Short-term salt stress reduces photosynthetic oscillations under triose phosphate utilization limitation in tomato

Triose phosphate utilization (TPU) limitation is one of the three biochemical limitations of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate in C3 plants. Under TPU limitation, abrupt and large transitions in light intensity cause damped oscillations in photosynthesis. When plants are salt-stressed, photosynthesis is often down-regulated particularly under dynamic light intensity, but how salt stress affects TPU-related dynamic photosynthesis is still unknown. To elucidate this, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) was grown with and without sodium chloride (NaCl, 100 mM) stress for 13 d. Under high CO2 partial pressure, rapid increases in light intensity caused profound photosynthetic oscillations. Salt stress reduced photosynthetic oscillations in leaves initially under both low- and high-light conditions and reduced the duration of oscillations by about 2 min. Besides, salt stress increased the threshold for CO2 partial pressure at which oscillations occurred. Salt stress increased TPU capacity without affecting Rubisco carboxylation and electron transport capacity, indicating the up-regulation of end-product synthesis capacity in photosynthesis. Thus salt stress may reduce photosynthetic oscillations by decreasing leaf internal CO2 partial pressure and/or increasing TPU capacity. Our results provide new insights into how salt stress modulates dynamic photosynthesis as controlled by CO2 availability and end-product synthesis.

Triose phosphate utilization in leaves is modulated by whole-plant sink-source ratios and nitrogen budgets in rice

Triose phosphate utilization (TPU) is a biochemical process indicating carbon sink-source (im)balance within leaves. When TPU limits leaf photosynthesis, photorespiration-associated amino acid exports probably provide an additional carbon outlet and increase leaf CO2 uptake. However, whether TPU is modulated by whole-plant sink-source relations and nitrogen (N) budgets remains unclear. We address this question by model analyses of gas-exchange data measured on leaves at three growth stages of rice plants grown at two N levels. Sink-source ratio was manipulated by panicle pruning, by using yellower-leaf variant genotypes, and by measuring photosynthesis on adaxial and abaxial leaf sides. Across all these treatments, higher leaf N content resulted in the occurrence of TPU limitation at lower intercellular CO2 concentrations. Photorespiration-associated amino acid export was greater in high-N leaves, but was smaller in yellower-leaf genotypes, panicle-pruned plants, and for abaxial measurement. The feedback inhibition of panicle pruning on rates of TPU was not always observed, presumably because panicle pruning blocked N remobilization from leaves to grains and the increased leaf N content masked feedback inhibition. The leaf-level TPU limitation was thus modulated by whole-plant sink-source relations and N budgets during rice grain filling, suggesting a close link between within-leaf and whole-plant sink limitations.

Three consecutive cytosolic glycolysis enzymes modulate autophagic flux

Autophagy serves as an important recycling route for the growth and survival of eukaryotic organisms in nutrient-deficient conditions. Since starvation induces massive changes in the metabolic flux that are coordinated by key metabolic enzymes, specific processing steps of autophagy may be linked with metabolic flux-monitoring enzymes. We attempted to identify carbon metabolic genes that modulate autophagy using VIGS screening of 45 glycolysis- and Calvin-Benson cycle-related genes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Here, we report that three consecutive triose-phosphate-processing enzymes involved in cytosolic glycolysis, triose-phosphate-isomerase (TPI), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPC), and phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK), designated TGP, negatively regulate autophagy. Depletion of TGP enzymes causes spontaneous autophagy induction and increases AUTOPHAGY-RELATED 1 (ATG1) kinase activity. TGP enzymes interact with ATG101, a regulatory component of the ATG1 kinase complex. Spontaneous autophagy induction and abnormal growth under insufficient sugar in TGP mutants are suppressed by crossing with the atg101 mutant. Considering that triose-phosphates are photosynthates transported to the cytosol from active chloroplasts, the TGP enzymes would be strategically positioned to monitor the flow of photosynthetic sugars and modulate autophagy accordingly. Collectively, these results suggest that TGP enzymes negatively control autophagy acting upstream of the ATG1 complex, which is critical for seedling development.

Enrichment of hepatic glycogen and plasma glucose from H₂18 O informs gluconeogenic and indirect pathway fluxes in naturally feeding mice

Deuterated water (2 H2 O) is a widely used tracer of carbohydrate biosynthesis in both preclinical and clinical settings, but the significant kinetic isotope effects (KIE) of 2 H can distort metabolic information and mediate toxicity. 18 O-water (H2 18 O) has no significant KIE and is incorporated into specific carbohydrate oxygens via well-defined mechanisms, but to date it has not been evaluated in any animal model. Mice were given H2 18 O during overnight feeding and 18 O-enrichments of liver glycogen, triglyceride glycerol (TG), and blood glucose were quantified by 13 C NMR and mass spectrometry (MS). Enrichment of oxygens 5 and 6 relative to body water informed indirect pathway contributions from the Krebs cycle and triose phosphate sources. Compared with mice fed normal chow (NC), mice whose NC was supplemented with a fructose/glucose mix (i.e., a high sugar [HS] diet) had significantly higher indirect pathway contributions from triose phosphate sources, consistent with fructose glycogenesis. Blood glucose and liver TG 18 O-enrichments were quantified by MS. Blood glucose 18 O-enrichment was significantly higher for HS versus NC mice and was consistent with gluconeogenic fructose metabolism. TG 18 O-enrichment was extensive for both NC and HS mice, indicating a high turnover of liver triglyceride, independent of diet. Thus H2 18 O informs hepatic carbohydrate biosynthesis in similar detail to 2 H2 O but without KIE-associated risks.

