Fuel selection and carbon flux during the starved-to-fed transition

Hyperpolarized NMR study of the impact of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibition on the pyruvate dehydrogenase and TCA flux in type 2 diabetic rat muscle

The role of pyruvate dehydrogenase in mediating lipid-induced insulin resistance stands as a central question in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Many researchers have invoked the Randle hypothesis to explain the reduced glucose disposal in skeletal muscle by envisioning an elevated acetyl CoA pool arising from increased oxidation of fatty acids. Over the years, in vivo NMR studies have challenged that monolithic view. The advent of the dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization NMR technique and a unique type 2 diabetic rat model provides an opportunity to clarify. Dynamic nuclear polarization enhances dramatically the NMR signal sensitivity and allows the measurement of metabolic kinetics in vivo. Diabetic muscle has much lower pyruvate dehydrogenase activity than control muscle, as evidenced in the conversion of [1-¹³C]lactate and [2-¹³C]pyruvate to HCO₃^- and acetyl carnitine. The pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibitor, dichloroacetate, restores rapidly the diabetic pyruvate dehydrogenase activity to control level. However, diabetic muscle has a much larger dynamic change in pyruvate dehydrogenase flux than control. The dichloroacetate-induced surge in pyruvate dehydrogenase activity produces a differential amount of acetyl carnitine but does not affect the tricarboxylic acid flux. Further studies can now proceed with the dynamic nuclear polarization approach and a unique rat model to interrogate closely the biochemical mechanism interfacing oxidative metabolism with insulin resistance and metabolic inflexibility.

Time-series proteomic study of the response of HK-2 cells to hyperglycemic, hypoxic diabetic-like milieu

During diabetes, renal proximal tubular cells (PTC) are exposed to a combination of high glucose and hypoxic conditions, which plays a relevant role in the development of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). In this work, a time-series proteomic study was performed to analyse the effect of a diabetic-like microenvironment induced changes on HK-2 cells, a human cell line derived from normal proximal tubular epithelial cells. Cells simultaneously exposed to high glucose (25 mM) and hypoxia (1% O₂) were compared to cells in control conditions for up to 48 h. Diabetic conditions increased the percentage of death cells after 24 and 48 h, but no differences in the protein/cell ratio were found. The relative protein quantification using dimethyl-labeling and UHPLC-MS/MS analysis allowed the identification of 317, 296 and 259 proteins at 5, 24 and 48 h, respectively. The combination of statistical and time expression profile analyses indicated an increased expression of proteins involved in glycolysis, and a decrease of cytoskeletal-related proteins. The exposure of HK-2 cells to high glucose and hypoxia reproduces some of the effects of diabetes on PTC and, with the limitations inherent to in vitro studies, propose new mechanisms and targets to be considered in the management of DKD.

Breath profiles of children on ketogenic therapy

Ketogenic diets (KDs) were initially introduced to clinical practices as alimentary approaches with the aim to control drug-resistant epilepsies. Over the decades, a large and growing body of research has addressed the antiseizure effect of various KDs, and worked out KD-based dietary regimens, including their acting factors and modes of action. KDs have also appeared in weight loss therapies. Therapy control, particularly at initiation, happens through regular blood analysis and control of urine ketone levels. However, there is a lack of fast, reliable, and preferably non-invasive methods to accomplish this. The detection of exhaled breath constituents may offer a solution. The exhaled breath contains hundreds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can be modified by diet. VOC detection technology has resulted in low-cost sensors that can facilitate the self-monitoring of patients in the future if reliable breath markers are available. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the composition of exhaled breath in children on KDs. Twenty-two pediatric patients between 4 and 18 years of age were recruited in this study. Eleven of them received a KD and suffered from epilepsy, with the exception of one child, who was admitted to a weight-reduction therapy. The control group involved 11 patients with neurological disorders but not on KD. Breath volatiles were analyzed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after preconcentration of the analytes on needle traps (NTs). We found that the breath concentrations of a number of VOCs, namely acetaldehyde, acetone, 2-methylfuran, methyl-vinyl-ketone, and 2-pentanone were significantly elevated in the breath of children on a KD in comparison to their control counterparts. Interestingly, breath ethanol was lower in patients on a KD than in non-KD patients. Association studies revealed an interrelationship among (i) lipid parameters and ketone bodies, (ii) methacrolein, methyl-vinyl-ketone, and high-density lipoprotein, as well as (iii) methyl-vinyl-ketone, acetone, and 2-pentanone, thus raising the possibility of a common metabolic source. The duration of diet was positively and negatively associated with breath acetone and breath ethanol, respectively. Some of the changes were linked to β-oxidation, but there are uncertainties in regard to metabolic sources of other metabolites. Lipid peroxidation and alteration of intestinal microbial composition may also be involved in the changes of VOC profiles during KD. Since lipids used for metabolism during KD originate from external sources, the processes occurring cannot simply be compared to and deduced from changes appearing in starvation; however, lipid mobilization is also evident in starvation. To find reliable and sensitive VOC markers that are linked to the respective ketogenic regimen, further investigations are needed to reveal the metabolic background.

Intermittent fasting induces hypothalamic modifications resulting in low feeding efficiency, low body mass and overeating

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an often-used intervention to decrease body mass. In male Sprague-Dawley rats, 24 hour cycles of IF result in light caloric restriction, reduced body mass gain, and significant decreases in the efficiency of energy conversion. Here, we study the metabolic effects of IF in order to uncover mechanisms involved in this lower energy conversion efficiency. After 3 weeks, IF animals displayed overeating during fed periods and lower body mass, accompanied by alterations in energy-related tissue mass. The lower efficiency of energy use was not due to uncoupling of muscle mitochondria. Enhanced lipid oxidation was observed during fasting days, whereas fed days were accompanied by higher metabolic rates. Furthermore, an increased expression of orexigenic neurotransmitters AGRP and NPY in the hypothalamus of IF animals was found, even on feeding days, which could explain the overeating pattern. Together, these effects provide a mechanistic explanation for the lower efficiency of energy conversion observed. Overall, we find that IF promotes changes in hypothalamic function that explain differences in body mass and caloric intake.

