Phosphofructokinase Isozyme Expression during Myoblast Differentiation

Genomic organization, 5'flanking region and tissue-specific expression of mouse phosphofructokinase C gene

Using a combination of mouse bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) genomic library screening, long-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, genomic walking and DNA sequencing, we have characterized the intron/exon boundaries, the sizes of each intron and 5' flanking region of the mouse PFK-C gene. The gene spans approximately 55 kb and comprises 22 exons separated by 21 introns. All intron/exon splice junctions conform to the GT/AG rule. The mouse PFK-C gene organization is similar to that of the human and rabbit PFK-A and human and mouse PFK-B genes. However, PFK-C has much larger intronic sequences throughout the gene. Anchored PCR was performed to amplify about 1.0 kb of genomic DNA upstream of the translational start site. Sequence analysis of the PFK-C 5' flanking region revealed that it is devoid of TATA and CAAT boxes at the usual positions, but it contained several putative binding sites for transcription factors AP1, GATA1, NKX2.5 and STAT. The 5' flanking region was not enriched in GC dinucleotides and lacked CpG islands and putative binding sites for SP1. Four transcription initiation sites have been identified by full-length RNA ligase-mediated rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RLM-RACE) between -61 and -32 bp from the translation initiation codon. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed that PFK-A, PFK-B and PFK-C genes were expressed, in all mouse tissues tested, at varying levels. PFK-A mRNA was more abundantly expressed in all tissues than were the PFK-B and PFK-C genes. Based on the mouse PFK-C signal normalized to 18S rRNA, the PFK-C mRNA was expressed at the highest levels in the brain, heart, thymus and testicles, whereas low levels were observed in the kidney, liver, muscle, and lung.

Association of phosphofructokinase-M with caveolin-3 in differentiated skeletal myotubes. Dynamic regulation by extracellular glucose and intracellular metabolites

Caveolin-3 is a member of the caveolin family of proteins that is primarily expressed in striated muscle cell types (skeletal and cardiac). Here, we show that an approximately 80-kDa protein specifically co-immunoprecipitates with caveolin-3 expressed in differentiated skeletal C2C12 myotubes. Microsequence analysis of this approximately 80-kDa polypeptide revealed its identity as a key regulatory enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, namely phosphofructokinase-M (PFK-M). Pulse-chase experiments demonstrate that PFK-M associates with caveolin-3 with a significant time lag after the biosynthesis of PFK-M. In addition, we show that this interaction is (i) highly regulated by the extracellular concentration of glucose and (ii) can be stabilized by a number of relevant intracellular metabolites, such as fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, which are known allosteric activators of PFK. While the bulk of these experiments were performed in C2C12 cells, identical results were obtained using mouse skeletal muscle extracts. Taken together, our results suggest that glucose-dependent plasma membrane recruitment of activated PFK-M by caveolin-3 could have important implications for understanding the mechanisms that regulate energy metabolism in skeletal muscle fibers.

Molecular basis of canine muscle type phosphofructokinase deficiency

Muscle type phosphofructokinase (M-PFK) deficiency is a rare inherited glycogen storage disease in humans that causes exertional myopathy and hemolysis. The molecular basis of canine M-PFK deficiency, the only naturally occurring animal homologue, was investigated. Lack of M-PFK enzyme activity was caused by a nonsense mutation in the penultimate exon of the M-PFK gene, leading to rapid degradation of a truncated (40 amino acids) and therefore unstable M-PFK protein. A polymerase chain reaction-based test was devised to identify M-PFK-deficient and carrier animals. This represents one of only a few inborn errors of metabolism where the molecular defect has been identified in a large animal model which can now be used to develop and assess novel therapeutic strategies.

Characterization of expression of phosphofructokinase isoforms in isolated rat pancreatic islets and purified beta cells and cloning and expression of the rat phosphofructokinase-A isoform

Phosphofructokinase (PFK) plays a key role in regulating glycolytic flux, and the mammalian enzyme is a tetramer. Three monomeric isoforms are encoded by separate genes, are differentially expressed in specific tissues, and are designated by tissues in which they are most abundant (A, muscle; B, liver; and C, brain). Glucose-induced insulin secretion from pancreatic islets requires glucose transport into islet beta-cells and glycolytic metabolism. Little is known about islet PFK isozymes, but the possibility that PFK-A is expressed in beta-cells is of interest because that isoform is thought to govern glycolytic oscillations and to interact with a metabolically activated beta-cell phospholipase A2 enzyme. Using as probe a PCR product generated from rat islet RNA with primers designed from the human PFK-A sequence, we have cloned a full-length PFK-A cDNA from a rat islet cDNA library. The rat PFK-A deduced amino-acid sequence is 96% identical to that of human PFK-A, and all residues thought to participate in substrate or allosteric effector binding are conserved between the two sequences. The rat PFK-A amino-acid sequence is 69% and 68% identical to those for rat PFK-B and rat PFK-C, respectively, and differences in residues involved in binding of allosteric effectors were observed among the three isoforms. Rat PFK-A expressed as a glutathione-S-transferase fusion protein was recognized by antibodies raised against a peptide in the PFK-A sequence. Expression of PFK isoform mRNA species was examined by RT-PCR in rat islets, in purified populations of beta-cells prepared by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), and in RIN-m5F insulinoma cells, all of which expressed mRNA species for PFK-A, -B, and -C isoforms. PFK-A mRNA was expressed at much lower levels in an islet alpha-cell-enriched population. Interleukin-1 impairs islet glucose metabolism and insulin secretion and was found to induce a specific decline in islet expression of PFK-A mRNA. These findings establish the sequence of rat PFK-A, demonstrate that it is expressed in FACS-purified islet beta-cells, and suggest that its expression is regulated by a cytokine which influences insulin secretion.