Triose phosphate export from chloroplasts and cellular sugar content regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis during high light acclimation

Plants have evolved multiple strategies to cope with rapid changes in the environment. During high light (HL) acclimation, the biosynthesis of photoprotective flavonoids, such as anthocyanins, is induced. However, the exact nature of the signal and downstream factors for HL induction of flavonoid biosynthesis (FB) is still under debate. Here, we show that carbon fixation in chloroplasts, subsequent export of photosynthates by triose phosphate/phosphate translocator (TPT), and rapid increase in cellular sugar content permit the transcriptional and metabolic activation of anthocyanin biosynthesis during HL acclimation. In combination with genetic and physiological analysis, targeted and whole-transcriptome gene expression studies suggest that reactive oxygen species and phytohormones play only a minor role in rapid HL induction of the anthocyanin branch of FB. In addition to transcripts of FB, sugar-responsive genes showed delayed repression or induction in tpt-2 during HL treatment, and a significant overlap with transcripts regulated by SNF1-related protein kinase 1 (SnRK1) was observed, including a central transcription factor of FB. Analysis of mutants with increased and repressed SnRK1 activity suggests that sugar-induced inactivation of SnRK1 is required for HL-mediated activation of anthocyanin biosynthesis. Our study emphasizes the central role of chloroplasts as sensors for environmental changes as well as the vital function of sugar signaling in plant acclimation.

The triose phosphate utilization limitation of photosynthetic rate: Out of global models but important for leaf models

The effect of including triose phosphate utilization (TPU) on parameterization of the Farquhar, von Caemmerer, Berry model of photosynthetic gas exchange measurements is explored. Better fits to data are found even though TPU rarely limits photosynthesis under physiological conditions.

No evidence for triose phosphate limitation of light-saturated leaf photosynthesis under current atmospheric CO2 concentration

The triose phosphate utilization (TPU) rate has been identified as one of the processes that can limit terrestrial plant photosynthesis. However, we lack a robust quantitative assessment of TPU limitation of photosynthesis at the global scale. As a result, TPU, and its potential limitation of photosynthesis, is poorly represented in terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs). In this study, we utilized a global data set of photosynthetic CO₂ response curves representing 141 species from tropical rainforests to Arctic tundra. We quantified TPU by fitting the standard biochemical model of C₃ photosynthesis to measured photosynthetic CO₂ response curves and characterized its instantaneous temperature response. Our results demonstrate that TPU does not limit leaf photosynthesis at the current ambient atmospheric CO₂ concentration. Furthermore, our results showed that the light-saturated photosynthetic rates of plants growing in cold environments are not more often limited by TPU than those of plants growing in warmer environments. In addition, our study showed that the instantaneous temperature response of TPU is distinct from temperature response of the maximum rate of Rubisco carboxylation. The new formulations of the temperature response of TPU derived in this study may prove useful in quantifying the biochemical limits to terrestrial plant photosynthesis and improve the representation of plant photosynthesis in TBMs.

Is triose phosphate utilization involved in the feedback inhibition of photosynthesis in rice under conditions of sink limitation?

This study aimed to understand the physiological basis of rice photosynthetic response to C source-sink imbalances, focusing on the dynamics of the photosynthetic parameter triose phosphate utilization (TPU). Here, rice (Oriza sativa L.) indica cultivar IR64 were grown in controlled environment chambers under current ambient CO2 concentration until heading, and thereafter two CO2 treatments (400 and 800 μmol mol-1) were compared in the presence and absence of a panicle-pruning treatment modifying the C sink. At 2 weeks after heading, photosynthetic parameters derived from CO2 response curves, and non-structural carbohydrate content of flag leaf and internodes were measured three to four times of day. Spikelet number per panicle and flag leaf area on the main culm were recorded. Net C assimilation and TPU decreased progressively after midday in panicle-pruned plants, especially under 800 μmol mol-1 CO2. This TPU reduction was explained by sucrose accumulation in the flag leaf resulting from the sink limitation. Taking together, our findings suggest that TPU is involved in the regulation of photosynthesis in rice under elevated CO2 conditions, and that sink limitation effects should be considered in crop models.

Triose phosphate utilization and beyond: from photosynthesis to end product synthesis

During photosynthesis, plants fix CO2 from the atmosphere onto ribulose-bisphosphate, producing 3-phosphoglycerate, which is reduced to triose phosphates (TPs). The TPs are then converted into the end products of photosynthesis. When a plant is photosynthesizing very quickly, it may not be possible to commit photosynthate to end products as fast as it is produced, causing a decrease in available phosphate and limiting the rate of photosynthesis to the rate of triose phosphate utilization (TPU). The occurrence of an observable TPU limitation is highly variable based on species and especially growth conditions, with TPU capacity seemingly regulated to be in slight excess of typical photosynthetic rates the plant might experience. The physiological effects of TPU limitation are discussed with an emphasis on interactions between the Calvin-Benson cycle and the light reactions. Methods for detecting TPU-limited data from gas exchange data are detailed and the impact on modeling of some physiological effects are shown. Special consideration is given to common misconceptions about TPU.

A Poly(A) Ribonuclease Controls the Cellotriose-Based Interaction between Piriformospora indica and Its Host Arabidopsis

Piriformospora indica, an endophytic root-colonizing fungus, efficiently promotes plant growth and induces resistance to abiotic stress and biotic diseases. P. indica fungal cell wall extract induces cytoplasmic calcium elevation in host plant roots. Here, we show that cellotriose (CT) is an elicitor-active cell wall moiety released by P. indica into the medium. CT induces a mild defense-like response, including the production of reactive oxygen species, changes in membrane potential, and the expression of genes involved in growth regulation and root development. CT-based cytoplasmic calcium elevation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) roots does not require the BAK1 coreceptor or the putative Ca²⁺ channels TPC1, GLR3.3, GLR2.4, and GLR2.5 and operates synergistically with the elicitor chitin. We identified an ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mutant (cytoplasmiccalcium elevation mutant) impaired in the response to CT and various other cellooligomers (n = 2-7), but not to chitooligomers (n = 4-8), in roots. The mutant contains a single nucleotide exchange in the gene encoding a poly(A) ribonuclease (AtPARN; At1g55870) that degrades the poly(A) tails of specific mRNAs. The wild-type PARN cDNA, expressed under the control of a 35S promoter, complements the mutant phenotype. Our identification of cellotriose as a novel chemical mediator casts light on the complex P. indica-plant mutualistic relationship.