Regulation of fasting fuel metabolism by toll-like receptor 4

OBJECTIVE

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been reported to induce insulin resistance through inflammation in high-fat-fed mice. However, the physiological role of TLR4 in metabolism is unknown. Here, we investigated the involvement of TLR4 in fasting metabolism.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Wild-type and TLR4 deficient (TLR4(-/-)) mice were either fed or fasted for 24 h. Glucose and lipid levels in circulation and tissues were measured. Glucose and lipid metabolism in tissues, as well as the expression of related enzymes, was examined.

RESULTS

Mice lacking TLR4 displayed aggravated fasting hypoglycemia, along with normal hepatic gluconeogenesis, but reversed activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) in skeletal muscle, which might account for the fasting hypoglycemia. TLR4(-/-) mice also exhibited higher lipid levels in circulation and skeletal muscle after fasting and reversed expression of lipogenic enzymes in skeletal muscle but not liver and adipose tissue. Adipose tissue lipolysis is normal and muscle fatty acid oxidation is increased in TLR4(-/-) mice after fasting. Inhibition of fatty acid synthesis in TLR4(-/-) mice abolished hyperlipidemia, hypoglycemia, and PDC activity increase, suggesting that TLR4-dependent inhibition of muscle lipogenesis may contribute to glucose and lipid homeostasis during fasting. Further studies showed that TLR4 deficiency had no effect on insulin signaling and muscle proinflammatory cytokine production in response to fasting.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that TLR4 plays a critical role in glucose and lipid metabolism independent of insulin during fasting and identify a novel physiological role for TLR4 in fuel homeostasis.

Retinoic acids and trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, induce human pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) gene expression

Induction of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) conserves glucose and substrates for gluconeogenesis and thereby helps regulate blood glucose levels during starvation. We report here that retinoic acids (RA) as well as Trichostatin A (TSA), an inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC), regulate PDK4 gene expression. Two retinoic acid response elements (RAREs) to which retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRalpha) and retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARalpha) bind and activate transcription are present in the human PDK4 (hPDK4) proximal promoter. Sp1 and CCAAT box binding factor (CBF) bind to the region between two RAREs. Mutation of either the Sp1 or the CBF site significantly decreases basal expression, transactivation by RXRalpha/RARalpha/RA, and the ability of TSA to stimulate hPDK4 gene transcription. By the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, RA and TSA increase acetylation of histones bound to the proximal promoter as well as occupancy of CBP and Sp1. Interaction of p300/CBP with E1A completely prevented hPDK4 gene activation by RXRalpha/RARalpha/RA and TSA. The p300/CBP may enhance acetylation of histones bound to the hPDK4 promoter and cooperate with Sp1 and CBF to stimulate transcription of the hPDK4 gene in response to RA and TSA.

Protein kinase B-alpha inhibits human pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-4 gene induction by dexamethasone through inactivation of FOXO transcription factors

Starvation and diabetes increase pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-4 (PDK4) expression, which conserves gluconeogenic substrates by inactivating the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Mechanisms that regulate PDK4 gene expression, previously established to be increased by glucocorticoids and decreased by insulin, were studied. Treatment of HepG2 cells with dexamethasone increases the relative abundance of PDK4 mRNA, and insulin blocks this effect. Dexamethasone also increases human PDK4 (hPDK4) promoter activity in HepG2 cells, and insulin partially inhibits this effect. Expression of constitutively active PKB alpha abrogates dexamethasone stimulation of hPDK4 promoter activity, while coexpression of constitutively active FOXO1a or FOXO3a, which are mutated to alanine at the three phosphorylation sites for protein kinase B (PKB), disrupts the ability of PKB alpha to inhibit promoter activity. A glucocorticoid response element for glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding and three insulin response sequences (IRSs) that bind FOXO1a and FOXO3a are identified in the hPDK4 promoter. Mutation of the IRSs reduces the ability of glucocorticoids to stimulate PDK4 transcription. Transfection studies with E1A, which binds to and inactivates p300/CBP, suggest that interactions between p300/CBP and GR as well as FOXO factors are important for glucocorticoid-stimulated hPDK4 expression. Insulin suppresses the hPDK4 induction by glucocorticoids through inactivation of the FOXO factors.

Regulation of fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis: co-operation or competition?

Fatty acids and sterols originally evolved symbiotically as structural components of cell membranes. In some respects, control of their biosynthetic pathways reflects their mutual interdependence in defining changes in the physicochemical properties of the membranes in response to the changing internal and external cellular environments. In some tissues of higher animals, however, cholesterol and fatty acids have multifunctional roles. In particular, the liver synthesizes these lipids for export as multimolecular complexes in the form of micellar bile components and lipoproteins. Intrahepatic fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis is dependent upon the balance between hepatic output of these complexes and dietary input of fat and cholesterol. Thus physiological control of these synthetic processes is often co-ordinated at both the transcriptional and post-translational levels. On the other hand, changes in flux through major metabolic pathways, particularly during physiological transitions and as a result of genetic manipulation, affects substrate availability for these pathways. Under these circumstances, regulation reflects a compensatory response to ensure that flux through the lipid pathways remains unchanged. These regulatory changes can best be interpreted in terms of a Metabolic Control Analysis approach. In summary, flux through the fatty acid and cholesterol pathways reflects (a) cellular demand for these lipids, (b) a variable availability of substrates, (c) a combination of (a) and (b).

