METABOLIC INHOMOGENEITY OF GLYCOGEN AS A FUNCTION OF MOLECULAR WEIGHT

Analysis of Cell Glycogen with Quantitation and Determination of Branching Using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Glycogen is a highly branched biomacromolecule that functions as a glucose buffer. It is involved in multiple diseases such as glycogen storage disorders, diabetes, and even liver cancer, where the imbalance between biosynthetic and catabolic enzymes results in structural alterations and abnormal accumulation of glycogen that can be toxic to cells. Accurate and sensitive glycogen quantification and structural determination are prerequisites for understanding the phenotypes and biological functions of glycogen under these conditions. In this research, we furthered cell glycogen characterization by presenting a highly sensitive method to measure the glycogen content and degree of branching. The method employed a novel fructose density gradient as an alternative to the traditional sucrose gradient to fractionate glycogen from cell mixtures using ultracentrifugation. Fructose was used to avoid the large glucose background, allowing the method to be highly quantitative. The glycogen content was determined by quantifying 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP)-derivatized glucose residues obtained from acid-hydrolyzed glycogen using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC/QqQ-MS). The degree of branching was determined through linkage analysis where the glycogen underwent permethylation, hydrolysis, PMP derivatization, and UHPLC/QqQ-MS analysis. The new approach was used to study the effect of insulin on the glycogen phenotypes of human hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep G2) cells. We observed that cells produced greater amounts of glycogen with less branching under increasing insulin levels before reaching the cell's insulin-resistant state, where the trend reversed and the cells produced less but higher-branched glycogen. The advantage of this method lies in its high sensitivity in characterizing both the glycogen level and the structure of biological samples.

Optimization of liver glycogen extraction when considering the fine molecular structure

Liver glycogen is a branched glucose polymer that functions as a blood-sugar buffer in animals. Previous studies have shown that glycogen's molecular structure affects its properties. This makes it important to develop a technique that extracts and purifies a representative sample of glycogen. Here we aim to optimize the sucrose density gradient centrifugation method for preserving glycogen's molecular structure by varying the density of the sucrose solution. The preservation of glycogen's structure involves: 1) minimizing molecular damage and 2) obtaining a structurally representative sample of glycogen. The addition of a 10-minute boiling step was also tested as a means for denaturing any glycogen degrading enzymes. Lower sucrose concentrations and the introduction of the boiling step were shown to be beneficial in obtaining a more structurally representative sample, with the preservation of smaller glycogen particles and decreased glycogen chain degradation.

Is liver glycogen fragility a possible drug target for diabetes?

Liver glycogen α particles are molecularly fragile in diabetic mice, and readily form smaller β particles, which degrade more rapidly to glucose. This effect is well associated with the loss of blood-glucose homeostasis in diabetes. The biological mechanism of such fragility is still unknown; therefore, there are perceived opportunities that could eventually lead to new means to manage type 2 diabetes. The hierarchical structures of glycogen particles are controlled by the underlying biosynthesis/degradation process that involves various enzymes, including, for example, glycogen synthase (GS) and glycogen-branching enzyme (GBE). Recent studies have shown that fragile glycogen α particles in diabetic mice have longer chains and a higher molecular density compared to wild-type mice, indicating an enhanced enzymatic activity ratio of GS to GBE in diabetes. Furthermore, it has been shown that with an improved blood glucose homeostasis, the glycogen fragility in diabetic mice can be restored by treatment with active ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine, yet the underlying mechanism is unknown. In this review, we summarize recent advances in understandings glycogen fragility from the perspectives of glycogen biosynthesis/degradation, glycogen hierarchical structures, and its relation to diabetes. Importantly, we for the first time set GS/GBE activity ratio as the therapeutic target for diabetes.

