Changes in the ability of malonyl-CoA to inhibit carnitine palmitoyltransferase I activity and to bind to rat liver mitochondria during incubation in vitro. Differences in binding at 0 degree C and 37 degrees C with a fixed concentration of malonyl-CoA

Malonyl-CoA, a key signaling molecule in mammalian cells

Malonyl-CoA can be formed within the mitochondria, peroxisomes, and cytosol of mammalian cells. Besides being an intermediate in the pathways of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis and fatty acid elongation, malonyl-CoA has an important signaling function through its allosteric inhibition of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, the enzyme that normally exerts flux control over mitochondrial beta-oxidation. Malonyl-CoA is rapidly turned over in mammalian cells, and the activities of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and malonyl-CoA decarboxylase are important determinants of its cytosolic concentration. It is now recognized that malonyl-CoA participates in a diverse range of physiological or pathological responses and systems. These include the ketogenic response of the liver to fasting and diabetes, carbohydrate versus fat fuel selection in muscle tissues, metabolic changes in muscle during contracture, alterations in fatty acid metabolism during cardiac ischemia and postischemic reperfusion, stimulation of B cell insulin secretion by glucose, and the hypothalamic control of appetite.

Definition by functional and structural analysis of two malonyl-CoA sites in carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1) catalyzes the conversion of palmitoyl-CoA to palmitoylcarnitine in the presence of l-carnitine, thus facilitating the entry of fatty acids to mitochondria, in a process that is physiologically inhibited by malonyl-CoA. To examine the mechanism of CPT1 liver isoform (CPT1A) inhibition by malonyl-CoA, we constructed an in silico model of both its NH2- and COOH-terminal domains. Two malonyl-CoA binding sites were found. One of these, the "CoA site" or "A site," is involved in the interactions between NH2- and COOH-terminal domains and shares the acyl-CoA hemitunnel. The other, the "opposite-to-CoA site" or "O site," is on the opposite side of the enzyme, in the catalytic channel. The two sites share the carnitine-binding locus. To prevent the interaction between NH2- and COOH-terminal regions, we produced CPT1A E26K and K561E mutants. A double mutant E26K/K561E (swap), which was expected to conserve the interaction, was also produced. Inhibition assays showed a 12-fold decrease in the sensitivity (IC50) toward malonyl-CoA for CPT1A E26K and K561E single mutants, whereas swap mutant reverts to wild-type IC50 value. We conclude that structural interaction between both domains is critical for enzyme sensitivity to malonyl-CoA inhibition at the "A site." The location of the "O site" for malonyl-CoA binding was supported by inhibition assays of expressed R243T mutant. The model is also sustained by kinetic experiments that indicated linear mixed type malonyl-CoA inhibition for carnitine. Malonyl-CoA alters the affinity of carnitine, and there appears to be an exponential inverse relation between carnitine Km and malonyl-CoA IC50.

The extreme C terminus of rat liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase I is not involved in malonyl-CoA sensitivity but in initial protein folding

We previously reported that the N-terminal domain (1-147 residues) of rat liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (L-CPTI) was essential for import into the outer mitochondrial membrane and for maintenance of a malonyl-CoA-sensitive conformation. Malonyl-CoA binding experiments using mitochondria of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains expressing wild-type L-CPTI or previously constructed chimeric CPTs (Cohen, I., Kohl, C., McGarry, J.D., Girard, J., and Prip-Buus, C. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 29896-29904) indicated that the N-terminal domain was unable, independently of the C-terminal domain, to bind malonyl-CoA with a high affinity, suggesting that the modulation of malonyl-CoA sensitivity occurred through N/C intramolecular interactions. To assess the role of the C terminus in malonyl-CoA sensitivity, a series of C-terminal deletion mutants was generated. The kinetic properties of Delta772-773 and Delta767-773 deletion mutants were similar to those of L-CPTI, indicating that the last two highly conserved Lys residues in all known L-CPTI species were not functionally essential. By contrast, Delta743-773 deletion mutant was totally inactive and unfolded, as shown by its sensitivity to trypsin proteolysis. Because the C terminus of the native folded L-CPTI could be cleaved by trypsin without inducing protein unfolding, we concluded that the last 31 C-terminal residues constitute a secondary structural determinant essential for the initial protein folding of L-CPTI.

Structural model of a malonyl-CoA-binding site of carnitine octanoyltransferase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase I: mutational analysis of a malonyl-CoA affinity domain

Carnitine octanoyltransferase (COT) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) I, which facilitate the transport of medium- and long-chain fatty acids through the peroxisomal and mitochondrial membranes, are physiologically inhibited by malonyl-CoA. Using an "in silico" macromolecular docking approach, we built a model in which malonyl-CoA could be attached near the catalytic core. This disrupts the positioning of the acyl-CoA substrate in the channel in the model reported for both proteins (Morillas, M., Gómez-Puertas, P., Roca, R., Serra, D., Asins, G., Valencia, A., and Hegardt, F. G. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 45001-45008). The putative malonyl-CoA domain contained His(340), implicated together with His(131) in COT malonyl-CoA sensitivity (Morillas, M., Clotet, J., Rubi, B., Serra, D., Asins, G., Ariño, J., and Hegardt F. G. (2000) FEBS Lett. 466, 183-186). When we mutated COT His(131) the IC(50) increased, and malonyl-CoA competed with the substrate decanoyl-CoA. Mutation of COT Ala(332), present in the domain 8 amino acids away from His(340), decreased the malonyl-CoA sensitivity of COT. The homologous histidine and alanine residues of L-CPT I, His(277), His(483), and Ala(478) were also mutated, which decreased malonyl-CoA sensitivity. Natural mutation of Pro(479), which is also located in the malonyl-CoA predicted site, to Leu in a patient with human L-CPT I hereditary deficiency, modified malonyl-CoA sensitivity. We conclude that this malonyl-CoA domain is present in both COT and L-CPT I proteins and might be the site at which malonyl-CoA interacts with the substrate acyl-CoA. Other malonyl-CoA non-inhibitable members of the family, CPT II and carnitine acetyltransferase, do not contain this domain.