On the mammalian acetone metabolism: from chemistry to clinical implications

Despite the description of the ways of acetone metabolism, its real role(s) is (are) still unknown in metabolic network. In this article, a trial is made to ascertain a comprehensive overview of acetone research extending discussion from chemistry to clinical implications. Mammals are quite similar regarding their acetone metabolism, even if species differences can also be observed. By reviewing experimental data, it seems that plasma concentration of acetone in different species is in the order of 10 microm range and the concentration-dependent acetone metabolism is common to all mammals. At low concentrations of plasma acetone, the C3 pathways are operative, while at higher concentrations, the metabolism through acetate becomes dominant. Glucose formation from acetone may also contribute to the maintenance of a constant blood glucose level, but it seems to be only a minor source for that. From energetical point of view, an interorgan cooperation is suggested because transportable C3 fragments produced in the liver can serve as alternative sources of energy for the peripheral tissues in the short of circulating glucose. The degradation of acetoacetate to acetone contributes to the maintenance of pH buffering capacity, as well. Special attention is paid to the discussion of acetone production in diseases amongst which endogenous and exogenous acetonemiae have been defined. Acetonemiae of endogenous origin are due to the increased rate of acetone production followed by an increase of degrading capacity as cytochrome p450IIE1 (CYPIIE1) isozymes become induced. Exogenous acetonemiae usually resulted from intoxications caused by either acetone itself or other exogenous compounds (ethanol, isopropyl alcohol). It is highlighted that, on the one hand, isopropanol is also a normal constituent of metabolism and, on the other hand, the flat opinion that the elevation of its plasma level is a sign of alcoholism cannot further be held. The possible future directions of research upon acetone are depicted by emphasizing the need for the clear-cut identification of mammalian acetoacetate decarboxylase, and the investigation of race differences and genetic background of acetone metabolism.

Effects of fasting and refeeding on metabolic processes in the crab Chasmagnathus granulata (Dana, 1851)

We assessed the effects of 3 weeks of fasting and 48 h of refeeding on the incorporation of [14C]-labeled substrate into glucose, glycogen, lipid, and protein in hepatopancreas, muscle, and gills from the crab Chasmagnathus granulata. Fasting did not change the rate of glycogen and lipid synthesis in the three tissues. Neither fasting nor refeeding affected hemolymph glucose levels. Refeeding induced a reduction in glycogen synthesis in gills, but did not affect glycogen synthesis in hepatopancreas and muscle. Fasting did not affect lipogenesis in hepatopancreas, but refeeding elevated [14C]-lipid twofold. Muscle lipogenesis was not affected by fasting or refeeding. Gluconeogenesis in the three tissues was not modified by fasting. Refeeding induced an increase in the glucose-synthesis capacity only in muscle. Fasting did not affect glyconeogenesis in hepatopancreas and gills, but induced a reduction in glycogen synthesis in muscle. Muscle-protein synthesis was not affected by fasting; however, refeeding induced a reduction in [14C]-protein. Our data show that C. granulata is a fasting-adapted animal which is able to maintain metabolic homeostasis, and that following refeeding there is an adjustment of anabolic-synthesis processes to recover metabolic reserves that were lost during fasting.

Peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARalpha) deficiency leads to dysregulation of hepatic lipid and carbohydrate metabolism by fatty acids and insulin

The aim of the present study was to determine whether peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARalpha) deficiency disrupts the normal regulation of triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation, hepatic lipogenesis and glycogenesis by fatty acids and insulin using PPARalpha-null mice. In wild-type mice, hepatic TAG concentrations increased (P<0.01) with fasting (24 h), with substantial reversal after refeeding (6 h). Hepatic TAG levels in fed PPARalpha-null mice were 2.4-fold higher than in the wild-type (P<0.05), increased with fasting, but remained elevated after refeeding. PPARalpha deficiency also impaired hepatic glycogen repletion (P<0.001), despite normal insulin and glucose levels after refeeding. Higher levels of plasma insulin were required to support similar levels of hepatic lipogenesis de novo ((3)H(2)O incorporation) in the PPARalpha-null mice compared with the wild-type. This difference was reflected by corresponding changes in the relationship between plasma insulin and the mRNA expression of the lipogenic transcription factor sterol-regulatory-element-binding protein-1c, and that of one of its known targets, fatty acid synthase. In wild-type mice, hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) 4 protein expression (a downstream marker of altered fatty acid catabolism) increased (P<0.01) in response to fasting, with suppression (P<0.001) by refeeding. Although PDK4 up-regulation after fasting was halved by PPARalpha deficiency, PDK4 suppression after refeeding was attenuated. In summary, PPARalpha deficiency leads to accumulation of hepatic TAG and elicits dysregulation of hepatic lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, emphasizing the importance of precise control of lipid oxidation for hepatic fuel homoeostasis.

Do cytoskeletal components control fatty acid translocation into liver mitochondria?

For two decades it has been assumed that inhibition of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT-I) by malonyl-CoA represents the main regulatory mechanism of liver ketogenesis. However, recent evidence indicates that CPT-I activity is also controlled by interactions between mitochondria and cytoskeletal components. This newly recognized mechanism emphasizes the emerging role of the cytoskeleton in the regulation of metabolic pathways.

