Oxidative phosphorylation in brown adipose mitochondria

Mitochondrial proton leaks and uncoupling proteins

Non-shivering thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue is mediated by uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), which provides a carefully regulated proton re-entry pathway across the mitochondrial inner membrane operating in parallel to the ATP synthase and allowing respiration, and hence thermogenesis, to be released from the constraints of respiratory control. In the 40 years since UCP1 was first described, an extensive, and frequently contradictory, literature has accumulated, focused on the acute physiological regulation of the protein by fatty acids, purine nucleotides and possible additional factors. The purpose of this review is to examine, in detail, the experimental evidence underlying these proposed mechanisms. Emphasis will be placed on the methodologies employed and their relation to the physiological constraints under which the protein functions in the intact cell. The nature of the endogenous, UCP1-independent, proton leak will also be discussed. Finally, the troubled history of the putative novel uncoupling proteins, UCP2 and UCP3, will be evaluated.

Creatine metabolism: energy homeostasis, immunity and cancer biology

Perturbations in metabolic processes are associated with diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, certain infections and some cancers. A resurgence of interest in creatine biology is developing, with new insights into a diverse set of regulatory functions for creatine. This resurgence is primarily driven by technological advances in genetic engineering and metabolism as well as by the realization that this metabolite has key roles in cells beyond the muscle and brain. Herein, we highlight the latest advances in creatine biology in tissues and cell types that have historically received little attention in the field. In adipose tissue, creatine controls thermogenic respiration and loss of this metabolite impairs whole-body energy expenditure, leading to obesity. We also cover the various roles that creatine metabolism has in cancer cell survival and the function of the immune system. Renewed interest in this area has begun to showcase the therapeutic potential that lies in understanding how changes in creatine metabolism lead to metabolic disease.

UCP1-independent thermogenesis

Obesity results from energy imbalance, when energy intake exceeds energy expenditure. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) drives non-shivering thermogenesis which represents a powerful mechanism of enhancing the energy expenditure side of the energy balance equation. The best understood thermogenic system in BAT that evolved to protect the body from hypothermia is based on the uncoupling of protonmotive force from oxidative phosphorylation through the actions of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), a key regulator of cold-mediated thermogenesis. Similarly, energy expenditure is triggered in response to caloric excess, and animals with reduced thermogenic fat function can succumb to diet-induced obesity. Thus, it was surprising when inactivation of Ucp1 did not potentiate diet-induced obesity. In recent years, it has become clear that multiple thermogenic mechanisms exist, based on ATP sinks centered on creatine, lipid, or calcium cycling, along with Fatty acid-mediated UCP1-independent leak pathways driven by the ADP/ATP carrier (AAC). With a key difference between cold- and diet-induced thermogenesis being the dynamic changes in purine nucleotide (primarily ATP) levels, ATP-dependent thermogenic pathways may play a key role in diet-induced thermogenesis. Additionally, the ubiquitous expression of AAC may facilitate increased energy expenditure in many cell types, in the face of over feeding. Interest in UCP1-independent energy expenditure has begun to showcase the therapeutic potential that lies in refining our understanding of the diversity of biochemical pathways controlling thermogenic respiration.

Regulation of adipocyte thermogenesis: mechanisms controlling obesity

Adipocyte biology has been intensely researched in recent years due to the emergence of obesity as a serious global health concern and because of the realization that adipose tissue is more than simply a cell type that stores and releases lipids. The plasticity of adipose tissues, to rapidly adapt to altered physiological states of energy demand, is under neuronal and endocrine control. The capacity for white adipocytes to store chemical energy in lipid droplets is key for protecting other organs from the toxic effects of ectopic lipid deposition. In contrast, thermogenic (brown and beige) adipocytes combust macronutrients to generate heat. The thermogenic activity of adipocytes allows them to protect themselves and other tissues from lipid overaccumulation. Advances in brown fat biology have uncovered key molecular players involved in adipocyte determination, differentiation, and thermogenic activation. It is now, well appreciated that three distinct adipocyte types exist: white, beige, and brown. Moreover, functional differences are present within adipocyte subtypes located in anatomically distinct locations. Adding to this complexity is the recent realization from single-cell sequencing studies that adipocyte progenitors are also heterogeneous. Understanding the molecular details of how to increase the number of thermogenic fat cells and their activation may delineate some of the pathophysiological basis of obesity and obesity-related diseases. Here, we review recent advances that have extended our understanding of the central role that adipose tissue plays in energy balance and the mechanisms that control their amount and function.