Elucidation of the mechanism by which (+)-acylcarnitines inhibit mitochondrial fatty acid transport

It is well established that medium and long chain (+)-acylcarnitines (i.e. fatty acid esters of the unnatural d-isomer of carnitine) inhibit the oxidation of long chain fatty acids in mammalian tissues by interfering with some component(s) of the mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system. However, whether their site of action is at the level of CPT I (outer membrane), CPT II (inner membrane), carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase (CACT, inner membrane), or some combination of these elements has never been resolved. We chose to readdress this question using rat liver mitochondria and employing a variety of assays that distinguish between the three enzyme activities. The effect on each of (+)-acetylcarnitine, (+)-hexanoylcarnitine, (+)-octanoylcarnitine, (+)-decanoylcarnitine, and (+)-palmitoylcarnitine was examined. Contrary to longstanding belief, none of these agents was found to impact significantly upon the activity of CPT I or CPT II. Whereas (+)-acetylcarnitine also failed to influence CACT, both (+)-octanoylcarnitine and (+)-palmitoylcarnitine strongly inhibited this enzyme with a similar IC(50) value ( approximately 35 microm) under the assay conditions employed. Remarkably, (+)-decanoylcarnitine was even more potent (IC(50) approximately 5 microm), whereas (+)-hexanoylcarnitine was far less potent (IC(50) >200 microm). These findings resolve a 35-year-old puzzle by establishing unambiguously that medium and long chain (+)-acylcarnitines suppress mitochondrial fatty acid transport solely through the inhibition of the CACT component. They also reveal a surprising rank order of potency among the various (+)-acylcarnitines in this respect and should prove useful in the design of future experiments in which selective blockade of CACT is desired.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase control of fatty acid oxidation in hearts from hibernating Richardson's ground squirrels

Although mammalian hibernators rely on stored body fat as a source of energy, direct measurement of energy substrate preference in heart tissue during hibernation, as well as potential mechanisms controlling fatty acid oxidation has not been examined. In order to determine whether an increase in fatty acid utilization occurs during hibernation, glucose and palmitate oxidation were measured in isolated working hearts from hibernating and non-hibernating Richardson's ground Squirrels. Hearts were perfused at either 37 degrees or 5 degrees C with perfusate containing 11 mM [U-14C]glucose and 1.2 mM [9,10-3H]palmitate, which allowed for direct measurement of both glucose oxidation (14CO2 production) and fatty acid oxidation (3H2O production). The contribution of fatty acid oxidation as a source of citric acid cycle acetyl-CoA was significantly greater in hearts from hibernating animals, compared to hearts from non-hibernating animals. Since acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) regulates cardiac fatty acid oxidation (producing malonyl-CoA, a potent inhibitor of mitochondrial fatty acid uptake), we measured the activity and expression of ACC in these hearts. ACC activity was significantly decreased in hibernating ground squirrels, regardless of whether ACC was assayed at 37 degrees or 5 degrees C. This decrease in activity could not be explained by a change in the activity of 5'AMP-activated protein kinase, which can phosphorylate and inhibit ACC. Rather, the expression of the 280 kDa isoform of ACC (which predominates in cardiac muscle) was decreased in hearts from hibernating squirrel hearts. This suggests that a down regulation of ACC expression occurs as an adaptation for the increased utilization of fatty acid in hearts of hibernating ground squirrels.

Effect of membrane environment on the activity and inhibitability by malonyl-CoA of the carnitine acyltransferase of hepatic microsomal membranes

We have investigated the extent to which membrane environment affects the catalytic properties of the malonyl-CoA-sensitive carnitine acyltransferase of liver microsomal membranes. Arrhenius-type plots of activity were linear in the absence and presence of malonyl-CoA (2.5 microM). Sensitivity to malonyl-CoA increased with decreasing assay temperature. Partly purified enzyme displayed an increased K0.5 (substrate concentration supporting half the maximal reaction rate) for myristoyl-CoA and a reduced sensitivity to malonyl-CoA compared with the enzyme in situ in membranes. Reconstitution with liposomes of a range of compositions restored the K0.5 for myristoyl-CoA to values similar to that seen in native membranes. The lipid requirements for restoration of sensitivity to malonyl-CoA were more stringent. When animals were starved for 24 h the specific activity of carnitine acyltransferase in microsomal membrane residues was increased 3.3-fold, whereas sensitivity to malonyl-CoA was decreased to 1/2.8. When enzymes partly purified from fed and starved animals were reconstituted into crude soybean phosphatidylcholine liposomes there was no difference in sensitivity to malonyl-CoA. When partly purified enzyme from fed rats was reconstituted into liposomes prepared from microsomal membrane lipids from fed animals it was 2.2-fold more sensitive to malonyl-CoA than when reconstituted with liposomes prepared from microsomal membrane lipids from starved animals. This suggests that the physiological changes in sensitivity to malonyl-CoA are mediated via changes in membrane lipid composition rather than via modification of the enzyme protein itself. The increased specific actvity of acyltransferase observed on starvation could not be attributed to changes in membrane lipid composition.

The mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase system. From concept to molecular analysis

First conceptualized as a mechanism for the mitochondrial transport of long-chain fatty acids in the early 1960s, the carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system has since come to be recognized as a pivotal component of fuel homeostasis. This is by virtue of the unique sensitivity of the outer membrane CPT I to the simple molecule, malonyl-CoA. In addition, both CPT I and the inner membrane enzyme, CPT II, have proved to be loci of inherited defects, some with disastrous consequences. Early efforts using classical approaches to characterize the CPT proteins in terms of structure/function/regulatory relationships gave rise to confusion and protracted debate. By contrast, recent application of molecular biological tools has brought major enlightenment at an exponential pace. Here we review some key developments of the last 20 years that have led to our current understanding of the physiology of the CPT system, the structure of the CPT isoforms, the chromosomal localization of their respective genes, and the identification of mutations in the human population.

Octadecatrienoic acids as the substrates for the key enzymes in glycerolipid biosynthesis and fatty acid oxidation in rat liver

The activities of key enzymes in glycerolipid biosynthesis and fatty acid oxidation were compared using CoA esters of naturally occurring positional isomers of octadecatrienoic acids (18:3) as the substrates. The trienoic acids employed were 9,12,15-18:3 (alpha-18:3), 6,9,12-18:3 (gamma-18:3), and 5,9,12-18:3 (pinolenic acid which is a fatty acid contained in pine seed oil, po-18:3). The activities of microsomal glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase obtained with various 18:3 were only slightly lower than or comparable with those obtained with palmitic (16:0), oleic (18:1), and linoleic (18:2) acids. Mitochondrial glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase was exclusively specific for saturated fatty acyl-CoA. The activities of microsomal diacylglycerol acyltransferase measured with various polyunsaturated fatty acyl-CoAs were significantly lower than those obtained with 16:0- and 18:1-CoAs. Among the polyunsaturated fatty acids, gamma-18:3 gave the distinctly low activity. The Vmax values of the mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase I were significantly higher with alpha-18:3 and po-18:3 but not gamma-18:3, than with 16:0 and 18:2, while the apparent Km values were the same irrespective of the types of acyl-CoA used except for the distinctly low value obtained with gamma-18:3. The response to an inhibitor of the acyltransferase reaction, malonyl-CoA, was appreciably exaggerated with 18:2, alpha-18:3, and po-18:3 more than with 16:0 and 18:1. However, the response with gamma-18:3 was the same as with 16:0. Thus, some of glycerolipid biosynthesis and fatty acid oxidation enzymes could discriminate not only the differences in the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids but also the positional distribution of double bond among the naturally occurring 18:3 acids.

Evidence against direct involvement of phosphorylation in the activation of carnitine palmitoyltransferase by okadaic acid in rat hepatocytes

The mechanism of activation of mitochondrial overt carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT I) by treatment of hepatocytes with okadaic acid (OA) was investigated. Activation was observed when cells were permeabilized with digitonin, but not when a total membrane fraction was obtained by sonication. Both cell disruption methods preserved the activation of phosphorylase observed in OA-treated hepatocytes. Activation of CPT I was also observed in crude homogenates of OA-treated hepatocytes, but it was lost upon subsequent isolation of mitochondria from such homogenates. In all experiments, any activation observed did not depend on the presence or absence of fluoride ions in the permeabilization/homogenization media. When hepatocytes were permeabilized in the absence of fluoride and further incubated with exogenous phosphatases 1 and 2A, the OA-induced activation of CPT was not reversed, whereas the activation of glycogen phosphorylase in the same cells was rapidly reversed. Treatment of hepatocytes with OA, followed by permeabilization and incubation before assay of CPT I, demonstrated that OA had no short-term effect on the sensitivity of CPT I to malonyl-CoA, although the difference in sensitivity between cells isolated from fed and starved rats was fully preserved. Incubation of isolated mitochondria or purified mitochondrial outer membranes with cyclic AMP-dependent or AMP-activated protein kinases, under phosphorylating conditions, did not affect the activity of CPT I or its sensitivity to malonyl-CoA inhibition. Under the same conditions, the use of [32P]ATP resulted in the labelling of several outer-membrane proteins but, unlike [3H]etomoxir-labelled CPT I, none of them was specifically removed from membrane extracts by a specific polyclonal antibody to the enzyme. We conclude that the increase in overt CPT activity observed in permeabilized hepatocytes is not due to direct phosphorylation of CPT I, but may involve interactions between the mitochondrial outer membrane and other membranous or soluble cytosolic components of the cell.

Mature carnitine palmitoyltransferase I retains the N-terminus of the nascent protein in rat liver

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I was isolated from octylglucoside extracts of rat liver mitochondrial outer membranes. This native enzyme was digested proteolytically with V8 protease. Five major peptides were obtained all of which were found in the amino acid sequence predicted from the full-length cDNA sequence of the protein. One peptide was found to correspond to the extreme N-terminus of the deduced amino acid sequence. Therefore, the mature protein retains the N-terminus of the nascent protein after import into the mitochondrial membrane. Knowledge of the identity of the N-terminus of the mature protein allows a reappraisal of the role of the two main. N-terminal hydrophobic domains of the protein and of the possible topology of the protein within the membrane.

Physiological state and the sensitivity of liver mitochondrial outer membrane carnitine palmitoyltransferase to malonyl-CoA. Correlations with assay temperature, salt concentration and membrane lipid composition

1. Liver mitochondrial outer membranes were pre-exposed to media of low (20 mM phosphate) or high salt concentration (20 mM phosphate + 0.3 M KCl) before assay of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) at 25 degrees C. 2. With membranes from fed rats, exposure to high salt decreased sensitivity of CPT to malonyl-CoA whereas high salt increased sensitivity of CPT to malonyl-CoA in membranes from 48 hr-fasted rats. These changes were paralleled by alterations in the KD for high affinity binding of [14C]malonyl-CoA to outer membranes. 3. Decreasing the CPT assay temperatures from 25 to 10 degrees C caused qualitatively similar changes to those seen on exposure to high salt. 4. The relative content of sphingomyelin was increased 2-fold and 4-fold in liver mitochondrial outer membranes from fasted and diabetic rats respectively. Fasting had no effect on the content of cholesterol whereas diabetes decreased this by a third.