Internal regulation of ATP turnover, glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in rat hepatocytes

Previously [Ainscow, E.K. & Brand, M.D. (1999) Eur. J. Biochem. 263, 671-685], top-down control analysis was used to describe the control pattern of energy metabolism in rat hepatocytes. The system was divided into nine reaction blocks (glycogen breakdown, glucose release, glycolysis, lactate production, NADH oxidation, pyruvate oxidation, mitochondrial proton leak, mitochondrial phosphorylation and ATP consumption) linked by five intermediates (intracellular glucose 6-phosphate, pyruvate and ATP levels, cytoplasmic NADH/NAD ratio and mitochondrial membrane potential). The kinetic responses (elasticities) of reaction blocks to intermediates were determined and used to calculate control coefficients. In the present paper, these elasticities and control coefficients are used to quantify the internal regulatory pathways within the cell. Flux control coefficients were partitioned to give partial flux control coefficients. These describe how strongly one block of reactions controls the flux through another via its effects on the concentration of a particular intermediate. Most flux control coefficients were the sum of positive and negative partial effects acting through different intermediates; these partial effects could be large compared to the final control strength. An important result was the breakdown of the way ATP consumption controlled respiration: changes in ATP level were more important than changes in mitochondrial membrane potential in stimulating oxygen consumption when ATP consumption increased. The partial internal response coefficients to changes in each intermediate were also calculated; they describe how steady state concentrations of intermediates are maintained. Increases in mitochondrial membrane potential were opposed mostly by decreased supply, whereas increases in glucose-6-phosphate, NADH/NAD and pyruvate were opposed mostly by increased consumption. Increases in ATP were opposed significantly by both decreased supply and increased consumption.

The AMP-activated protein kinase is involved in the regulation of ketone body production by astrocytes

The possible role of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a highly conserved stress-activated kinase, in the regulation of ketone body production by astrocytes was studied. AMPK activity in rat cortical astrocytes was three times higher than in rat cortical neurons. AMPK in astrocytes was shown to be functionally active. Thus, incubation of astrocytes with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR), a cell-permeable activator of AMPK, stimulated both ketogenesis from palmitate and carnitine palmitoyltransferase I. This was concomitant to a decrease of intracellular malonyl-CoA levels and an inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase/fatty acid synthesis and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase/cholesterol synthesis. Moreover, in microdialysis experiments AICAR was shown to stimulate brain ketogenesis markedly. The effect of chemical hypoxia on AMPK and the ketogenic pathway was studied subsequently. Incubation of astrocytes with azide led to a remarkable drop of fatty acid beta-oxidation. However, activation of AMPK during hypoxia compensated the depression of beta-oxidation, thereby sustaining ketone body production. This effect seemed to rely on the cascade hypoxia --> increase of the AMP/ATP ratio --> AMPK stimulation --> acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibition --> decrease of malonyl-CoA concentration --> carnitine palmitoyltransferase I deinhibition --> enhanced ketogenesis. Furthermore, incubation of neurons with azide blunted lactate oxidation, but not 3-hydroxybutyrate oxidation. Results show that (a) AMPK plays an active role in the regulation of ketone body production by astrocytes, and (b) ketone bodies produced by astrocytes during hypoxia might be a substrate for neuronal oxidative metabolism.

Inter-organ protein and carbohydrate metabolic relationships during sepsis: necessary evils or uncanny coincidences?

Sepsis alters the dynamic flux of metabolic substrates between skeletal muscle and liver. Derangements in skeletal muscle glucose metabolism evoked by sepsis to a certain extent determine the rate of gluconeogenesis in the liver. In contrast, accelerated rates of gluconeogenesis do not drive net catabolism in skeletal muscle, nor does the upregulation of hepatic protein metabolism in sepsis or inflammation appear to be contingent or dependent upon the catabolism of muscle proteins during sepsis.

Starvation and diabetes increase the amount of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoenzyme 4 in rat heart

This study investigated whether conditions known to alter the activity and phosphorylation state of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex have specific effects on the levels of isoenzymes of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) in rat heart. Immunoblot analysis revealed a remarkable increase in the amount of PDK4 in the hearts of rats that had been starved or rendered diabetic with streptozotocin. Re-feeding of starved rats and insulin treatment of diabetic rats very effectively reversed the increase in PDK4 protein and restored PDK enzyme activity to levels of chow-fed control rats. Starvation and diabetes also markedly increased the abundance of PDK4 mRNA, and re-feeding and insulin treatment reduced levels of the message to that of controls. In contrast with the findings for PDK4, little or no changes in the amounts of PDK1 and PDK2 protein and the abundance of their messages occurred in response to starvation and diabetes. The observed shift in the relative abundance of PDK isoenzymes probably explains previous studies of the effects of starvation and diabetes on heart PDK activity. The results indicate that control of the amount of PDK4 is important in long-term regulation of the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in rat heart.

pH is regulated differently by glucose in skeletal muscle from fed and starved rats: a study using 31P-NMR spectroscopy

The aim of this study was to determine whether exogenous glucose metabolism influences the pH in superfused EDL muscle from growing rats fed or starved for 48 h (body weight 55 and 45 g, respectively). Energy state and intracellular pH of muscle were repeatedly monitored by 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-NMRS); glycogen and other energy metabolites were assayed enzymatically in muscle extracts at the end of the experiment. In EDL muscles from starved rats superfused with glucose for 4 h, intracellular pH was elevated (7-7.3), lactate concentration low, glycogen repletion very intense and citrate synthase activity high. We conclude that glucose was routed mainly toward both oxidative phosphorylation and glycogen synthesis in EDL muscles after food deprivation of rats. In contrast, the major pathway in muscles from fed rats may be glycolysis because the glycogen pool remained constant throughout the experiment. The additional and minor pH component (in the range of 6.5 to 6.8) seen in muscles from fed rats, even in the presence of exogenous glucose, might be due to impaired glucose utilization because this component appears also in muscles from starved rats superfused without glucose or with a nonmetabolizable analog of glucose. Consequently, direct pH measurement by 31P-NMR may be considered to be a precise criterion for evaluation of differences in metabolic potentialities of muscle studied ex vivo in relation to the nutritional state of rats.

