A mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase from rat brain

Region-Specific Defects of Respiratory Capacities in the Ndufs4(KO) Mouse Brain

BACKGROUND

Lack of NDUFS4, a subunit of mitochondrial complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase), causes Leigh syndrome (LS), a progressive encephalomyopathy. Knocking out Ndufs4, either systemically or in brain only, elicits LS in mice. In patients as well as in KO mice distinct regions of the brain degenerate while surrounding tissue survives despite systemic complex I dysfunction. For the understanding of disease etiology and ultimately for the development of rationale treatments for LS, it appears important to uncover the mechanisms that govern focal neurodegeneration.

RESULTS

Here we used the Ndufs4(KO) mouse to investigate whether regional and temporal differences in respiratory capacity of the brain could be correlated with neurodegeneration. In the KO the respiratory capacity of synaptosomes from the degeneration prone regions olfactory bulb, brainstem and cerebellum was significantly decreased. The difference was measurable even before the onset of neurological symptoms. Furthermore, neither compensating nor exacerbating changes in glycolytic capacity of the synaptosomes were found. By contrast, the KO retained near normal levels of synaptosomal respiration in the degeneration-resistant/resilient "rest" of the brain. We also investigated non-synaptic mitochondria. The KO expectedly had diminished capacity for oxidative phosphorylation (state 3 respiration) with complex I dependent substrate combinations pyruvate/malate and glutamate/malate but surprisingly had normal activity with α-ketoglutarate/malate. No correlation between oxidative phosphorylation (pyruvate/malate driven state 3 respiration) and neurodegeneration was found: Notably, state 3 remained constant in the KO while in controls it tended to increase with time leading to significant differences between the genotypes in older mice in both vulnerable and resilient brain regions. Neither regional ROS damage, measured as HNE-modified protein, nor regional complex I stability, assessed by blue native gels, could explain regional neurodegeneration.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggests that locally insufficient respiration capacity of the nerve terminals may drive focal neurodegeneration.

Regulation of Glucose Homeostasis by Glucocorticoids

Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that regulate multiple aspects of glucose homeostasis. Glucocorticoids promote gluconeogenesis in liver, whereas in skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue they decrease glucose uptake and utilization by antagonizing insulin response. Therefore, excess glucocorticoid exposure causes hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. Glucocorticoids also regulate glycogen metabolism. In liver, glucocorticoids increase glycogen storage, whereas in skeletal muscle they play a permissive role for catecholamine-induced glycogenolysis and/or inhibit insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis. Moreover, glucocorticoids modulate the function of pancreatic α and β cells to regulate the secretion of glucagon and insulin, two hormones that play a pivotal role in the regulation of blood glucose levels. Overall, the major glucocorticoid effect on glucose homeostasis is to preserve plasma glucose for brain during stress, as transiently raising blood glucose is important to promote maximal brain function. In this chapter we will discuss the current understanding of the mechanisms underlying different aspects of glucocorticoid-regulated mammalian glucose homeostasis.

Pyruvate carboxylation in neurons

Carboxylation of pyruvate in the brain was for many years thought to occur only in glia, an assumption that formed much of the basis for the concept of the glutamine cycle. It was shown recently, however, that carboxylation of pyruvate to malate occurs in neurons and that it supports formation of transmitter glutamate. The role of pyruvate carboxylation in neurons is to ensure tricarboxylic acid cycle activity by compensating for losses of alpha-ketoglutarate that occur through release of transmitter glutamate and GABA; these amino acids are alpha-ketoglutarate derivatives. Available data suggest that neuronal pyruvate carboxylation is quantitatively important. But because there is no net CO(2) fixation in the brain, pyruvate carboxylation must be balanced by decarboxylation of malate or oxaloacetate. Such decarboxylation occurs in both neurons and astrocytes. Several in vitro studies have shown a neuroprotective effect of pyruvate supplementation. Pyruvate carboxylation may be one mechanism through which such treatment is effective, because pyruvate carboxylation through malic enzyme is active during energy deficiency and leads to an increase in the level of dicarboxylates that can be metabolized through the tricarboxylic acid cycle for ATP production.

Carboxylation and anaplerosis in neurons and glia

Anaplerosis, or de novo formation of intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, compensates for losses of TCA cycle intermediates, especially alpha-ketoglutarate, from brain cells. Loss of alpha-ketoglutarate occurs through release of glutamate and GABA from neurons and through export of glutamine from glia, because these amino acids are alpha-ketoglutarate derivatives. Anaplerosis in the brain may involve four different carboxylating enzymes: malic enzyme, phosphoenopyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), propionyl-CoA carboxylase, and pyruvate carboxylase. Anaplerotic carboxylation was for many years thought to occur only in glia through pyruvate carboxylase; therefore, loss of transmitter glutamate and GABA from neurons was thought to be compensated by uptake of glutamine from glia. Recently, however, anaplerotic pyruvate carboxylation was demonstrated in glutamatergic neurons, meaning that these neurons to some extent can maintain transmitter synthesis independently of glutamine. Malic enzyme, which may carboxylate pyruvate, was recently detected in neurons. The available data suggest that neuronal and glial pyruvate carboxylation could operate at as much as 30% and 40-60% of the TCA cycle rate, respectively. Cerebral carboxylation reactions are probably balanced by decarboxylation reactions,, because cerebral CO2 formation equals O2 consumption. The finding of pyruvate carboxylation in neurons entails a major revision of the concept of the glutamine cycle.

Significant amounts of glycogen are synthesized from 3-carbon compounds in astroglial primary cultures from mice with participation of the mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase isoenzyme

The incorporation was studied of the gluconeogenic substrates lactate, alanine, aspartate and glutamate into glycogen of astroglial primary cultures derived from mouse brain. The incorporation was inhibited by 3-mercaptopicolinate, an inhibitor of one of the characteristic gluconeogenic enzymes, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. Only the mitochondrial isoenzyme of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase was detectable in the astroglial primary cultures. After the incubation of glucose-starved cells with medium containing a mixture of [6-3H]glucose and [U-14C]glucose, the newly synthesized glycogen showed a 3H/14C ratio which was approximately 15% less than the isotope ratio for the medium. The decrease of the isotope ratio was not significantly inhibited by 3-mercaptopicolinate, indicating a cycling of approximately 15% of the glucose to the level of the triose phosphates before its incorporation into astroglial glycogen. During the initial phase of glycogen resynthesis, the contribution of the gluconeogenic substrates appeared to be higher. This was in agreement with the accumulation of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate during refeeding. A participation of gluconeogenic substrates in glycogen metabolism was also detectable when the glycogen content was not changing significantly.

Induced enzyme release from synaptosomes by halothane

GABA-transaminase has been found to be released from rat brain synaptosomes by halothane in a dose-related manner. The releases of both GABA-transaminase and succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase were increased with time. The release of other enzymes (creatine kinase, glutamate decarboxylase, aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, and malate dehydrogenase) was less in magnitude and not related to the duration of incubation. Such observations suggested a specific event in the halothane-induced release of GABA-catabolizing enzymes. A suggestion linking mode of anesthetic action to a mitochondrial effect of volatile anesthetics was made.

Purification and properties of rat brain pyruvate carboxylase

Rat brain pyruvate carboxylase was purified 2000-fold and some of its properties and kinetic parameters were investigated. The use of (NH4)2SO4 gradient solubilization on a Celite column and precipitation with polyethylene glycol permitted purification to an estimated 20% purity. Except for a few subtle kinetic differences this enzyme is indistinguishable from rat liver pyruvate carboxylase.