Regulation of mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyl transferases from liver and extrahepatic tissues

Developments in our understanding of the complex CPT enzyme system over the past ten years have been reviewed. Liver CPT1, which is probably distinct from that in several extrahepatic tissues, is subject to up- or down-regulation of its activity and kinetic properties with changing physiological state. Evidence is now accumulating to support the notion that the catalytic and malonyl-CoA-binding entities of CPT1 are separate polypeptides.

A study of properties and abundance of the components of liver carnitine palmitoyltransferases in mitochondrial inner and outer membranes. Effects of hypothyroidism, fasting and a ketotic diabetic state

1. Liver mitochondrial outer and inner membranes were isolated from normal, 48 h-fasted, streptozotocin-diabetic and hypothyroid rats. 2. Relative to membrane protein, fasting and diabetes substantially increased the activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) in outer membranes. Inner-membrane CPT specific activity was only slightly altered, being increased in diabetes and decreased in hypothyroidism. Abundance of an inner-membrane Mr-68,000 polypeptide that cross-reacted with an anti-CPT serum was significantly increased in diabetes and hypothyroidism. Relative to inner-membrane CPT activity, this cross-reactivity was increased by 37% in diabetes and by 400% in hypothyroidism, suggesting modification of the intrinsic activity of the CPT in these states. 3. CPT in outer membranes was inhibitable by malonyl-CoA, whereas inner-membrane CPT was insensitive to malonyl-CoA. Fasting and diabetes increased the IC50 (concentration of malonyl-CoA causing 50% inhibition) for outer-membrane CPT, whereas the IC50 was decreased in hypothyroidism. 4. Binding of [14C]malonyl-CoA was observed with both outer and inner membranes and was fitted to two-site models in each case. Fasting, diabetes and hypothyroidism changed the KD for binding at the higher-affinity site in outer membranes in a manner that correlated closely with changes in IC50 for inhibition of outer-membrane CPT by malonyl-CoA. Fasting and diabetes increased the abundance of this outer-membrane high-affinity malonyl-CoA-binding site, whereas hypothyroidism decreased its abundance.

Malonyl-CoA inhibits proteolysis of carnitine palmitoyltransferase

Incubation of isolated mitochondria in the presence of malonyl-CoA prevented proteolysis of the outer carnitine palmitoyltransferase by Nagarse and trypsin. Malonyl-CoA had no direct action on trypsin when present in a chromogenic assay system for proteolysis or when preincubated with the proteases in the absence of mitochondria. As reported previously, Nagarse had a differential effect on carnitine palmitoyltransferase in which malonyl-CoA inhibition was diminished to a greater extent than activity was lost, but all effects were blocked by malonyl-CoA in a concentration-dependent manner. These data suggest a specific effect of binding of malonyl-CoA to carnitine palmitoyltransferase as the protective mechanism.

Cholate separates the catalytic and malonyl-CoA-binding components of carnitine palmitoyltransferase from liver outer mitochondrial membranes

Sodium cholate was used as an anionic detergent to discriminate the two components of liver overt carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT1); namely a catalytic entity and a regulatory component that bound malonyl-CoA. Cholate solubilized approx. 40% of the malonyl-CoA binding entity from mitochondrial outer membranes without appreciable solubilization of CPT1 activity. Cholate did not interfere with binding of [14C]malonyl-CoA to outer membranes or to crude total mitochondrial membrane fractions. By contrast, the non-ionic detergent Tween-20 was ineffective in solubilizing the malonyl-CoA binding entity and also substantially interfered with the binding of [14C]malonyl-CoA. Both detergents appeared to cause total disengagement of the malonyl-CoA binding entity from the catalytic entity of CPT1 only when some inner membrane material was present. 'Reconstitution' experiments were performed in which a malonyl-CoA sensitivity conferring factor in cholate extracts from outer membranes was associated with CPT derived from inner membranes (CPT2). The IC50 for inhibition of CPT2 by malonyl-CoA in this artificial system was similar to that observed with CPT1 in situ in outer membranes. Extracts containing malonyl-CoA sensitivity conferring factor derived from outer membranes of fed or 48 h fasted rats were associated with CPT2 derived from fed rats. The outer membrane extracts from fasted animals conferred a lower maximum responsiveness to malonyl-CoA, but appeared to have a higher affinity for CPT2 than the extracts from fed rats. These results suggest that physiological state can alter the intrinsic properties of the malonyl-CoA sensitivity confering factor.

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase in cardiac ischemia. A potential site for altered fatty acid metabolism

The sensitivity of carnitine palmitoyl coenzyme A (CoA) transferase I to inhibition of its activity by malonyl-CoA is progressively reduced in mitochondria isolated from ischemic cardiac cells as blood flow decreases to 30% or less of the preocclusion flow. The activity of carnitine palmitoyl-CoA transferase I in mitochondria isolated from nonischemic cardiac cells demonstrates incomplete inhibition, even at high concentrations of malonyl-CoA. Kinetic analyses of these data gave results most consistent with the expression of two overt enzyme activities: one activity that is sensitive to inhibition by malonyl-CoA and one activity that demonstrates little or no sensitivity to such inhibition. The decrease in malonyl-CoA-sensitive activity associated with ischemia results from a 13% decrease in the activity of the sensitive component and a corresponding 13% increase in the activity of the insensitive component. Decreased sensitivity of ischemic carnitine palmitoyl-CoA transferase I to inhibition by malonyl-CoA, together with potential fluctuations in the content of malonyl-CoA in tissue, would increase the synthesis of palmitoylcarnitine during ischemia and facilitate return to the use of fatty acid as a preferred metabolic fuel on reperfusion. This apparent conversion occurs concomitantly with a decrease in the free protein thiol content of the mitochondrial membranes isolated from ischemic cardiac cells. Treatment of the mitochondria from ischemic cardiac cells with dithiothreitol in vitro partially reverses the loss in sensitivity to malonyl-CoA, suggesting the possible role of thiol oxidation in the altered metabolism of ischemic mitochondria. Western blot analysis of these mitochondria using an antibody against carnitine palmitoyltransferase II purified from beef heart demonstrates a 68-kDa protein, which under ischemic conditions apparently is decreased by 2 kDa. These results are more indicative of a modification in protein folding of carnitine palmitoyltransferase than proteolytic changes during ischemia.

