested, 2-oxobutyrate and 2-oxovalerate were also found to be substrates. Apparent Km values for the substrates NADH, pyruvate and taurine are 0.022 +/- 0.003 mM, 0.64 +/- 0.07 mM and 64.7 +/- 5.4 mM, respectively, at pH 7.0 and for the products, NAD+ and tauropine, are 0.29 +/- 0.01 mM and 9.04 +/- 1.27 mM, respectively, at pH 8.3. Apparent Km values for both pyruvate and taurine decrease with increasing co-substrate (taurine or pyruvate) concentration. NAD+ and tauropine were found to be product inhibitors of the forward reaction. NAD+ was a competitive inhibitor of NADH, whereas tauropine gave a mixed type of inhibition with respect to pyruvate and taurine. Succinate was found to inhibit non-competitively with respect to taurine and pyruvate with an apparent Ki value in the physiological range of this anaerobic end product. The inhibition by L-lactate, not an end product in the ormer, was competitive with respect to pyruvate. The physiological role or tauropine dehydrogenase during anaerobiosis is discussed.

31P nuclear magnetic resonance studies of crayfish (Orconectes virilis). The use of inversion spin transfer to monitor enzyme kinetics in vivo

31P nuclear-magnetic resonance (NMR) has been used to observed in vivo the steady-state levels of phosphorus-containing metabolites in the crayfish Orconectes virilis and the intracellular pH of the abdominal muscle was determined. Measurement of spin-lattice relaxation times and spin transfer experiments have enabled calculation of unidirectional rate constants and activation energies for the arginine kinase reaction in vivo.

Purification and properties of aerobic and anoxic forms of pyruvate kinase from red muscle tissue of the channelled whelk, Busycotypus canaliculatum

Aerobic and anoxic variants of radular retractor muscle pyruvate kinase (PK-aerobic and Pk-anoxic) from the gastropod mollusc, Busycotypus canaliculatum, were purified to homogeneity and respective specific activities of 368 and 186 mumol of product min-1 mg protein-1. Both PK variants were apparent homotetramers with native molecular masses of about 235 kDa, but differed in several other physical characteristics including pI (5.81 +/- 0.06 for PK-aerobic, 5.42 +/- 0.03 for PK-anoxic) and chromatographic behavior on several columns used during their respective purifications. The two enzymes differed greatly in several kinetic properties. Affinity for phosphoenolpyruvate was more than tenfold greater for PK-aerobic (K0.5 = 0.067 +/- 0.002 mM; h = 0.99 +/- 0.10), whereas the cooperative effect for phosphoenolpyruvate binding was greatly enhanced for PK-anoxic (K0.5 = 0.85 +/- 0.02 mM, h = 2.57 +/- 0.01). Although the affinities for the second substrate, ADP, were identical for both enzyme forms (apparent Km = 0.25 mM) pK-anoxic showed greater substrate inhibition by high concentrations of ADP. Likewise, affinities for K+ and Mg2+ were similar but PK-anoxic showed a greater degree of cooperativity with Mg2+ (h = 2.50 +/- 0.02) than did PK-aerobic (h = 1.70 +/- 0.06). Saturating concentrations of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (50 microM) activated PK-anoxic resulting in an enzyme with properties similar to fructose-1,6-bisphosphate-activated PK-aerobic, with K0.5 values for phosphoenolpyruvate of about 0.04 mM and Hill coefficients of 1.1. PK-anoxic showed much stronger regulation by the allosteric inhibitors MgATP, phenylalanine, proline and alanine. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate partially relieved the inhibitions by ADP, MgATP, alanine, proline and arginine phosphate of both enzyme forms. However, at 0.1 mM phosphoenolpyruvate PK-aerobic was much more sensitive to activation by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, Ka values being 0.05 +/- 0.01 microM for PK-aerobic and 1.3 +/- 0.1 microM for PK-anoxic. In the presence of 1.0 mM alanine and 1.5 mM MgATP much higher concentrations of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate were required for activation of PK-anoxic (Ka = 5.2 +/- 0.4 microM) than for PK-aerobic (Ka = 0.02 +/- 0.01 microM). Variations in pH over the range likely occurring in vivo during anaerobiosis caused no significant additional kinetic differences between the two enzyme forms. The dissimilarity in kinetic properties of PK-aerobic and PK-anoxic indicate that red muscle PK activity is probably strongly depressed in vivo during anoxia stress.