Glycolysis inhibition by palmitate in renal cells cultured in a two-chamber system

A major shortcoming of renal proximal tubular cells (RPTC) in culture is the gradual modification of their energy metabolism from the oxidative type to the glycolytic type. To test the possible reduction of glycolysis by naturally occurring long-chain fatty acids, RPTC were cultured in a two-chamber system, with albumin-bound palmitate (0.4 mM) added to the basolateral chamber after confluency. Twenty-four hours of contact with palmitate decreased glycolysis by 38% provided that carnitine was present; lactate production was decreased by 38%, and the decrease in glycolysis resulted from a similar decrease of basolateral and apical net uptake of glucose. In contrast to the previously described effect of the nonphysiological oxidative substrate heptanoate, palmitate promoted a long-term decrease in lactate production and sustained excellent cellular growth. After 4 days of contact, decreased glycolysis was maintained even in the absence of carnitine and resulted from a decrease of basolateral uptake only, suggestive of long-term regulation different from the earlier effects. Thus, although cultured RPTC lost their oxidative phenotype, they exhibited a type of regulation (Randle effect) that is found in the oxidative-type but not in the glycolytic-type tissues, therefore unmasking a regulative capacity barely detectable in fresh RPTC. Low PO2 (50 mmHg in the apical chamber) could be a major cause of elevated glycolysis and could hinder the effects of palmitate.

Effect of different types of high carbohydrate diets on glycogen metabolism in liver and skeletal muscle of endurance-trained rats

Male Wistar rats were fed ad libitum four different diets containing fructose, sucrose, maltodextrins or starch as the source of carbohydrate (CH). One group was subjected to moderate physical training on a motor-driven treadmill for 10 weeks (trained rats). A second group received no training and acted as a control (sedentary rats). Glycogen metabolism was studied in the liver and skeletal muscle of these animals. In the sedentary rats, liver glycogen concentrations increased by 60%-90% with the administration of simple CH diets compared with complex CH diets, whereas skeletal muscle glycogen stores were not significantly affected by the diet. Physical training induced a marked decrease in the glycogen content in liver (20%-30% of the sedentary rats) and skeletal muscle (50%-80% of the sedentary rats) in animals fed simple (but not complex) CH diets. In liver this was accompanied by a two-fold increase of triacylglycerol concentrations. Compared with simple CH diets, complex CH feeding increased by 50%-150% glycogen synthase (GS) activity in liver, whereas only a slight increase in GS activity was observed in skeletal muscle. In all the animal groups, a direct relationship existed between tissue glucose 6-phosphate concentration and glycogen content (r = 0.9911 in liver, r = 0.7177 in skeletal muscle). In contrast, no relationship was evident between glycogen concentrations and either glycogen phosphorylase activity or adenosine 5'-monophosphate tissue concentration. The results from this study thus suggest that for trained rats diets containing complex CH (compared with diets containing simple CH) improve the glycogenic capacity of liver and skeletal muscle, thus enabling the adequate regeneration of glycogen stores in these two tissues.

The carnivore connection: dietary carbohydrate in the evolution of NIDDM

We postulate a critical role for the quantity and quality of dietary carbohydrate in the pathogenesis of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Our primate ancestors ate a high-carbohydrate diet and the brain and reproductive tissues evolved a specific requirement for glucose as a source of fuel. But the Ice Ages which dominated the last two million years of human evolution brought a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet. Certain metabolic adaptations were therefore necessary to accommodate the low glucose intake. Studies in both humans and experimental animals indicate that the adaptive (phenotypic) response to low-carbohydrate intake is insulin resistance. This provides the clue that insulin resistance is the mechanism for coping with a shortage of dietary glucose. We propose that the low-carbohydrate carnivorous diet would have disadvantaged reproduction in insulin-sensitive individuals and positively selected for individuals with insulin resistance. Natural selection would therefore result in a high proportion of people with genetically-determined insulin resistance. Other factors, such as geographic isolation, have contributed to further increases in the prevalence of the genotype in some population groups. Europeans may have a low incidence of diabetes because they were among the first to adopt agriculture and their diet has been high in carbohydrate for 10,000 years. The selection pressure for insulin resistance (i.e., a low-carbohydrate diet) was therefore relaxed much sooner in Caucasians than in other populations. Hence the prevalence of genes producing insulin resistance should be lower in the European population and any other group exposed to high-carbohydrate intake for a sufficiently long period of time.

Recovery from acute glucagon challenge in isolated rat hepatocytes: is protein dephosphorylation synchronous or asynchronous?