Sensitivity of inhibition of rat liver mitochondrial outer-membrane carnitine palmitoyltransferase by malonyl-CoA to chemical- and temperature-induced changes in membrane fluidity

We have tested the possibility that alterations in the fluidity of the outer membrane of rat liver mitochondria could result in changes in the sensitivity of overt carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT I) to malonyl-CoA [Zammit (1986) Biochem. Soc. Trans. 14. 676-679]. The sensitivity of CPT I to malonyl-CoA inhibition was measured by using highly purified mitochondrial outer membranes prepared from fed or 48 h-starved rats in the presence and absence of agents that increase membrane fluidity by perturbing membrane lipid order [benzyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol (3-methylbutan-l-ol) and 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl-8-(cis-2-n-octylpropyl)octanoate (A2C)]. All these agents resulted in marked decreases in the ability of malonyl-CoA to inhibit CPT I. This effect was accompanied by a modest increase in the absolute activity of CPT I in the absence of malonyl-CoA when the short-chain alcohols were used, but not when A2C was used, suggesting that the effect of increased membrane fluidity to decrease the malonyl-CoA sensitivity of CPT I may occur independently from other actions that may affect more directly the active site of the enzyme. In confirmation of the potential importance of fluidity changes, we showed that a marked increase in sensitivity of CPT I to malonyl-CoA could be produced when assays were performed at lower temperatures than those normally employed. These observations are discussed in the context of the slowness of the changes in CPT I sensitivity to malonyl-CoA inhibition that are induced by physiological perturbations.

Re-evaluation of the interaction of malonyl-CoA with the rat liver mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase system by using purified outer membranes

1. The interaction of malonyl-CoA with the outer carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system of rat liver mitochondria was re-evaluated by using preparations of highly purified outer membranes, in the light of observations that other subcellular structures that normally contaminate crude mitochondrial preparations also contain malonyl-CoA-sensitive CPT activity. 2. In outer-membrane preparations, which were purified about 200-fold with respect to the inner-membrane-matrix fraction, malonyl-CoA binding was largely accounted for by a single high-affinity component (KD = 0.03 microM), in contrast with the dual site (low- and high-affinity) previously found with intact mitochondria. 3. There was no evidence that the decreased sensitivity of CPT to malonyl-CoA inhibition observed in outer membranes obtained from 48 h-starved rats (compared with those from fed animals) was due to a decreased ratio of malonyl-CoA binding to CPT catalytic moieties. Thus CPT specific activity and maximal high-affinity [14C]malonyl-CoA binding (expressed per mg of protein) were increased 2.2- and 2.0-fold respectively in outer membranes from 48 h-starved rats. 4. Palmitoyl-CoA at a concentration that was saturating for CPT activity (5 microM) decreased the affinity of malonyl-CoA binding by an order of magnitude, but did not alter the maximal binding of [14C]malonyl-CoA. 5. Preincubation of membranes with either tetradecylglycidyl-CoA or 2-bromopalmitoyl-CoA plus carnitine resulted in marked (greater than 80%) inhibition of high-affinity binding, concurrently with greater than 95% inhibition of CPT activity. These treatments also unmasked an effect of subsequent treatment with palmitoyl-CoA to increase low-affinity [14C]malonyl-CoA binding. 6. These data are discussed in relation to the possible mechanism of interaction between the malonyl-CoA-binding site and the active site of the enzyme.

Target size analysis by radiation inactivation of carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity and malonyl-CoA binding in outer membranes from rat liver mitochondria

The functional molecular sizes of the protein(s) mediating the carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) activity and the [14C]malonyl-CoA binding in purified outer-membrane preparations from rat liver mitochondria were determined by radiation-inactivation analysis. In all preparations tested the dose-dependent decay in [14C]malonyl-CoA binding was less steep than that for CPT I activity, suggesting that the protein involved in malonyl-CoA binding may be smaller than that catalysing the CPT I activity. The respective sizes computed from simultaneous analysis for molecular-size standards exposed under identical conditions were 60,000 and 83,000 DA for malonyl-CoA binding and CPT I activity respectively. In irradiated membranes the sensitivity of CPT activity to malonyl-CoA inhibition was increased, as judged by malonyl-CoA inhibition curves for the activity in control and in irradiated membranes that had received 20 Mrad radiation and in which CPT activity had decayed by 60%. Possible correlations between these data and other recent observations on the CPT system are discussed.