Alteration of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase subunit protein, synthesis rates, and mRNA during rat neonatal development

For the three 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK) subunits in heart, skeletal muscle, liver and kidney, developmentally-associated changes in protein, mRNA and apparent synthesis rates were observed. During neonatal maturation, all three phenomena for the M-type in heart and skeletal muscle exhibited large increases. Also, during neonatal development, the L-type and C-type subunits were unaffected in heart but disappeared from skeletal muscle. In the newborn liver and kidney, the amounts of each type of PFK subunit protein were nearly identical. During neonatal development, the levels of all three PFK subunit proteins in kidney increased more than twofold; and this was associated with a similar increase in apparent subunit synthesis rates and mRNA levels. During liver neonatal development, the L-type subunit protein, synthesis and mRNA levels also increased more than twofold. However, during hepatic maturation, M-type subunit protein, synthesis and mRNA levels were unchanged and apparently unaffected. The C-type subunit protein during neonatal liver development decreased approximately 80% as did its apparent synthesis rate. These data suggest that regulation of the alteration of the PFK subunit proteins during neonatal maturation can vary among these tissues and is not the same for each subunit type. Different mechanisms, such as transcription, translation, and mRNA stability could be involved.

Control of the murine phosphofructokinase-A gene during muscle differentiation

The muscle-specific isoform of phosphofructokinase (PFK-A) is induced during muscle development. To understand expression of PFK at the molecular level, transcription of the mouse PFK-A gene was examined during C2 myoblast differentiation to myotubes. PFK-A gene transcription increased 5-7-fold during differentiation in vitro. To identify cis-acting elements which direct muscle-specific transcription of the PFK-A gene, its 5'-flanking region and first exon were cloned and characterized. S1 nuclease protection and primer extension assays showed four sites of transcription initiation at 106, 105, 88, and 87 bp upstream of the translation initiation codon. Stable transfection of fusion genes linking -1900 to +99 of PFK-A 5'-flanking sequence to chloramphenicol acetyltransferase coding sequences into myogenic C2 cells did not confer muscle-specific expression. However, larger fragments of PFK-A 5'-flanking region (-5800 to +99) showed muscle-specific expression by transient transfection assay. The sequences directing muscle-specific transcription were further defined by linking various PFK-A upstream fragments to the luciferase gene under the control of the PFK-A proximal promoter, -335 to +99 bp. We found DNA sequence responsible for muscle-specific expression of the PFK-A gene between -4800 and -3900 bp.

The nucleotide receptors on mouse C2C12 myotubes

1. The response of C2C12 mouse myotubes to stimulation with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and other nucleotides was studied by measuring changes in membrane potential. 2. A transient hyperpolarization followed by a slowly declining depolarization of the cells was observed in the presence of ATP (10 microM-1 mM). 3. The hyperpolarization was not observed in the absence of external calcium, and was abolished in the presence of tetraethylammonium (20 mM) or the bee toxin, apamin (0.1 microM). The depolarization was reduced under low sodium conditions. 4. A biphasic change in membrane potential was also recorded in the presence of adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATP gamma S) and the pyrimidine uridine triphosphate (UTP), while the ATP derivatives and analogues, adenosine diphosphate, adenosine, alpha,beta-methylene ATP and 2-methylthio ATP and the nucleotides, guanosine triphosphate and cytidine triphosphate, did not affect the membrane potential of the myotubes. 5. The hyperpolarization elicited by ATP gamma S or UTP was also blocked by apamin and abolished under Ca(2+)-free conditions. 6. In contrast to ATP and ATP gamma S, the depolarization evoked by UTP was unaffected under low Na+ and less sensitive to the antagonistic action of suramin. 7. The ATP and UTP responses at maximal concentration were not additive after simultaneous application. ATP elicited a depolarization if applied after UTP, while UTP did not change membrane potential following the application of ATP. 8. The concentration-response curves of the effective nucleotides were shifted to the right in the presence of suramin, suggesting competitive antagonism.9. These results can be explained by the presence of 'nucleotide receptors' mediating the ATP/UTPinduced hyperpolarization and depolarization in C2C12 myotubes. Furthermore, an increase in Na+-conductivity can be exclusively activated by ATP.

Changes in phosphofructokinase isozymes during development of myoblasts to myotubes

The regulation of phosphofructokinase during development of C2C12 myoblasts to myotubes was investigated. Enzyme activity was markedly increased during myogenic development. The increase was observed when enzyme activity was measured under optimal conditions and was not due to changes in the allosteric kinetic properties of the enzyme. Immunoprecipitation of phosphofructokinase from [35S]methionine-labeled myogenic cells revealed that equal amounts of liver and muscle isozymes are present in myoblasts, while in myotubes there was a much higher level of the muscle isozyme. These results were confirmed using an immunoblotting technique. The increase in the level of muscle isozyme in myotubes is due to an increase in the rate of synthesis of the muscle isozyme and occurs in spite of a measurably small increase in its degradation rate. Northern blot analysis using a synthetic oligonucleotide probe showed a 25-fold increase in the level of muscle phosphofructokinase mRNA in myotubes. The conclusion is drawn that the increase in muscle isozyme in myotubes during myogenesis is due to an increase in its mRNA level.