Genotype, environment and G × E interaction influence (1,3;1,4)-β-d-glucan fine structure in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

BACKGROUND

The structure of β-glucan influences its use in cereal-based foods and feed. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of environment (E) and genotype (G) on β-glucan fine structure and its genetic control in two-row spring barley with normal starch characteristics.

RESULTS

A population of 89 recombinant inbred lines, derived from the cross of two-row spring barley genotypes Merit × H93174006 (H92076F1 × TR238), was characterized for concentration and structure of grain β-glucan in two environments. Results showed that concentrations of β-glucan, DP3, DP4 and DP3 + DP4 were positively correlated with each other, suggesting no preference for DP3 or DP4 subunit production in high- or low-β-glucan lines. The concentrations of β-glucan, DP3, DP4 and DP3:DP4 ratios were significantly influenced by genotype and environment. However, only DP3:DP4 ratio showed a significant effect of G × E interaction. Association mapping of candidate markers in 119 barley genotypes showed that marker CSLF6_4105 was associated with β-glucan concentration, whereas Bmac504 and Bmac211 were associated with DP3:DP4 ratio. Bmac273e was associated with both β-glucan concentration and DP3:DP4 ratio.

CONCLUSION

The grain β-glucan concentration and DP3:DP4 ratio are strongly affected by genotype and environment. Single-marker analyses suggested that the genetic control of β-glucan concentration and DP3:DP4 ratio was linked to separate chromosomal regions on barley genome. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Triose phosphate use limitation of photosynthesis: short-term and long-term effects

MAIN CONCLUSION

The triose phosphate use limitation was studied using long-term and short term changes in capacity. The TPU limitation caused increased proton motive force; long-term TPU limitation additionally reduced other photosynthetic components. Photosynthetic responses to CO2 can be interpreted primarily as being limited by the amount or activity of Rubisco or the capacity for ribulose bisphosphate regeneration, but at high rates of photosynthesis a third response is often seen. Photosynthesis becomes insensitive to CO2 or even declines with increasing CO2, and this behavior has been associated with a limitation of export of carbon from the Calvin-Benson cycle. It is often called the triose phosphate use (TPU) limitation. We studied the long-term consequences of this limitation using plants engineered to have reduced capacity for starch or sucrose synthesis. We studied short-term consequences using temperature as a method for changing the balance of carbon fixation capacity and TPU. A long-term and short-term TPU limitation resulted in an increase in proton motive force (PMF) in the thylakoids. Once a TPU limitation was reached, any further increases in CO2 was met with a further increase in the PMF but no increase or little increase in net assimilation of CO2. A long-term TPU limitation resulted in reduced Rubisco and RuBP regeneration capacity. We hypothesize that TPU, Rubisco activity, and RuBP regeneration are regulated so that TPU is normally in slight excess of what is required, and that this results in more effective regulation than if TPU were in large excess.

Cloning and Characterization of Saponin Hydrolases fromAspergillus oryzaeandEupenicillium brefeldianum

We purified saponin hydrolases from Aspergillus oryzae PF1224 and Eupenicillium brefeldianum PF1226. It was confirmed that the enzymes from A. oryzae PF1224 (Sda1) and E. brefeldianum PF1226 (Sde1) are glycoproteins with molecular masses of 82 and 90 kDa respectively. The deduced amino acid sequences of each enzyme from the cloned genes (sda1 or sde1) showed approximately 50% homology with that of the saponin hydrolase Sdn1 from Neocosmospora vasinfecta var. vasinfecta PF1225 (DDBJ accession no. AB110615). When sda1 and sde1 were expressed in the host Trichoderma viride under the control of the cellobiohydrolase I gene promoter, recombinant proteins were secreted with molecular masses of 77 and 67 kDa respectively. These recombinant enzymes hydrolyzed soyasaponin I to soyasapogenol B and triose, and its substrate specificities for glycosides were similar to that of Sdn1, but the specific activities of these enzymes were lower than that of Sdn1.

Silencing of the tomato sugar partitioning affecting protein (SPA) modifies sink strength through a shift in leaf sugar metabolism

Limitations in our understanding about the mechanisms that underlie source-sink assimilate partitioning are increasingly becoming a major hurdle for crop yield enhancement via metabolic engineering. By means of a comprehensive approach, this work reports the functional characterization of a DnaJ chaperone related-protein (named as SPA; sugar partition-affecting) that is involved in assimilate partitioning in tomato plants. SPA protein was found to be targeted to the chloroplast thylakoid membranes. SPA-RNAi tomato plants produced more and heavier fruits compared with controls, thus resulting in a considerable increment in harvest index. The transgenic plants also displayed increased pigment levels and reduced sucrose, glucose and fructose contents in leaves. Detailed metabolic and enzymatic activities analyses showed that sugar phosphate intermediates were increased while the activity of phosphoglucomutase, sugar kinases and invertases was reduced in the photosynthetic organs of the silenced plants. These changes would be anticipated to promote carbon export from foliar tissues. The combined results suggested that the tomato SPA protein plays an important role in plastid metabolism and mediates the source-sink relationships by affecting the rate of carbon translocation to fruits.