Effects of dietary fish oil on human mammary carcinoma and on lipid-metabolizing enzymes

The growth rate of a human mammary carcinoma, MX-1, was significantly reduced in athymic "nude" mice fed fish oil. Tumors from the fish oil-fed animals also showed a greater sensitivity to two anti-neoplastic agents, mitomycin C and doxorubicin. Mitochondria were isolated from control livers, host livers and tumors from fish oil- and corn oil-fed animals, and increased levels of 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 were found in mitochondrial lipids in all three tissues from the fish oil-fed animals. To investigate the effect of dietary n-3 fatty acids on lipid metabolism, the activity of the acyl-CoA:carnitine acyltransferase and three acyl-CoA desaturases were measured. Carnitine acyltransferase activity toward all four acyl-CoA substrates tested was markedly increased in mitochondria from liver by feeding fish oil. In mitochondria from tumors, feeding fish oil resulted in an increased activity toward only 18:3n-3. These data suggest that fish oil may induce an increase in the oxidation of fatty acids. The delta 9-desaturase activity was decreased in microsomes from liver and tumor from fish oil-fed animals. However, both the delta 6 and delta 5 desaturases were increased in tumor and in control liver as a result of feeding fish oil. The delta 5 desaturase was not altered in microsomes from the host animals. The effect of fish oil on the delta 5 and delta 6 desaturases may involve alterations to metabolism of specific polyunsaturated fatty acids especially in the tumor tissue.

The relationship between fat synthesis and oxidation in the liver after re-feeding and its regulation by thyroid hormone

The administration of glucose to 48 h-starved euthyroid or hyperthyroid rats led to decreased blood concentrations of fatty acids and ketone bodies in both groups, but fatty acid concentrations were higher and ketone-body concentrations lower in the latter group. Decreased ketonaemia was not due to increased ketone-body clearance. Flux through carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 was increased, consistent with the effects of hyperthyroidism on enzyme activity demonstrated in vitro. Correlations between the concentrations of ketone bodies and long-chain acylcarnitine measured in freeze-clamped liver samples indicated that a lower proportion of the product of beta-oxidation was used for ketone-body synthesis. Citrate concentrations were unaffected by hyperthyroidism, but lipogenesis was increased. The results are discussed in relation to the factors controlling hepatic carbon flux and energy requirements after re-feeding.

Different sites of inhibition of carnitine palmitoyltransferase by malonyl-CoA, and by acetyl-CoA and CoA, in human skeletal muscle

The inhibition of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT, EC 2.3.1.21) by malonyl-CoA, acetyl-CoA and free CoA was studied in sonicated skeletal-muscle homogenates from normal human subjects and from five patients with a mutant CPT [Zierz & Engel (1985) Eur. J. Biochem. 149, 207-214]. (1) Malonyl-CoA, acetyl-CoA and CoA were competitive inhibitors of CPT with palmitoyl-CoA. (2) Acetyl-CoA and CoA inhibited normal and mutant CPT to the same degree, whereas malonyl-CoA inhibited mutant CPT more than normal CPT. (3) Triton X-100 abolished the inhibition of normal CPT by malonyl-CoA, but not by acetyl-CoA or CoA. Triton X-100 by itself caused loss of activity of the mutant CPT. (4) In the concentration range 0.1-0.4 mM, the inhibitory effects of any two of the three inhibitors were synergistic. (5) The inhibitory constants (Ki) for acetyl-CoA and CoA were close to 45 microM. The Ki for malonyl-CoA was 200-fold lower, or 0.22 microM. Addition of 40 microM-acetyl-CoA or CoA resulted in a 3-fold increase in the Ki for acetyl-CoA. Addition of 20 microM-CoA resulted in a 3-fold increase in the Ki for acetyl-CoA. (6) The findings indicate that acetyl-CoA and CoA can inhibit CPT at the catalytic site or a nearby site which is different from that at which malonyl-CoA inhibits CPT. (7) The fact that small changes in the concentration of acetyl-CoA and CoA can antagonize the inhibitory effect of malonyl-CoA suggests that these compounds could modulate the inhibition of CPT by malonyl-CoA.

Studies on the activation in vitro of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I in liver mitochondria from normal, diabetic and glucagon-treated rats

The activation of overt carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity that occurs when rat liver mitochondria are incubated at near-physiological temperatures and ionic strengths was studied for mitochondria obtained from animals in different physiological states. In all instances, it was found to be due exclusively to an increase in the catalytic capacity of the enzyme and not to an increase in affinity of the enzyme for palmitoyl-CoA. The enzyme in mitochondria from fed animals always showed a larger degree of activation than that in mitochondria from starved animals. This was the case even for mitochondria (e.g. from fed diabetic animals) in which the kinetic characteristics of carnitine palmitoyltransferase were more similar to those for the enzyme in mitochondria from starved rats. Glucagon treatment of rats before isolation of the mitochondria did not affect the characteristics either of the kinetic parameters of overt carnitine palmitoyltransferase or of its activation in vitro.

Effect of feeding pattern on the sensitivity of hepatic carnitine palmitoyl-transferase to inhibition by malonyl-CoA in the rat

1. The feeding pattern influences the inhibitory effects of malonyl-CoA on carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I. 2. The sensitivity of liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I to malonyl-CoA is increased in rats meal-fed when compared to rats fed ad libitum. 3. Moreover, liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I of meal-fed rats remains more sensitive to inhibition by malonyl-CoA during a 24 hour fast than liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I of rats previously fed ad libitum.

Restoration of the properties of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I in liver mitochondria during re-feeding of starved rats

The recovery of the parameters of the kinetic properties of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) I in liver mitochondria of starved rats was studied after re-feeding animals for various periods of time. There were no significant changes either in the activity of the enzyme at high palmitoyl-CoA concentrations or in the affinity of the enzyme for palmitoyl-CoA, or in the sensitivity of CPT I to malonyl-CoA inhibition after 3 h or 6 h re-feeding. After 24 h re-feeding, both the affinity of the enzyme for palmitoyl-CoA and the activity of the enzyme were still not significantly different from those for the enzyme in mitochondria from 24 h-starved animals. By contrast, the sensitivity of CPT I to malonyl-CoA inhibition was largely, but not fully, restored to that observed in mitochondria from fed rats.