Physiological regulation of the transport activity in the uncoupling proteins UCP1 and UCP2

Brown fat is a thermogenic organ that allows newborns and small mammals to maintain a stable body temperature when exposed to cold. The heat generation capacity is based on the uncoupling of respiration from ATP synthesis mediated by the uncoupling protein UCP1. The first studies on the properties of these mitochondria revealed that fatty acid removal was an absolute prerequisite for respiratory control. Thus fatty acids, that are substrate for oxidation, were proposed as regulators of respiration. However, their ability to uncouple all types of mitochondria and the demonstration that several mitochondrial carriers catalyze the translocation of the fatty acid anion have made them unlikely candidates for a specific role in brown fat. Nevertheless, data strongly argue for a physiological function. First, fatty acids mimic the noradrenaline effects on adipocytes. Second, there exists a precise correlation between fatty acid sensitivity and the levels of UCP1. Finally, fatty acids increase the conductance by facilitating proton translocation, a mechanism that is distinct from the fatty acid uncoupling mediated by other mitochondrial carriers. The regulation of UCP1 and UCP2 by retinoids and the lack of effects of fatty acids on UCP2 or UCP3 are starting to set differences among the new uncoupling proteins.

Limited value of nephelometry in monitoring the administration of intravenous fat in neonates

To evaluate the usefulness of nephelometry in predicting hyperlipidemia in neonates receiving intravenous fat (IVF), 23 infants in our neonatal intensive care nursery had simultaneous measurements of the serum IVF level (as determined by nephelometry), triglyceride, cholesterol, and free fatty acid/albumin molar ratio. There was a positive correlation between the serum IVF level and triglycerides, but the IVF level did not reliably predict elevated triglycerides, cholesterol, or free fatty acid-albumin molar ratio. Thus, neonates receiving IVF emulsions cannot be monitored by nephelometry alone. Adequate monitoring requires measurement of specific lipid fractions.

A source of nonshivering thermogenesis in fur seal skeletal muscle

The mitochondria from the subscapular muscle of naturally cold-stressed 10- to 15-year-old northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) were loosely coupled upon isolation, whereas the mitochondria from the same muscle of warm-acclimated pups of the same age were tightly coupled. Thus, loose-coupled muscle mitochondria might provide an important vehicle for nonshivering thermogenesis in this species.

Conformational and biological properties of a covalently linked dimer of glucagon. Reaction of mono- and bifunctional sulfenyl halides

The tryptophan residue of glucagon was modified by reaction with a mono-functional sulfenyl chloride (2-nitrophenylsulfenyl chloride) and with a bifunctional sulfenyl chloride (2,4-dinitro-1,5-phenyldisulfenyl chloride) to produce a monomeric form of glucagon with a modified tryptophan, glucagon-nitrophenylsulfenyl and a dimeric form (glucagon)2-dinitrophenyldisulfenyl respectively. The dimeric form was isolated by chromatography on Sephadex G-50. The circular dichroism spectra of pH and low temperature. The derivatives activated adenylate cyclase from rat liver to an extent comparable to that of the native hormone, indicating that a glucagon dimer is capable of biological activity and that an intact tryptophan residue is not essential for biological response.

Zonation of the adrenal cortex. II. Effect of BSA on coupling efficiency of mitochondria isolated from the zona glomerulosa of the bovine adrenal cortex

Effect of bovine serum albumin on coupling efficiency of mitochondria isolated from the zona glomerulosa of the bovine adrenal cortex in various media was examined polarographically and electron microscopically. Albumin restored the coupling efficiency of mitochondria isolated from the zona glomerulosa regardless of isolation media when succinate or malate was oxidizable substrate. Respiratory controls greater than 5 were obtained. Albumin, however, had no effect when glutamate, beta-hydroxybutylate and pyruvate were the oxidizable substrates. The conditions have been found under which mitochondria of the zona glomerulosa stay in the orthodox configuration and yet coupled.

The effect of carnitine on the oxidation of saturated fatty acids by pea cotyledon mitochondria

Carnitine was found to stimulate fatty acid oxidation by pea (Pisum sativum L.) cotyledon mitochondria. The stimulation was at a maximum for long chain (C16:0) and short chain (C4:0 and C6:0) fatty acids. Evidence was also provided which indicated that mid-chain (C10:0 and C12:0) fatty acid oxidation by mitochondria was stimulated by carnitine. It is postulated that carnitine acts by facilitating transport of these species of fatty acids across the mitochondrial membranes to intramitochondrial β-oxidation sites.