²H enrichment distribution of hepatic glycogen from ²H₂O reveals the contribution of dietary fructose to glycogen synthesis

Dietary fructose can benefit or hinder glycemic control, depending on the quantity consumed, and these contrasting effects are reflected by alterations in postprandial hepatic glycogen synthesis. Recently, we showed that ²H enrichment of glycogen positions 5 and 2 from deuterated water (²H₂O) informs direct and indirect pathway contributions to glycogenesis in naturally feeding rats. Inclusion of position 6(S) ²H enrichment data allows indirect pathway sources to be further resolved into triose phosphate and Krebs cycle precursors. This analysis was applied to six rats that had fed on standard chow (SC) and six rats that had fed on SC plus 35% sucrose in their drinking water (HS). After 2 wk, hepatic glycogenesis sources during overnight feeding were determined by ²H₂O administration and postmortem analysis of glycogen ²H enrichment at the conclusion of the dark period. Net overnight hepatic glycogenesis was similar between SC and HS rodents. Whereas direct pathway contributions were similar (403 ± 71 μmol/g dry wt HS vs. 578 ± 76 μmol/g dry wt SC), triose phosphate contributions were significantly higher for HS compared with SC (382 ± 61 vs. 87 ± 24 μmol/g dry wt, P < 0.01) and Krebs cycle inputs lower for HS compared with SC (110 ± 9 vs. 197 ± 32 μmol/g dry wt, P < 0.05). Analysis of plasma glucose ²H enrichments at the end of the feeding period also revealed a significantly higher fractional contribution of triose phosphate to plasma glucose levels in HS vs. SC. Hence, the ²H enrichment distributions of hepatic glycogen and glucose from ²H₂O inform the contribution of dietary fructose to hepatic glycogen and glucose synthesis.

Decrease in leaf sucrose synthesis leads to increased leaf starch turnover and decreased RuBP regeneration-limited photosynthesis but not Rubisco-limited photosynthesis in Arabidopsis null mutants of SPSA1

We investigated the individual effect of null mutations of each of the four sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS) genes in Arabidopsis (SPSA1, SPSA2, SPSB and SPSC) on photosynthesis and carbon partitioning. Null mutants spsa1 and spsc led to decreases in maximum SPS activity in leaves by 80 and 13%, respectively, whereas null mutants spsa2 and spsb had no significant effect. Consistently, isoform-specific antibodies detected only the SPSA1 and SPSC proteins in leaf extracts. Leaf photosynthesis at ambient [CO₂] was not different among the genotypes but was 20% lower in spsa1 mutants when measured under saturating [CO₂] levels. Carbon partitioning at ambient [CO₂] was altered only in the spsa1 null mutant. Cold treatment of plants (4 °C for 96 h) increased leaf soluble sugars and starch and increased the leaf content of SPSA1 and SPSC proteins twofold to threefold, and of the four null mutants, only spsa1 reduced leaf non-structural carbohydrate accumulation in response to cold treatment. It is concluded that SPSA1 plays a major role in photosynthetic sucrose synthesis in Arabidopsis leaves, and decreases in leaf SPS activity lead to increased starch synthesis and starch turnover and decreased Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate regeneration-limited photosynthesis but not ribulose 1·5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco)-limited photosynthesis, indicating a limitation of triose-phosphate utilization (TPU).

Functional characterization of the plastidic phosphate translocator gene family from the thermo-acidophilic red alga Galdieria sulphuraria reveals specific adaptations of primary carbon partitioning in green plants and red algae

In chloroplasts of green plants and algae, CO(2) is assimilated into triose-phosphates (TPs); a large part of these TPs is exported to the cytosol by a TP/phosphate translocator (TPT), whereas some is stored in the plastid as starch. Plastidial phosphate translocators have evolved from transport proteins of the host endomembrane system shortly after the origin of chloroplasts by endosymbiosis. The red microalga Galdieria sulphuraria shares three conserved putative orthologous transport proteins with the distantly related seed plants and green algae. However, red algae, in contrast to green plants, store starch in their cytosol, not inside plastids. Hence, due to the lack of a plastidic starch pool, a larger share of recently assimilated CO(2) needs to be exported to the cytosol. We thus hypothesized that red algal transporters have distinct substrate specificity in comparison to their green orthologs. This hypothesis was tested by expression of the red algal genes in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and assessment of their substrate specificities and kinetic constants. Indeed, two of the three red algal phosphate translocator candidate orthologs have clearly distinct substrate specificities when compared to their green homologs. GsTPT (for G. sulphuraria TPT) displays very narrow substrate specificity and high affinity; in contrast to green plant TPTs, 3-phosphoglyceric acid is poorly transported and thus not able to serve as a TP/3-phosphoglyceric acid redox shuttle in vivo. Apparently, the specific features of red algal primary carbon metabolism promoted the evolution of a highly efficient export system with high affinities for its substrates. The low-affinity TPT of plants maintains TP levels sufficient for starch biosynthesis inside of chloroplasts, whereas the red algal TPT is optimized for efficient export of TP from the chloroplast.

Crystal Structure of Truncated Fibrobacter succinogenes 1,3-1,4-β-d-Glucanase in Complex with β-1,3-1,4-Cellotriose

Fibrobacter succinogenes 1,3-1,4-beta-D-glucanase (Fsbeta-glucanase) catalyzes the specific hydrolysis of beta-1,4 glycosidic bonds adjacent to beta-1,3 linkages in beta-D-glucans or lichenan. This is the first report to elucidate the crystal structure of a truncated Fsbeta-glucanase (TFsbeta-glucanase) in complex with beta-1,3-1,4-cellotriose, a major product of the enzyme reaction. The crystal structures, at a resolution of 2.3 angstroms, reveal that the overall fold of TFsbeta-glucanase remains virtually unchanged upon sugar binding. The enzyme accommodates five glucose residues, forming a concave active cleft. The beta-1,3-1,4-cellotriose with subsites -3 to -1 bound to the active cleft of TFsbeta-glucanase with its reducing end subsite -1 close to the key catalytic residues Glu56 and Glu60. All three subsites of the beta-1,3-1,4-cellotriose adopted a relaxed C(1)4 conformation, with a beta-1,3 glycosidic linkage between subsites -2 and -1, and a beta-1,4 glycosidic linkage between subsites -3 and -2. On the basis of the enzyme-product complex structure observed in this study, a catalytic mechanism and substrate binding conformation of the active site of TFsbeta-glucanase is proposed.

Biosynthesis of Vitamin B(6) in yeast. Incorporation pattern of trioses

The biosynthetic origin of the C(3) unit, C-6,5,5', of pyridoxamine was investigated in two yeasts, Candida utilis ATCC 9256 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 7752. The incorporation patterns within pyridoxamine bishydrochloride derived from variously multiply (13)C- and (2)H-labeled samples of glycerol and glyceraldehyde, established by NMR spectroscopy, indicate that the three-carbon unit C-6,5,5' of pyridoxamine is derived intact from a triose.