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase: separation of enzyme activity and malonyl-CoA binding in rat liver mitochondria

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity and malonyl-CoA binding capacity have been studied in Triton X-100 extracts and membrane residues of rat liver mitochondria. Rat liver mitochondria extracted twice with 0.5% Triton X-100 in a salt-free medium showed increased specific binding of [2-14C]malonyl-CoA when compared with intact mitochondria. High malonyl-CoA binding required the presence of salts and was inhibited by albumin. Further solubilization of the membrane residues in the Triton/KCl medium and subsequent hydroxylapatite chromatography gave a complete separation of carnitine palmitoyltransferase and malonyl-CoA binding. The results show that malonyl-CoA binds to mitochondrial component(s) which is different from and more difficult to extract from the mitochondrial membrane than most of the carnitine palmitoyltransferase.

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase: activation and inactivation in liver mitochondria from fed, fasted, hypo- and hyperthyroid rats

The sensitivity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase to malonyl-CoA is lost when liver mitochondria are preincubated in a KCl-containing medium. This loss of sensitivity is slowed down in mitochondria from hypothyroid rats and accelerated in mitochondria from fasted and hyperthyroid rats. Glucagon seems to enhance the effect of fasting. The loss of sensitivity is significantly slowed down by 50-500 nM malonyl-CoA and accelerated by small amounts of palmitoyl-CoA in the preincubation medium.

Binding of [14C]malonyl-CoA to rat liver mitochondria after blocking of the active site of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I. Displacement of low-affinity binding by palmitoyl-CoA

The active site of the overt activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT I) in rat liver mitochondria was blocked by the self-catalysed formation of the S-carboxypalmitoyl-CoA ester of (-)-carnitine, followed by washing of the mitochondria. CPT I activity in treated mitochondria was inhibited by 90-95%. Binding of [14C]malonyl-CoA to these mitochondria was not inhibited as compared with that of control mitochondria. When CPT I activity was inhibited, palmitoyl-CoA could markedly displace [14C]malonyl-CoA binding from the low-affinity site for the inhibitor [Zammit, Corstorphine & Gray (1984) Biochem. J. 222, 335-342], but not from the high-affinity site for malonyl-CoA binding. The saturation characteristics of the malonyl-CoA-binding component lost in the presence of palmitoyl-CoA were sigmoidal, and thus suggestive of co-operative binding at this site. It is suggested that the site hitherto considered to be a low-affinity malonyl-CoA-binding site may be effectively a second, allosteric, acyl-CoA-binding site on CPT I under conditions that prevail in vivo, whereas the high-affinity site for malonyl-CoA may be exclusive to the inhibitor. The possibility that the competitive-type interactions of malonyl-CoA and acyl-CoA on CPT I activity could arise from the effects of separate malonyl-CoA and acyl-CoA allosteric sites is considered. The possible significance of the large difference in the capacity of the two sites and their different saturation kinetics is also discussed.

Effects of incubation at physiological temperatures on the concentration-dependence of [2-14C]malonyl-CoA binding to rat liver mitochondria

Specific binding of [2-14C] malonyl-CoA to rat liver mitochondria was measured at different temperatures and after various periods of time of exposure of the mitochondria to the ligand. Incubation of mitochondria at 37 degrees C in the absence of malonyl-CoA resulted in a decrease in their ability to bind malonyl-CoA at all concentrations tested (up to 55 microM). However, incubation of mitochondria in the presence of malonyl-CoA resulted in the loss of the binding only by a low-affinity component. By contrast, there was an increase in the binding that occurred at low, physiological, concentrations of malonyl-CoA. These differences in the response of the two binding components to incubation conditions were used to obtain quantitative data about their respective saturation kinetics. Evidence was obtained that, whereas the high-affinity component approached saturation hyperbolically with respect to malonyl-CoA concentration, the low-affinity component had sigmoidal characteristics. The concentrations of malonyl-CoA required to half-saturate the two components were 2-3 microM and 30 microM for the high- and low-affinity components respectively. Evidence was also obtained for the involvement of a temperature-dependent transition, that occurred at around 25 degrees C, in the modulation of malonyl-CoA binding to the mitochondria. The possible physiological roles of the two components of malonyl-CoA binding in relation to the regulation of overt carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT I) activity in vivo are discussed.

Altered release of carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity by digitonin from liver mitochondria of rats in different physiological states

The release of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) activity from rat liver mitochondria by increasing concentrations of digitonin was studied for mitochondrial preparations from fed, 48 h-starved and diabetic animals. A bimodal release of activity was observed only for mitochondria isolated from starved and, to a lesser degree, from diabetic rats, and it appeared to result primarily from the enhanced release of approx. 40% and 60%, respectively, of the total CPT activity. This change in the pattern of release was specific to CPT among the marker enzymes studied. For all three types of mitochondria there was no substantial release of CPT concurrently with that of the marker enzyme for the soluble intermembrane space, adenylate kinase. These results illustrate that the bimodal pattern of release of CPT reported previously for mitochondria from starved rats [Bergstrom & Reitz (1980) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 204, 71-79] is not an immutable consequence of the localization of CPT activity on either side of the mitochondrial inner membrane. Sequential loss of CPT I (i.e. the overt form) from the mitochondrial inner membrane did not affect the concentration of malonyl-CoA required to effect fractional inhibition of the CPT I that remained associated with the mitochondria. The results are discussed in relation to the possibility that altered enzyme-membrane interactions may account for some of the altered regulatory properties of CPT I in liver mitochondria of animals in different physiological states.