A rapid extraction method for glycogen from formalin-fixed liver

Liver glycogen, a highly branched polymer, acts as our blood-glucose buffer. While past structural studies have extracted glycogen from fresh or frozen tissue using a cold-water, sucrose-gradient centrifugation technique, a method for the extraction of glycogen from formalin-fixed liver would allow the analysis of glycogen from human tissues that are routinely collected in pathology laboratories. In this study, both sucrose-gradient and formalin-fixed extraction techniques were carried out on piglet livers, with the yields, purities and size distributions (using size exclusion chromatography) compared. The formalin extraction technique, when combined with a protease treatment, resulted in higher yields (but lower purities) of glycogen with size distributions similar to the sucrose-gradient centrifugation technique. This formalin extraction procedure was also significantly faster, allowing glycogen extraction throughput to increase by an order of magnitude. Both extraction techniques were compatible with mass spectrometry proteomics, with analysis showing the two techniques were highly complementary.

High glycogen levels in brains of rats with minimal environmental stimuli: implications for metabolic contributions of working astrocytes

The concentration of glycogen, the major brain energy reserve localized mainly in astrocytes, is generally reported as about 2 or 3 micromol/g, but sometimes as high as 3.9 to 8 micromol/g, in normal rat brain. The authors found high but very different glycogen levels in two recent studies in which glycogen was determined by the routine amyloglucosidase procedure in 0.03N HCl digests either of frozen powders (4.8 to 6 micromol/g) or of ethanol-insoluble fractions (8 to 12 micromol/g). To evaluate the basis for these discrepant results, glycogen was assayed in parallel extracts of the same samples. Glycogen levels in ethanol extracts were twice those in 0.03N HCl digests, suggesting incomplete enzyme inactivation even with very careful thawing. The very high glycogen levels were biologically active and responsive to physiologic and pharmacological challenge. Glycogen levels fell after brief sensory stimulation, and metabolic labeling indicated its turnover under resting conditions. About 95% of the glycogen was degraded under in vitro ischemic conditions, and its "carbon equivalents" recovered mainly as glc, glc-P, and lactate. Resting glycogen stores were reduced by about 50% by chronic inhibition of nitric oxide synthase. Because neurotransmitters are known to stimulate glycogenolysis, stress or sensory activation due to animal handling and tissue-sampling procedures may stimulate glycogenolysis during an experiment, and glycogen lability during tissue sampling and extraction can further reduce glycogen levels. The very high glycogen levels in normal rat brain suggest an unrecognized role for astrocytic energy metabolism during brain activation.

METABOLISM OF INTRACELLULAR POLYSACCHARIDE BY STREPTOCOCCUS MITIS AND ITS RELATION TO INDUCIBLE ENZYME FORMATION

Gibbons, R. J. (Forsyth Dental Center, Boston Mass.). Metabolism of intracellular polysaccharide by Streptococcus mitis and its relation to inducible enzyme formation. J. Bacteriol. 87:1512-1520. 1964.-The synthesis and catabolism of an intracellular iodine staining polysaccharide produced from glucose by Streptococcus mitis was investigated. Approximately 15% of the total glucose metabolized by buffered suspensions of S. mitis was assimilated. Over 90% of the assimilated glucose was converted into a polysaccharide of the glycogen-amylopectin type. Use of uniformly labeled C(14)-glucose provided a convenient method for determining polysaccharide accumulation in this organism. Glucose assimilation occurred at a rate of over 80 mug of glucose per hr per 100 mug of starting dry cell weight. Prolonged assimilation produced cells containing over 50% polysaccharide on a dry weight basis. Accumulated polysaccharide was catabolized at the same rate when the organism was suspended in buffer, sugar-free broth, or sugar-free broth containing thiomethyl galactoside. Metabolic intermediates produced from polysaccharide catabolism did not markedly repress inducible enzyme synthesis. The last glucose molecules incorporated into polysaccharide were among the first molecules to be removed during catabolism. Catabolism of polysaccharide provides S. mitis with energy in a utilizable form, for cells containing polysaccharide increased in beta-galactosidase activity when induced with thiomethyl galactoside in the absence of an exogenous energy source. Cells devoid of polysaccharide, and a polysaccharide-negative variant of S. mitis did not increase in beta-galactosidase activity when induced in a similar manner. It appears that the intracellular polysaccharide is the sole substrate for the endogenous metabolism of S. mitis.