Microbial production of 2-deoxyribose 5-phosphate from acetaldehyde and triosephosphate for the synthesis of 2'-deoxyribonucleosides

2-Deoxyribose 5-phosphate was produced from acetaldehyde and dihydroxyacetone phosphate via D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate by Klebsiella pneumoniae B-4-4 through deoxyriboaldolase- and triosephosphate isomerase-catalyzing reactions. Under the optimum conditions, 98.7 mM 2-deoxyribose 5-phosphate was produced from 200 mM acetaldehyde and 117 mM dihydroxyacetone phosphate in 2 h with a molar yield of 84%. The 2-deoxyriobse 5-phosphate produced was directly transformed to 2'-deoxyribonucleoside by phosphopentomutase- and nucleoside phosphorylase-catalyzing reactions.

Recognition of cello-oligosaccharides by a family 17 carbohydrate-binding module: an X-ray crystallographic, thermodynamic and mutagenic study

The crystal structure of the Clostridium cellulovorans carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) belonging to family 17 has been solved to 1.7 A resolution by multiple anomalous dispersion methods. CBM17 binds to non-crystalline cellulose and soluble beta-1,4-glucans, with a minimal binding requirement of cellotriose and optimal affinity for cellohexaose. The crystal structure of CBM17 complexed with cellotetraose solved at 2.0 A resolution revealed that binding occurs in a cleft on the surface of the molecule involving two tryptophan residues and several charged amino acids. Thermodynamic binding studies and alanine scanning mutagenesis in combination with the cellotetraose complex structure allowed the mapping of the CBM17 binding cleft. In contrast to the binding groove characteristic of family 4 CBMs, family 17 CBMs appear to have a very shallow binding cleft that may be more accessible to cellulose chains in non-crystalline cellulose than the deeper binding clefts of family 4 CBMs. The structural differences in these two modules may reflect non-overlapping binding niches on cellulose surfaces.

Suppression of the accumulation of triosephosphates and increased formation of methylglyoxal in human red blood cells during hyperglycaemia by thiamine in vitro

The accumulation of triosephosphates and the increased formation of the potent glycating agent methylglyoxal in intracellular hyperglycaemia are implicated in the development of diabetic complications. A strategy to counter this is to stimulate the anaerobic pentosephosphate pathway of glycolysis by maximizing transketolase activity by thiamine supplementation, with the consequent consumption of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and increased formation of ribose-5-phosphate. To assess the effect of thiamine supplementation on the accumulation of triosephosphates and methylglyoxal formation in cellular hyperglycaemia, we incubated human red blood cell suspensions (50% v/v) in short-term culture with 5 mM glucose and 50 mM glucose in Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer at 37 degrees C as models of cellular metabolism under normoglycaemic and hyperglycaemic conditions. In hyperglycaemia, there is a characteristic increase in the concentration of the triosephosphate pool of glycolytic intermediates and a consequent increase in the concentration and metabolic flux of the formation of methylglyoxal. The addition of thiamine (50-500 microM) increased the activity of transketolase, decreased the concentration of the triosephosphate pool, decreased the concentration and metabolic flux of the formation of methylglyoxal, and increased the concentration of total sedoheptulose-7-phosphate and ribose-5-phosphate. Biochemical changes implicated in the development of diabetic complications were thereby prevented. This provides a biochemical basis for high dose thiamine therapy for the prevention of diabetic complications.

Structural basis of functional mimicry between carbohydrate and peptide ligands of con A

Crystallographic studies have shown independent binding sites for sugar and peptide ligands of concanavalin A, although they were considered functional mimics based on biochemical experiments. The topological correlation of 12-residue peptide with different carbohydrate ligands of concanavalin A showed similarity between trimannose and the YPY region of the peptide establishing structural mimicry. Molecular docking of trimannose and the YPY motif on the reciprocal binding sites revealed equivalent interactions and energetics implying that the peptide-binding sites may constitute additional sugar-binding subsites of concanavalin A. The binding of a mannose-rich neoglycoprotein with significantly higher affinity compared with that of the methyl alpha-d-mannopyranoside is consistent with this interpretation.

Strategies for metabolic flux analysis in plants using isotope labelling

Flux measurements through metabolic pathways generate insights into the integration of metabolism, and there is increasing interest in using such measurements to quantify the metabolic effects of mutation and genetic manipulation. Isotope labelling provides a powerful approach for measuring metabolic fluxes, and it gives rise to several distinct methods based on either dynamic or steady-state experiments. We discuss the application of these methods to photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic plant tissues, and we illustrate the different approaches with an analysis of the pathways interconverting hexose phosphates and triose phosphates. The complicating effects of the pentose phosphate pathway and the problems arising from the extensive compartmentation of plant cell metabolism are considered. The non-trivial nature of the analysis is emphasised by reference to invalid deductions in earlier work. It is concluded that steady-state isotopic labelling experiments can provide important information on the fluxes through primary metabolism in plants, and that the combination of stable isotope labelling with detection by nuclear magnetic resonance is particularly informative.

A rectifying ATP-regulated solute channel in the chloroplastic outer envelope from pea

Phosphorylated carbohydrates are the main photoassimilated export products from chloroplasts that support the energy household and metabolism of the plant cell. Channels formed by the chloroplastic outer envelope protein OEP21 selectively facilitate the translocation of triosephosphate, 3-phosphoglycerate and phosphate, central intermediates in the source-sink relationship between the chloroplast and the cytosol. The anion selectivity and asymmetric transport properties of OEP21 are modulated by the ratio between ATP and triosephosphates, 3-phosphoglycerate and phosphate in the intermembrane space. Conditions that lead to export of triosephosphate from chloroplasts, i.e. photosynthesis, result in outward-rectifying OEP21 channels, while a high ATP to triosephosphate ratio, e.g. dark metabolism, leads to inward-rectifying OEP21 channels with a less pronounced anion selectivity. We conclude that solute exchange between plastids and cytosol can already be regulated at the level of the organellar outer membrane.