One-dimensional SDS-PAGE of cytosolic phosphopeptides confirms that glucagon promotes the phosphorylation of 11 phosphopeptides in isolated rat hepatocytes pre-equilibrated with 32PO4(3-). Nine of these phosphopeptides are tentatively identified, whereas two phosphopeptides (48 kDa and 46 kDa) remain unidentified. Transfer of the glucagon-challenged hepatocytes to medium free of 32PO4(3-) and glucagon led to the rapid net dephosphorylation of the phosphopeptides and to a rapid decline in the specific radioactivity of the [32P]ATP pool. There were profound differences between the post-glucagon rates of net dephosphorylation of the different hepatic phosphopeptides, consistent with net dephosphorylation being asynchronous during the recovery phase from acute glucagon challenge. On the basis of descending rates of dephosphorylation, four major groups of phosphopeptides were delineated. Okadaic acid, a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A and to a lesser extent protein phosphatase 1, inhibited the dephosphorylation of all of the phosphopeptides. A role for protein phosphatase 2A in protein dephosphorylation may be indicated by the observation that spermine, a specific activator of protein phosphatase 2A, stimulates the dephosphorylation of some, but not all, of the glucagon-stimulated phosphopeptides. Although phosphorylation during the recovery phase from glucagon challenge may be a complicating factor, the results suggest that post-glucagon dephosphorylation is a complex asynchronous process. The physiological consequences of this asynchrony may be that the suppression of glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis and the activation of glycolysis are early events in the recovery process.

The regulation of hepatic carbon flux by pyruvate dehydrogenase and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase during long-term food restriction

The present study investigated the effects of chronic food restriction (achieved by limiting access to food to 2 h daily for up to 8 weeks) on the activity of the active form of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHa) in liver. Accelerated and exaggerated activation of hepatic PDH in response to a meal, previously demonstrated to occur within 10 days of food restriction, was demonstrated to persist for 4 and 8 weeks of food restriction, despite a food intake of only 50-60% of controls. Activation of hepatic PDH during feeding in rats subjected to food restriction for 4 weeks was dependent on continued food intake. As a consequence, hepatic PDHa activities in food-restricted rats were suppressed relative to controls for 19 h of the 24 h daily cycle. Curve-fitting by second-order polynomial regression analysis demonstrated a significant positive correlation between hepatic PDHa activity and lipogenic rate over the range of PDHa activities observed during the 2 h feeding period. Increased lipogenesis during feeding in food-restricted rats was not at the expense of hepatic glycogen synthesis or deposition; measurement of concurrent rates of glycogenesis and lipogenesis revealed simultaneous flux through both pathways, but specific activation of lipogenesis. The accelerated re-activation of hepatic PDH observed within 1 h of feeding in rats subjected to 4 weeks of food restriction was facilitated by a failure of the 22 h interprandial fasting period to induce a stable increase in hepatic PDH kinase activity. The present study indicates differential regulation of hepatic PDH kinase activity during periods of food withdrawal between food-restricted rats and starved/re-fed control rats. Such regulation occupies a critical role in determining the rate of activation of hepatic PDH during feeding. In turn, increased activity of hepatic PDHa during feeding in food-restricted rats bears a close positive relationship with hepatic lipogenic rate.

Insulin-induced activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in skeletal muscle of diabetic rats

The pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex undergoes reversible phosphorylation catalyzed by a PDH kinase (inactivating) and a PDH phosphatase (activating). In skeletal muscle, a decreased proportion of active PDH (PDHa) complex limits glucose oxidation in insulin-deficient states. The time-course for reactivation of the PDH complex by insulin in skeletal muscle of diabetic rats is important to understanding the potential mode of the action of insulin in regulating glucose metabolism. A single injection of insulin (1 U/kg) completely reversed the effects of alloxan-diabetes on PDHa activity within 1 hour. The normalization of the effects of diabetes on PDHa activity by insulin was maintained for a minimum of 6 hours. The increase in PDHa activity occurred before an insulin-induced decrease in plasma free fatty acids levels, demonstrating a dissociation between the antilipolytic effects of insulin and its ability to activate the PDH complex. PDH kinase activity was not normalized to control values following a single injection of insulin. Therefore, acute (1 to 6 hours) insulin-mediated activation of the PDH complex does not result from a decrease in PDH kinase activity. However, longer-term insulin therapy (1 U/kg body weight; twice daily) restored both PDHa and PDH kinase activities. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that activation of the PDH complex immediately following insulin administration is not mediated by a decreased PDH kinase activity. However, with daily insulin therapy in diabetes, activation of the PDH complex results from decreased PDH kinase activity.

Control of muscle pyruvate oxidation during late pregnancy

Despite significant increases in circulating concentrations of lipid fuels (triacylglycerol, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and ketone bodies) in late-pregnant rats sampled in the fed (absorptive) state, cardiac and skeletal muscle active pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHa) activities remained comparable with those observed in fed, age-matched virgin controls. Cardiac PDHa activity was suppressed in response to acute (6 h) starvation in late-pregnant (as well as virgin) rats: this inactivation was opposed by inhibition of mitochondrial long-chain FA oxidation. Starvation (6 h) also led to PDH inactivation in skeletal muscles of late-pregnant, but not virgin, rats. Starvation for 24 h led to further suppression of cardiac PDHa activity and was associated with significant increases in PDH kinase activities in both virgin and late-pregnant rats. Late pregnancy did not itself influence cardiac PDH kinase activity.

Effects of fatty acid oxidation on glucose utilization by isolated hepatocytes

We have studied the inhibitory action of long- and short-chain fatty acids on hepatic glucose utilization in hepatocytes isolated from fasted rats. The rates of hepatic glucose phosphorylation and glycolysis were determined from the tritiated products of [2-3H] and [6-3H]glucose metabolism, respectively. The difference between these was taken as an estimate of the 'cycling' between glucose and glucose-6-phosphate. In the presence of 40 mM glucose this cycling was estimated at 0.68 mumol/min/g wet wt. Glucose phosphorylation was unaffected during palmitate and hexanoate oxidation to ketone bodies but glycolysis was inhibited. The rate of glucose cycling was increased during this phase to 1.25 mumol/min/g. Following the complete metabolism of the fatty acids, glycolysis was reinstated and cycling rates returned to control levels. Hepatic glucose cycling appears to be an important component of the glucose/fatty acid cycle.