Exercise and exhaustion effects on glycogen synthesis pathways

Female Sprague-Dawley rats were infused with [1-13C]glucose to measure the effect of endurance training and the effect of various metabolic conditions on pathways of hepatic glycogen synthesis. Four metabolic states [sedentary (S), trained (T), sedentary exhausted (SE), and trained exhausted (TE)] were studied. T and TE rats were trained on a motor-driven treadmill (30 m/min, 15% grade, 1.0 h/day, 5 days/wk) for 8-10 wk. After a 24-h fast, SE and TE rats were run to exhaustion (sedentary average = 78 min, trained average = 155 min) at a training pace and immediately infused with labeled glucose for 2 h. S and T rats were infused after a 24-h fast. After infusion, tissues were removed and glycogen was isolated and hydrolyzed to glucose. The glucose was measured for distribution of 13C by using nuclear magnetic resonance. Glycogen was synthesized predominantly by the indirect pathway for all metabolic states, indicating that infused glucose was first metabolized primarily in the peripheral tissue. The direct-pathway utilization was greater in rested S than in rested T animals (30 vs. 14%); however, for exhausted animals, the trained use of the direct pathway was greater (22 vs. 9%). Both TE and rested T animals utilize the indirect pathway a comparable amount. Sedentary animals, on the other hand, dramatically decreased utilization of the direct pathway, with exhaustive exercise changing from 30 to 9%. The results indicate that endurance training modifies glucose utilization during glycogen synthesis after fasting and exhaustive exercise.

Determination of the glycogen synthesis pathway by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis

The level of hepatic glycogen synthesized directly from glucose was measured in rats with [1-13C]glucose. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum of glucose was used to measure the distribution of the 13C label from C1 to the other carbons. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were surgically implanted with catheters in the left carotid artery and the right jugular vein, followed by a 3-day recovery period and a 24-hour fast to deplete liver glycogen. A 2-hour infusion of the fasted animal with [1-13C]glucose was immediately followed by the removal of blood and liver tissue. The liver was divided into the right, left, caudate, and medial lobes, and then freeze-clamped in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80 degrees C. The 13C NMR glucose spectra were obtained from glycogen that was isolated from each liver lobe and hydrolyzed to glucose with amyloglucosidase. Spectra were obtained at 50.3 MHz in a narrow-bore Gemini 200-MHz NMR spectrometer (Varian, Palo Alto, CA). The distribution of 13C onto glucose carbons was measured from these spectra, and the percent direct pathway was calculated to be 29% +/- 2.5%. Metabolic variation for the synthesis of glycogen within the liver was determined by measuring the direct pathway contribution in each of the four liver lobes. Percent direct pathway values were similar (P > .05) in right (35% +/- 4.9%), left (26% +/- 5.1%), medial (25% +/- 4.9%), and caudate (27% +/- 5.6%) lobes. For some of the animals, the direct pathway was determined by infusion with [6-13C]glucose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

An h.p.l.c. method for determining chain-length distribution in some glycogens

Human, oyster, Streptococcus mitis, and phyto-glycogen samples were debranched using Pseudomonas amylodermosa isoamylase (EC 3.2.1.68). The distribution of chain lengths was studied by high-performance liquid chromatography on reversed-phase columns, with water as eluent. Quantitative data was obtained over the degree of polymerisation range three to eighteen (d.p. 3-18), and oligosaccharides up to d.p. 26 were detected. No single column was found suitable for the resolution of the complete range of oligosaccharides, two columns being necessary for the quantitative analysis. The resulting "fingerprints" of chain lengths are characteristic of the glycogen source and should be useful for both comparison purposes among glycogens and for monitoring procedures of glycogen isolation.