A critical evaluation of mass isotopomer distribution analysis of gluconeogenesis in vivo

There are conflicting reports concerning the reliability of mass isotopomer distribution analysis (MIDA) for estimating the contribution of gluconeogenesis to total glucose production (f) during [(13)C]glycerol infusion. We have evaluated substrate-induced effects on rate of appearance (R(a)) of glycerol and glucose and f during [2-(13)C]glycerol infusion in vivo. Five groups of mice were fasted for 30 h and then infused with [2-(13)C]glycerol at variable rates and variable (13)C enrichments (group I: 20 micromol. kg(-1). min(-1), 99% (13)C; group II: 60 micromol. kg(-1). min(-1), 60% (13)C; group III: 60 micromol. kg(-1). min(-1), 99% (13)C; group IV: 120 micromol. kg(-1). min(-1), 40% (13)C; or group V: 120 micromol. kg(-1). min(-1), 99% (13)C). The total glycerol R(a) increased from approximately 104 to approximately 157 and to approximately 210 micromol. kg(-1). min(-1) as the infusion of [2-(13)C]glycerol increased from 20 to 60 and to 120 micromol. kg(- 1). min(-1), respectively. As the amount of 99% enriched [2-(13)C]glycerol increased from 20 to 60 and to 120 micromol. kg(-1). min(-1) (groups I, III, and V, respectively), plasma glycerol enrichment increased from approximately 21 to approximately 42 and to approximately 57% and the calculated f increased from approximately 27 to approximately 56 and to approximately 87%, respectively. Similar plasma glycerol enrichments were observed in groups I, II, and IV (i. e., approximately 21-24%), yet f increased from approximately 27 to approximately 57 and to approximately 86% in groups II and IV, respectively. Estimates of absolute gluconeogenesis increased from approximately 14 to approximately 33 and approximately 86 micromol. kg(-1). min(-1) as the infusion of [2-(13)C]glycerol increased from 20 to 60 and 120 micromol. kg(-1). min(-1). Plausible estimates of f were obtained only under conditions that increased total glycerol R(a) approximately 2-fold (P < 0.001) and increased glucose R(a) approximately 1.5-fold (P < 0.01) above basal. We conclude that in 30-h fasted mice, 1) estimates of f by MIDA with low infusion rates of [2-(13)C]glycerol yield erroneous results and 2) reasonable estimates of f are obtained at glycerol infusion rates that perturb glycerol and glucose metabolism.

Alteration of substrate specificity by a naturally-occurring aldolase B mutation (Ala337-->Val) in fructose intolerance

A molecular analysis of human aldolase B genes in two newborn infants and a 4-year-old child with hereditary fructose intolerance, the offspring of a consanguineous union, has identified the novel mutation Ala337-->Val in homozygous form. This mutation was also detected independently in two other affected individuals who were compound heterozygotes for the prevalent aldolase B allele, Ala149-->Pro, indicating that the mutation causes aldolase B deficiency. To test for the effect of the mutation, catalytically active wild-type human aldolase B and the Val337 variant enzyme were expressed in Escherichia coli. The specific activities of the wild-type recombinant enzyme were 4.8 units/mg and 4.5 units/mg towards fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) and fructose 1-phosphate (F-1-P) as substrates with Michaelis constants of 4 microM and 2.4 mM respectively. The specific activities of purified tetrameric Val337 aldolase B, which affects an invariant residue in the C-terminal region, were 4.2 units/mg and 2.6 units/mg towards FBP and F-1-P as substrates respectively; the corresponding Michaelis constants were 22 microM and 24 mM. The FBP-to-F-1-P substrate activity ratios were 0.98 and 1.63 for wild-type and Val337 variant enzymes respectively. The Val337 mutant aldolase had an increased susceptibility to proteolytic cleavage in E. coli and rapidly lost activity on storage. Comparative CD determinations showed that the Val337 protein had a distinct thermal denaturation profile with markedly decreased enthalpy, indicating that the mutant protein is partly unfolded. The undegraded mutant had preferentially decreased affinity and activity towards its specific F-1-P substrate and maintained appreciable activity towards FBP. In contrast, fluorescence studies of the mutant showed an increased binding affinity for products of the aldolase reaction, indicating a role for the C-terminus in mediating product release. These findings in a rare but widespread naturally occurring mutant implicate the C-terminus in the activity of human aldolase B towards its specific substrates and demonstrate its role in maintaining the overall stability of the enzyme tetramer.

VLDL-triglyceride production after alcohol ingestion, studied using [2-13C1] glycerol

We used [2-13C1]glycerol to characterize very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)-triglyceride kinetics and intrahepatic glycerol metabolism in normal men (n = 4) after alcohol (EtOH) ingestion. [2-13C1]glycerol was infused before and after the consumption of 48 g EtOH or a placebo. Three additional subjects also received [1-13C1]acetate in addition to the [2-13C1]glycerol with EtOH treatment. Incorporation of tracer into the glycerol or fatty acid moiety of VLDL-triglyceride was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and used to calculate VLDL-triglyceride production rates. Intrahepatic triose-phosphate enrichments were also calculated based on mass isotopomer distribution analysis of plasma glucose. There was no difference in VLDL-triglyceride production rates after 48 g EtOH (11.9 +/- 3.7 mg/kg/h) or placebo (14.7 +/- 3. 3 mg/kg/h). The VLDL-triglyceride rate constants calculated by kinetic modeling using the glycerol and acetate tracers in the combined isotope infusion subjects were very closely correlated (r 2 = 0.94). The peak VLDL-glycerol enrichments after EtOH were 22.5 +/- 3.3% versus 7.6 +/- 0.8% after placebo (P < 0.001), while intrahepatic triose-phosphate enrichments were 19.8 +/- 1.3% and 13. 1 +/- 1.2% (P < 0.001), respectively. Moreover, the calculated asymptotic VLDL-glycerol enrichments (representing the hepatic alpha-glycerol phosphate enrichment) were significantly higher after EtOH than placebo. The higher ratio of VLDL-glycerol to triose-phosphate labeling after EtOH suggests a metabolic block at glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. We conclude that consumption of 48 g EtOH does not increase VLDL-triglyceride production in normal men but does cause accumulation of tracer in hepatic alpha-glycerol phosphate.