The effect of noradrenaline on glyceride synthesis and oxidative metabolism in vitro in the brown fat of newborn rabbits

1. The effect of noradrenaline on the synthesis of glyceride from [U-(14)C]glucose and on gas exchange in the brown fat of newborn rabbits in vitro was investigated. 2. The specific radioactivity of l-glycerol 3-phosphate was lower than that of lactate, presumably because glycerol derived from glyceride was rephosphorylated by glycerokinase. 3. In the basal state more than 25% of the total respiration was due to pyruvate oxidation. Noradrenaline stimulated glyceride synthesis and total respiration without changing the proportion of the total respiration due to pyruvate oxidation. 4. The extra ADP released by noradrenaline stimulation of glyceride synthesis could not have supported more than 2% of the observed increase in substrate oxidation if mitochondria from brown-fat-cells remain fully coupled in the stimulated state, but could have supported about one-third of the observed increase if they become uncoupled in the presence of noradrenaline.

Changes in the liver mitochondrial oxidation of succinate during cold-exposure

1. Exposure of rats to low environmental temperature resulted in increased activities of several hepatic oxidative-enzyme systems. 2. Simultaneous with increase in liver ubiquinone in cold-exposed rats, the ubiquinone-dependent succinate-neotetrazolium chloride reductase activity also increased. Such an increase could also be obtained by enriching liver with ubiquinone by feeding with an exogenous source. 3. Succinate-neotetrazolium chloride reductase activity could be increased by preincubation of mitochondria with succinate and the mechanism of this activation appears to be different from that obtained on addition of ubiquinone. 4. Succinate-neotetrazolium chloride reductase activity was found to be more labile than succinate dehydrogenase on freezing and thawing and storage, and the presence of succinate gave protection against this loss in hepatic mitochondria obtained from both normal and cold-exposed animals.

Oxidative phosphorylation. The specific binding of trimethyltin and triethyltin to rat liver mitochondria

1. The binding of trimethyltin and triethyltin to rat liver mitochondria was determined and the results were analysed by the method of Scatchard (1949). 2. One binding site (site 1) has the correct characteristics for the site to which trimethyltin and triethyltin are attached when they inhibit oxidative phosphorylation. For each compound the concentration of site 1 is 0.8nmol/mg of protein and the ratios of their affinity constants are the same as the ratio of the concentrations inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation. 3. Binding site 1 is present in a fraction derived from mitochondria containing only 15% of the original protein. In this preparation ultrasonication rapidly destroyed site 1. 4. Dimethyltin and diethyltin do not prevent binding of triethyltin to rat liver mitochondria, whereas triethyl-lead does. 5. Trimethyltin and triethyltin bind to mitochondria from brown adipose tissue and the results indicate a binding site 1 similar to that in rat liver mitochondria. 6. The advantages and limitations of this approach to the study of inhibitors are discussed.

Respiration and protein synthesis in Escherichia coli membrane-envelope fragments. II. Effects of fatty acids and albumin on respiration

Fatty acids inhibited the ability of Escherichia coli membrane-envelope fragments to catalyze the oxidation of succinate and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced form (NADH) and also inhibited the response of the Clark oxygen electrode to nonenzymatic oxygen uptake. In all cases, unsaturated fatty acids were much more inhibitory than saturated fatty acids. Albumin afforded complete protection from inhibition in the nonenzymatic oxygen-uptake experiments but only partial protection for the respiratory activities of the membrane fragments. The succinoxidase activity was totally inhibited by bovine serum albumin at concentrations that inhibited succinate dehydrogenase only slightly and NADH oxidase not at all. The E. coli acellular preparation showed no dehydrogenase or oxidase activity for any of the fatty acids under a variety of conditions. These conditions included variations of pH, concentration of fatty acids, and the presence or absence of albumin, CoA, ATP, NAD, cysteine, succinate, and carnitine. It thus appears that E. coli grown in the absence of fatty acid can not use fatty acids as an energy source.

Unusually high mitochondrial alpha glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity in rat brown adipose tissue

Brown adipose tissue of the rat has been found to have an unusually high activity of mitohondrial alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (alpha-GPD) when assayed both by a histochemical staining procedure and by a quantitative biochemical method with isolated mitochondria. In contrast to succinic, glutamic, and beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenases, all mitochondrial enzymes, the activity of alpha-GPD in brown fat was 10 times that in liver, more than 20 times that in white adipose tissue, and 9 times that in kidney. The soluble NAD-linked alpha-GPD was also higher in brown adipose tissue than in white adipose tissue, liver, or kidney, but the differences were much less marked. The possible importance of the high activity of mitochondrial alpha-GPD in the regulation of synthesis of esterified lipid and in thermogenesis in brown fat is discussed.