Acid lability of metabolites of 2-deoxyglucose in rat brain: implications for estimates of kinetic parameters of deoxyglucose phosphorylation and transport between blood and brain

The steady-state brain/plasma distribution ratios of [14C]deoxyglucose ([14C]DG) for hypoglycemic rats previously determined by measurement of DG concentrations in neutralized acid extracts of freeze-blown brain and plasma exceeded those predicted by simulations of kinetics of the DG model. Overestimation of the true size of the precursor pool of [14C]DG for transport and phosphorylation could arise from sequestration of [14C]DG within brain compartments and/or instability of metabolites of [14C]DG and regeneration of free [14C]DG during the experimental period or extraction procedure. In the present study, the concentrations of [14C]DG and glucose were compared in samples of rat brain and plasma extracted in parallel with perchloric acid or 65% ethanol containing phosphate-buffered saline. The concentrations of both hexoses in acid extracts of brain were higher than those in ethanol, whereas hexose contents of plasma were not dependent on the extraction procedure. The magnitude of overestimation of DG content (about 1.2-to fourfold) varied with glucose level and was highest in extracts isolated from hypoglycemic rats; contamination of the [14C]DG fraction with 14C-labeled nonacidic metabolites also contributed to this overestimation. Glucose concentrations in acid extracts of brain exceeded those of the ethanol extracts by less than 40% for normal and hypoglycemic rats.

Glycogen metabolism in the rat visceral yolk sac. I. Glycogen content and gestational age

The glycogen content of the rat visceral yolk sac was determined between 13.5 and 20.5 days of gestation by the best available colorimetric method. The concentration of glycogen in the tissue increased ten-fold between 13.5 and 18.5 days, to reach a value similar to that for mammalian muscle, but then decreased by 50 per cent between 18.5 and 20.5 days. Determination of the iodine-iodide spectra and fractionation of the glycogen particles by a novel sodium citrate centrifugation method indicated broad similarities between the structures of glycogen particles, isolated by a mild phenol-water method, from the yolk sac and the liver of the rat. However, the proportion of 'high'-molecular-weight glycogen in the yolk sac increases between 18.5 and 20.5 days, as a result of the preferential loss of 'low'-molecular-weight glycogen, so that at term the proportion approaches that found in liver glycogen.

Evidence for gluconeogenesis in the amphibian retina

Evidence for the existence of a gluconeogenic pathway was provided in the amphibian retina. It was found that [3H]glutamate was converted to [3H]glucose derived from [3H]glutamate was incorporated into glycogen. The rate for this incorporation was found to be essentially the same in both light- and dark-adapted retinas: 0.147 vs. 0.142 nmol (mg protein X 2 hr)-1, respectively. However, the rate of incorporation was found to decline progressively with time. The rate for the incorporation of label derived from glutamate into glycogen was found to be considerably less than that for [3H]glucose: 10.2 nmol (mg protein X 2 hr)-1. The activity of a key gluconeogenic enzyme, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, also was demonstrated in retinal supernatants, approximately 1 nmol (mg X min)-1, and the activity of this enzyme was found to be inhibited both by adenosine monophosphate and by fructose-2,6-bisphosphate.

Glycogen metabolism in an amphibian retina

The rate of incorporation of [3H]glucose into glycogen was determined in bullfrog retina incubated in vitro in dark and in the light. The rate of incorporation for glucose was found to be approximately two-fold greater in the dark than in the light, 0.108 vs. 0.061 nmol mg-1 protein min-1, respectively. The turnover rate for glycogen was found also to be approximately two-fold greater in the dark than in the light, 0.051 vs. 0.027% min-1, respectively.