Glycerol production in a triose phosphate isomerase deficient mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Interesting challenges from metabolically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells arise from the opportunity to obtain yeast strains useful for the production of chemicals. In this paper, we show that engineered yeast cells deficient in the triose phosphate isomerase activity are able to produce glycerol without the use of steering agents. High yields of conversion of glucose into glycerol (80-90% of the theoretical yield) and productivity (1.5 g L-1 h-1) have been obtained by a bioconversion process carried out in a poor and clean medium. We obtained indications that the growth phase at which the biomass was collected affect the process. The best results were obtained using cells collected at the end of exponential phase of growth. In perspective, the strategies and the information about the physiology of the cells described here could be useful for the developing of new biotechnological processes for glycerol production, outflanking the problems related to the use of high level of steering agents.

Carbohydrate fluxes into alginate biosynthesis in Azotobacter vinelandii NCIB 8789: NMR investigations of the triose pools

The metabolite flux of carbohydrates through primary catabolism and into hexose resynthesis has been investigated for alginic acid biosynthesis in Azotobacter vinelandii. To do these studies, we fed the microorganism a variety of 13C-labeled glucose precursors, including [U-13C6]glucose. The incorporations of the precursors were determined by 1D 13C-NMR, 2D 13C-DQF-COSY, and inverse triple-quantum correlation experiments. The results clearly show that the entire catabolism of hexose is through the Entner-Doudoroff (E-D) pathway and that the triose pools are in equilibrium. Reentry into gluconeogenesis prior to alginate synthesis occurs totally from the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate generated by the E-D pathway. The obligatory intermediacy of triose intermediates in alginate biosynthesis was proved. The experiments and results presented in this paper constitute a new method for distinguishing the E-D pathway from glycolysis in bacteria.

Limitations of the mass isotopomer distribution analysis of glucose to study gluconeogenesis. Substrate cycling between glycerol and triose phosphates in liver

Mass isotopomer distribution analysis allows studying the synthesis of polymeric biomolecules from 15N, 13C-, or 2H-labeled monomeric units in the presence of unlabeled polymer. The mass isotopomer distribution of the polymer allows calculation of (i) the enrichment of the monomer and (ii) the dilution of the newly synthesized polymer by unlabeled polymer. We tested the conditions of validity of mass isotopomer distribution analysis of glucose labeled from [U-13C3]lactate, [U-13C3]glycerol, and [2-13C]glycerol to calculate the fraction of glucose production derived from gluconeogenesis. Experiments were conducted in perfused rat livers, live rats, and live monkeys. In all cases, [13C]glycerol yielded labeling patterns of glucose that are incompatible with glucose being formed from a single pool of triose phosphates of constant enrichment. We show evidence that variations in the enrichment of triose phosphates result from (i) the large fractional decrease in physiological glycerol concentration in a single pass through the liver and (ii) the release of unlabeled glycerol by the liver, presumably via lipase activity. This zonation of glycerol metabolism in liver results in the calculation of artifactually low contributions of gluconeogenesis to glucose production when the latter is labeled from [13C]glycerol. In contrast, [U-13C3]lactate appears to be a suitable tracer for mass isotopomer distribution analysis of gluconeogenesis in vivo, but not in the perfused liver. In other perfusion experiments with [2H5]glycerol, we showed that the rat liver releases glycerol molecules containing one to four 2H atoms. This indicates the operation of a substrate cycle between extracellular glycerol and liver triose phosphates, where 2H is lost in the reversible reactions catalyzed by alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, triose-phosphate isomerase, and glycolytic enzymes. This substrate cycle presumably involves alpha-glycerophosphate hydrolysis.

Hydroperoxide-induced oxidative stress impairs heart muscle cell carbohydrate metabolism

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) may incite cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury. We evaluate herein the influence of H2O2-induced oxidative stress on heart muscle hexose metabolism in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, which have a substrate preference for carbohydrate. Cardiomyocyte exposure to 50 microM-1.0 mM bolus H2O2 transiently activated the pentose phosphate cycle and thereafter inhibited cellular glucose oxidation and glycolysis. These metabolic derangements were nonperoxidative in nature (as assessed in alpha-tocopherol-loaded cells) and occurred without acute change in cardiomyocyte hexose transport or glucose/glycogen reserves. Glycolytic inhibition was supported by the rapid, specific inactivation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). The degree of GAPDH inhibition correlated directly with the magnitude of the oxidative insult and was independent of both metal-catalyzed H2O2 reduction to free radicals and lipid peroxidation. Severe GAPDH inhibition was required for a rate-limiting effect on glycolytic flux. Cardiomyocyte pyruvate dehydrogenase was also inhibited by H2O2 overload, but to a lesser degree than GAPDH such that entry of hexose-derived acetyl units into the tricarboxylic acid cycle was not as restrictive as GAPDH inactivation to glycolytic ATP production. An increase in phosphofructokinase activity accompanied GAPDH inactivation, leading to the production and accumulation of glycolytic sugar phosphates at the expense of ATP equivalents. Cardiomyocyte treatment with iodoacetate or 2-deoxyglucose indicated that GAPDH inactivation/glycolytic blockade could account for approximately 50% of the maximal ATP loss following H2O2 overload. Partial restoration of GAPDH activity after a brief H2O2 "pulse" afforded some ATP recovery. These data establish that specific aspects of heart muscle hexose catabolism are H2O2-sensitive injury targets. The biochemical pathology of H2O2 overload on cardiomyocyte carbohydrate metabolism has implications for post-ischemic cardiac bioenergetics and function.