Ethanol and glycogen synthesis in cardiothoracic and skeletal muscles following glucose re-feeding after starvation in the rat

The pattern of glycogen deposition in individual cardiothoracic and skeletal muscles in response to oral and intraperitoneal glucose administration was examined in 40 h-starved rats. Rates of glycogen synthesis were consistently higher in oxidative muscles than in non-oxidative muscles. Intragastric ethanol administration was associated with an impaired glycaemic response and the almost total abolition of glycogen deposition in oxidative muscles in response to oral or intraperitoneal glucose re-feeding. This effect was dose-dependent and differential, in that ethanol produced no equivalent impairment in glycogen deposition in non-oxidative muscles. Ethanol treatment also selectively promoted glycogenolysis in oxidative muscles in the starved state. There was positive correlation (P < 0.001) between the decrease in glycogen levels in soleus and diaphragm muscles in response to increasing ethanol doses and blood glucose and lactate concentrations after intraperitoneal glucose administration, implying that the basis for the impairment in glycogen synthesis may be diminished glucose availability. The mechanism whereby ethanol may differentially compromise carbohydrate metabolism in oxidative muscles is discussed.

Control of respiration and ATP synthesis in mammalian mitochondria and cells

We have seen that there is no simple answer to the question 'what controls respiration?' The answer varies with (a) the size of the system examined (mitochondria, cell or organ), (b) the conditions (rate of ATP use, level of hormonal stimulation), and (c) the particular organ examined. Of the various theories of control of respiration outlined in the introduction the ideas of Chance & Williams (1955, 1956) give the basic mechanism of how respiration is regulated. Increased ATP usage can cause increased respiration and ATP synthesis by mass action in all the main tissues. Superimposed on this basic mechanism is calcium control of matrix dehydrogenases (at least in heart and liver), and possibly also of the respiratory chain (at least in liver) and ATP synthase (at least in heart). In many tissues calcium also stimulates ATP usage directly; thus calcium may stimulate energy metabolism at (at least) four possible sites, the importance of each regulation varying with tissue. Regulation of multiple sites may occur (from a teleological point of view) because: (a) energy metabolism is branched and thus proportionate regulation of branches is required in order to maintain constant fluxes to branches (e.g. to proton leak or different ATP uses); and/or (b) control over fluxes is shared by a number of reactions, so that large increases in flux requires stimulation at multiple sites because each site has relatively little control. Control may be distributed throughout energy metabolism, possibly due to the necessity of minimizing cell protein levels (see Brown, 1991). The idea that energy metabolism is regulated by energy charge (as proposed by Atkinson, 1968, 1977) is misleading in mammals. Neither mitochondrial ATP synthesis nor cellular ATP usage is a unique function of energy charge as AMP is not a significant regulator (see for example Erecinska et al., 1977). The near-equilibrium hypothesis of Klingenberg (1961) and Erecinska & Wilson (1982) is partially correct in that oxidative phosphorylation is often close to equilibrium (apart from cytochrome oxidase) and as a consequence respiration and ATP synthesis are mainly regulated by (a) the phosphorylation potential, and (b) the NADH/NAD+ ratio. However, oxidative phosphorylation is not always close to equilibrium, at least in isolated mitochondria, and relative proximity to equilibrium does not prevent the respiratory chain, the proton leak, the ATP synthase and ANC having significant control over the fluxes. Thus in some conditions respiration rate correlates better with [ADP] than with phosphorylation potential, and may be relatively insensitive to mitochondrial NADH/NAD+ ratio.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase activities during the starved-to-fed transition

Starvation for 48 h elicited a 74% increase in hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) kinase activity, measured directly by 32Pi-incorporation from [gamma-32P]ATP into a synthetic peptide corresponding to the major phosphorylation site on E1. The administration of chow ad libitum to previously-starved rats suppressed hepatic PDH kinase activity by only approx. 20% within 2 h of re-feeding, and the relatively high activity of PDH kinase was associated with continued suppression of PDC complex re-activation. Whereas there was no further decline in PDH kinase activity over the next 2 h, PDC re-activation to the fed value was observed during this time interval. PDH kinase activity decreased to fed values only after 8 h.

The effect of A23187 on glucose production from methylglyoxal and pyruvate in isolated murine hepatocytes

1. A23187 increased the glucose production from methylglyoxal in isolated hepatocytes, and maximal stimulation was obtained at 10(-6) M. The effect of A23187 was dependent on the presence of Ca2+. 2. Glucose production from pyruvate (less than 1 mM) in isolated hepatocytes was stimulated by A23187 in the presence of 2.5 mM Ca2+ and was depressed at pyruvate concentrations above 1 mM. Both the virtual Km and the virtual Vmax of glucose production from pyruvate were decreased by A23187.

The role of the liver in metabolic homeostasis: implications for inborn errors of metabolism

The mechanisms by which the liver maintains a constant supply of oxidizable substrates, which provide energy to the body as a whole, are reviewed. During feeding, the liver builds up energy stores in the form of glycogen and triglyceride, the latter being exported to adipose tissue. During fasting, it releases glucose and ketone bodies. Glucose is formed by degradation of glycogen and by gluconeogenesis from gluconeogenic amino acids provided by muscle. Ketone bodies are produced from fatty acids, released by adipose tissue, and from ketogenic amino acids. The major signals which control the transition between the fed and the fasted state are glucose, insulin and glucagon. These influence directly or indirectly the enzymes which regulate liver carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism and thereby orient metabolic fluxes towards either energy storage or substrate release. In the fed state, the liver utilizes the energy generated by glucose oxidation to synthesize triglycerides. In the fasted state it utilizes that produced by beta-oxidation of fatty acids to synthesize glucose. The mechanisms whereby a number of inborn errors of glycogen metabolism, of gluconeogenesis and of ketogenesis cause hypoglycaemia are also briefly overviewed.