Effects of fasting on mucus glycoprotein biosynthesis in rat stomach

Biosynthetic activity of gastrin mucus glycoprotein in rats after fasting for 24 and 72 hr was studied by the organ culture technique. Fasting produced a slight reduction in gastric mucus glycoprotein biosynthesis in the corpus and antrum (about 70-90% of fed rats). Sulfation of gastric mucus glycoprotein was restrained in the corpus (18% in control for 72 hr).

Studies on severe hepatic damage induced by galactosamine

Severe hepatic damage with submassive necrosis induced in rats by an intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of galactosamine hydrochloride was studied. In the severely damaged liver, the remarkable decreases of glycogen and UDPG in the damaged liver were seen. This means extreme decrease in the reserve power of glycolysis. Moreover, the activities of glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1,6-diphosphatase decreased. Therefore, the glucose release from liver into the blood stream decreases and the inhibition of gluconeogenesis occurs. In the damaged liver, the decrease of UTP which is essential for the synthesis of sugar moiety of polysaccharide, was seen. Further, the activities of L-glutamine: D-fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase and UDP N-acetylglucosamine 2'-epimerase which are two key enzymes of polysaccharide synthesizing enzyme were seen to decrease remarkably. In the damaged liver, the glycoprotein fraction decreased more strikingly than the acid mucopolysaccharide fraction. Moreover, the decrease of fructose-1,6-diphosphatase activity seems also to effect on the inhibition of polysaccharide synthesis. In these respects, in the severe hepatic damage, the synthesis of glycoprotein which is essential for liver cell seems to be inhibited.

Molecular and metabolic heterogeneity of liver glycogen

On refeeding after starvation, the resynthesis of rabbit-liver glycogen proceeds inhomogeneously and over-produces material of low molecular weight. The fate of radioactivity incorporated into glycogen from D-glucose-14C can be explained if glycogen of high molecular weight is synthesised on a protein backbone. Confirmation of this view is given by the effect upon glycogen of reagents that break disulphide bonds; these cause loss of the polysaccharide of high molecular weight. Buoyant densities of glycogens are found to be independent of molecular weight and even of extensive degradation. It is concluded that glycogen synthesis proceeds by two routes; one results in the production of polysaccharide of high molecular weight which has a protein backbone capable of forming disulphide bonds, and another results in the production of polysaccharide of low molecular weight which has either no protein backbone or a protein backbone that is incapable of forming disulphide bridges. Apart from size, the two species are physicochemically indistinguishable.

Glycogen in the cochlea during development

A recently developed technique for demonstrating glycogen by electron microscopy was used to study its location at various stages of cochlear development. It appears first in dispersed form in most of the cells of the otocyst at the stage of the 14-day rat embryo. Glycogen clums were found in Reissner's membrane at 17 days and in the future pillar cells shortly afterwards. Near the time of birth, glycogen appeared in the stria vascularis. By a few days after birth, heavy deposits were evident in the stria but glycogen had faded from the pillar cells and Reissner's membrane. Ten days after birth glycogen is no longer apparent in any of the cells of the cochlear duct except the outer hair cells.

Macromolecular structure and morphology of native glycogen particles isolated from Candida albicans

A polysaccharide-rich particulate fraction was isolated from cytoplasmic extracts of Candida albicans by a procedure using differential centrifugation. The polysaccharide particles obtained after purification with deoxycholate treatment were essentially free of nitrogen and were identified chemically as polyglucosan, in which the glucosidic links were of alpha type. Both the response to amylolytic enzymes and the spectral characteristics of the iodine complexes of the polysaccharide particles were similar to those of rabbit liver glycogen. They also precipitated with concanavalin A, the glycogen value being assessed at 1.04. These data strongly indicated that the polysaccharide particles have the macromolecular structure characteristic of glycogen. The sedimentation analysis revealed that they were polydisperse, with a weight average sedimentation coefficient of 340S. In negatively stained specimens, the glycogen particles were seen to form rosette-like structures consisting of a complex unit 40 to 150 nm in diameter. Such complex particles were composed of smaller globules that were fairly uniform in size with an average diameter of 32 nm.