Effects of DL-2-bromopalmitoyl-CoA and bromoacetyl-CoA in rat liver and heart mitochondria. Inhibition of carnitine palmitoyltransferase and displacement of [14C]malonyl-CoA from mitochondrial binding sites

The overt form of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT1) in rat liver and heart mitochondria was inhibited by DL-2-bromopalmitoyl-CoA and bromoacetyl-CoA. S-Methanesulphonyl-CoA inhibited liver CPT1. The inhibitory potency of DL-2-bromopalmitoyl-CoA was 17 times greater with liver than with heart CPT1. Inhibition of CPT1 by DL-2-bromopalmitoyl-CoA was unaffected by 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) or (in liver) by starvation. In experiments in which DL-2-bromopalmitoyl-CoA displaced [14C]malonyl-CoA bound to liver mitochondria, the KD (competing) was 25 times the IC50 for inhibition of CPT1 providing evidence that the malonyl-CoA-binding site is unlikely to be the same as the acyl-CoA substrate site. Bromoacetyl-CoA inhibition of CPT1 was more potent in heart than in liver mitochondria and was diminished by 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) or (in liver) by starvation. Bromoacetyl-CoA displaced bound [14C]malonyl-CoA from heart and liver mitochondria. In heart mitochondria this displacement was competitive with malonyl-CoA and was considerably facilitated by L-carnitine. In liver mitochondria this synergism between carnitine and bromoacetyl-CoA was not observed. It is suggested that bromoacetyl-CoA interacts with the malonyl-CoA-binding site of CPT1. L-Carnitine also facilitated the displacement by DL-2-bromopalmitoyl-CoA of [14C]malonyl-CoA from heart, but not from liver, mitochondria. DL-2-Bromopalmitoyl-CoA and bromoacetyl-CoA also inhibited overt carnitine octanoyl-transferase in liver and heart mitochondria. These findings are discussed in relation to inter-tissue differences in (a) the response of CPT1 activity to various inhibitors and (b) the relationship between high-affinity malonyl-CoA-binding sites and those sites for binding of L-carnitine and acyl-CoA substrates.

Effects of the mode of addition of acyl-CoA on the initial rate of formation of acylcarnitine in the presence of carnitine by intact rat liver mitochondria in vitro

Time courses for the formation of palmitoylcarnitine from palmitoyl-CoA and carnitine, catalysed by the overt activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT I) in rat liver mitochondria, were obtained. Significant initial non-linearity was observed only when reactions were started by addition of a concentrated solution of palmitoyl-CoA (4mM, to give a final concentration of 100 microM) uncomplexed to albumin. Minimal effects were observed when the reactions were started by addition of palmitoyl-CoA-albumin mixtures, even though the final palmitoyl-CoA/albumin molar ratios in the assay medium were identical in the two sets of experiments.

Regulatory properties of a mutant carnitine palmitoyltransferase in human skeletal muscle

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.21) was studied in sonicated muscle homogenates of seven patients who had recurrent attacks of myoglobinuria and marked deficiency of carnitine palmitoyltransferase in the isotope exchange assay, and in control subjects. When L-palmitoylcarnitine was reduced from 0.5 mM to 0.05 mM in the isotope exchange assay, enzyme activity returned to normal in the patients but was not significantly altered in the controls. When the forward assay was performed in the presence of 80 microM palmitoyl-CoA and 0.1% albumin, all patients showed normal carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity. The apparent Km values for DL-carnitine and palmitoyl-CoA were also normal in the patients. When albumin was omitted from the forward assay, 72-105% of the initial activity was observed in the controls, but only 31-55% in the patients. When the palmitoyl-CoA concentration in the forward assay exceeded 0.08 mM the enzyme activity was inhibited in both patients and controls, but the inhibition was significantly greater in the patients. The addition of either L-palmitoylcarnitine or DL-palmitoylcarnitine to the forward assay progressively inhibited enzyme activity in both patients and controls, but the inhibition was significantly greater in the patients. In the controls but not the patients D-palmitoylcarnitine was less inhibitory than the L-isomer or the DL-racemate. When the forward assay was performed with muscle homogenates preincubated with 0.4% Triton X-100 only 7-21% of the original enzyme activity remained in the patients, but 86-110% was found in the controls. Increasing concentrations of malonyl-CoA inhibited both the forward and the isotope exchange assays. When the inhibition was maximal, only 14-18% of the CPT activity remained in homogenates of patients but 32-47% in homogenates of controls. The I50 (median inhibitory concentration) and Ki values for malonyl-CoA determined in the forward assay were not significantly different in the patients and controls. The data imply that CPT deficiency is caused by altered regulatory properties of a mutant enzyme and/or by altered interaction between the enzyme and its membranous environment rather than lack of catalytically active CPT I, II or both. The mutant CPT would be most vulnerable to inhibition by its substrate and/or product when lipid metabolism is stressed. This could also explain why the symptoms differ from muscle carnitine deficiency, and why so little lipid accumulates in muscle in CPT deficiency.

Effect of various agents and conditions on palmitate oxidation by homogenates of rat liver and rat and human skeletal muscle

The effect of various inhibitors of fatty acid transport and of respiratory chain on palmitate oxidation was investigated in homogenates and mitochondria of rat muscle and homogenates of rat liver and human muscle. Inhibition of fatty acid transport by carnitine omission, malonyl-CoA, tetradecylglycidic acid and mersalyl decreased oxidation more with muscle than with rat liver. Antimycin and KCN decreased markedly palmitate oxidation and caused a larger accumulation of peroxisomal oxidation products. Inhibition of mitochondrial long-chain fatty acid transport decreased accumulation of peroxisomal products in comparison to the control. The effect of malonyl-CoA was dependent on the nutritional state, the pH and the palmitate-albumin ratio with liver homogenates, and only on the latter parameter with muscle homogenates. Effects observed were comparable for rat and human muscle homogenates.