Regulation of fatty acid synthesis in lactating rat mammary gland in the fed to starved transition: asynchronous control of pyruvate dehydrogenase, phosphofructokinase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase

1. Withdrawal of food from lactating rats produced a rapid and dramatic decrease in the uptake of glucose by the mammary gland and an inhibition of the rate of fatty acid synthesis that could not be explained alone by decreased substrate supply to the tissue. 2. Within the first 6 hr starvation, fatty acid synthesis and pyruvate dehydrogenase activity were inhibited by 87 and 80%, respectively, but acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity did not change significantly. 3. Between 6 and 24 hr starvation, total and expressed activities of acetyl-CoA carboxylase decreased by 62 and 55%, respectively. 4. The ratio of fructose-6-phosphate/fructose-1,6-bisphosphate concentration in mammary tissue increased 9-fold during the first 6 hr starvation, indicating an inhibition of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase. However, the major inhibition of this enzyme occurred between 6 and 24 hr starvation when this metabolite ratio increased a further 160-fold in parallel with increased tissue citrate concentration. 5. The increase in citrate concentration between 6 and 24 hr starvation correlated with acetyl-CoA carboxylase inactivation and ketone body accumulation in the mammary gland. 6. This study confirms the asynchronous control of three important regulatory steps in the pathway of glucose utilization and fatty acid synthesis in the lactating rat mammary gland.

Changes in the properties of cytosolic acetyl-CoA carboxylase studied in cold-clamped liver samples from fed, starved and starved-refed rats

We have used the cold-clamping technique to study the changes in acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity that occur in the cytosolic and mitochondrial fractions of the liver of fed, starved and starved-refed rats. No evidence was found for a role of the mitochondrial enzyme as a pool from which cytosolic carboxylase could be replenished upon refeeding of starved rats. Starvation for 24 h or 48 h induced changes in the expressed (assayed at 20 mM-citrate), total (citrate- and phosphatase-treated) and citrate-independent activities of cytosolic carboxylase, as well as in its Ka for citrate. The expressed/total activity ratio was low even in the fed state and was depressed further by starvation. The effects of refeeding occurred in two phases: an acute phase (approx. 1 h) in which the starvation-induced changes in Ka and expressed/total activity ratio were rapidly reversed, and a prolonged slow phase in which the two parameters attained values that were lower and higher, respectively, than those in the normal fed state. Refeeding also resulted in a gradual increase in citrate-independent activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. An additional marked increase in this activity occurred only in 48 h-starved-refed rats between 24 h and 48 h of refeeding. These findings are discussed in terms of the observed time courses of changes in lipogenic rates that occur in vivo in starved-refed rats and of the possible molecular mechanisms involved.

Glucose utilization and disposal in cardiothoracic and skeletal muscles during the starved-to-fed transition in the rat

Glucose utilization indices (GUI) increased to fed values in diaphragm and oxidative skeletal muscles and exceeded fed values in non-oxidative muscles within 2 h of re-feeding chow to 48 h-starved rats. Cardiac GUI reached fed values only after 7 h. Glycogen deposition accounted for most of the glucose phosphorylated in skeletal muscle over the first 2 h in oxidative muscles and over the first 4 h in non-oxidative muscles. In oxidative muscles, the contribution of glycogen deposition to total glucose 6-phosphate disposal diminished as re-feeding was extended from 2 to 6 h.

Glucose utilization in heart, diaphragm and skeletal muscle during the fed-to-starved transition

The progressive effects of starvation on muscle glucose utilization were studied in the conscious resting rat. High rates of glucose uptake and phosphorylation in constantly working cardiothoracic (heart, diaphragm) and postural skeletal muscles (soleus, adductor longus) were maintained for at least 9 h of starvation. A rapid decline in cardiac glucose utilization was observed during the period 9-24 h of starvation, but for the other muscles the decline was more gradual. Consequently, even after 24 h, rates of glucose utilization in these muscles remained quantitatively significant. In both cardiothoracic and working (postural) skeletal muscle, glucose uptake and phosphorylation and activity of the active form of pyruvate dehydrogenase exhibited differential sensitivities to starvation and also to acute elevation of fatty acid concentrations during acute (4-9 h) starvation, such that pyruvate oxidation was more rapidly suppressed than glucose uptake and phosphorylation. The results are discussed in relation to the role of the glucose/fatty acid cycle in glucose conservation during the fed-to-starved transition.

Glucose-induced activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase in isolated rat pancreatic islets

1. Rat pancreatic islets were isolated and then maintained in culture for 2-4 days before being incubated in groups of 100 in the presence of different glucose (0-20 mM) or CaCl2 (1.2-4.2 mM) concentrations, or with uncoupler. 2. Increases in extracellular glucose concentration resulted in increases in the amount of active, non-phosphorylated, pyruvate dehydrogenase in the islets, with half-maximal effects around 5-6 mM-glucose. Increasing extracellular glucose from 3 to 20 mM resulted in a 4-6-fold activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase within 2 min. 3. The total enzyme activity was unchanged, and averaged 0.4 m-unit/100 islets at 37 degrees C. 4. These changes in active pyruvate dehydrogenase were broadly similar to changes in insulin secretion by the islets. 5. Increasing extracellular Ca2+ or adding uncoupler also activated pyruvate dehydrogenase to a similar degree, but only the former was associated with increased insulin secretion.