Effects of AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate on fluxes between glucose 6-phosphate and triose-phosphate in renal cortical extracts

Gluconeogenic flux exceeds glycolytic flux at the hexose-phosphate steps when measured in extracts of kidney cortex from well-fed rats. Addition of AMP and/or fructose 2,6-bisphosphate to the assay medium partially eradicates the difference. Using principles developed by Kacser, H., and Burns, J. A. ((1973) in Rate Control of Biological Processes (Davies, D. D., ed) pp. 65-104, Cambridge University Press, London) and Heinrich R., and Rapoport T. A. ((1974) Eur. J. Biochem. 42, 97-105), flux control coefficients of enzymes participating in the pathway segments from glucose 6-phosphate to triose-phosphates and from glycerol 3-phosphate to glucose 6-phosphate were determined by additions of the respective enzyme to the system. Results show that the flux control coefficients are highly modulated by the presence of allosteric effectors, as might be expected according to the regulatory properties of phosphofructokinase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase purified from this origin. Measured reductions of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and AMP levels during acidosis, starvation, or after phenylephrine treatment suggest that these changes contribute to enhanced gluconeogenesis under these conditions.

Oscillations in glycolysis: multifactorial quantitative analysis in muscle extract

A multifactorial quantitative analysis of oscillations in glycolysis was conducted in the postmicrosomal supernatant of rat muscle homogenates incubated in the presence of yeast hexokinase. Oscillations in adenine nucleotides, D-fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, triose phosphates, L-glycerol 3-phosphate, 3HOH generation from D-[5-3H]glucose, NADH and L-lactate production were documented. The occurrence of such oscillations were found to depend mainly on the balance between the consumption of ATP associated with the phosphorylation of D-glucose, as catalyzed by both yeast and muscle hexokinase, and the net production of ATP resulting from the further catabolism of D-fructose 6-phosphate, as initiated by activation of phosphofructokinase. The oscillatory pattern was suppressed in the presence of D-fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. It is proposed that the quantitative information gathered in this study may set the scene for further studies in extracts of cells other than myocytes, e.g. hepatocytes and pancreatic islet cells, in which no oscillation of glycolysis was so far observed.

Reduction of trioses by NADPH-dependent aldo-keto reductases. Aldose reductase, methylglyoxal, and diabetic complications

The substrate specificities of human aldose reductase and aldehyde reductase toward trioses, triose phosphates, and related three-carbon aldehydes and ketones were evaluated. Both enzymes are able to catalyze the NADPH-dependent reduction of all of the substrates used. Aldose reductase shows more discrimination among substrates than does aldehyde reductase and is generally the more efficient catalyst. The best substrate for aldose reductase is methylglyoxal (kcat = 142 min-1, kcat/Km = 1.8 x 10(7) M-1 min-1), a toxic 2-oxo-aldehyde that is produced nonenzymatically from triose phosphates and enzymatically from acetone/acetol metabolism. D- and L-glyceraldehyde and D- and L-lactaldehyde are also good substrates for aldose reductase. The aldose reductase-catalyzed reduction of methylglyoxal produces 95% acetol, 5% D-lactaldehyde. Further reduction of acetol produces only L-1,2-propanediol. Acetol and propanediol are two products that accumulate in uncontrolled diabetes. Both acetol and methylglyoxal were compared with glucose for their abilities to produce covalent modification of albumin. All three of these carbonyl compounds reacted with albumin to produce modified proteins with new absorption and emission bands that are spectrally similar. Both methylglyoxal and acetol are much more reactive than glucose. A new integrative model of diabetic complications is proposed that combines the aldose reductase/polyol pathway theory and the nonenzymatic glycation theory except that emphasis is placed both on methylglyoxal/acetol metabolism and on glucose metabolism.

O-alkyl lipid synthesis: the mechanism of the acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate fatty acid exchange reaction

We have previously provided evidence for a mechanism by which acyl DHAP is converted enzymatically to O-alkyl DHAP. This mechanism involves, in part, the formation of an endiol of acyl DHAP, loss of the fatty acid by splitting of the DHAP carbon-1 to oxygen bond and the gain of a long chain fatty alcohol. It has been shown that acyl DHAP can exchange its fatty acid for one in the medium, presumably by the mediation of O-alkyl DHAP synthase. In the present investigation we have shown that the fatty acid which is gained by acyl DHAP in the exchange process retains both carboxyl oxygens, as predicted by our postulated mechanism. This reaction is exceptional because the usual action of acyl hydrolases is to cleave at the oxygen to acyl bond.

Superoxide radical initiates the autoxidation of dihydroxyacetone

The aerobic xanthine oxidase reaction causes the cooxidation of dihydroxyacetone in a process which is strongly inhibited by superoxide dismutase but not by catalase, HO X scavengers, or iron-inactivating chelating agents. Several molecules of the sugar can be oxidized per O2- introduced. A free radical chain mechanism, in which O2- acts both as an initiator and as a chain propagator, is proposed. Simple sugars capable of tautomerizing to enediols may now be added to the list of biologically relevant targets for O2-.

Photorespiration stoichiometry in leaves estimated by combined physical and stereochemical methods: allowance for isomerase-catalyzed 3H losses in ribulose bisphosphate regeneration

We showed previously [K.R. Hanson and R.B. Peterson (1986) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 246, 332-346] that under steady-state photosynthetic conditions the fraction of ribulose bisphosphate oxidized and the fraction of glycolate carbon photorespired (the stoichiometry of photorespiration) may be estimated in leaves by a combination of physical and stereochemical methods. The calculations assumed that when (3R)-D-[3-3H1,3-14C]glyceric acid is supplied to illuminated leaf discs the only loss of 3H from the combined photosynthetic and photorespiratory system is the result of glycolate oxidase action; i.e., the isomerase-catalyzed losses in the regeneration of ribulose bisphosphate are negligible. The present study of tobacco leaf discs under zero-photorespiration conditions (low O2 and high CO2 concentrations), and also of maize leaf discs, shows that some 3H losses occur (between 8 and 13% of the 3H at C-1 of ribulose 5-phosphate). The calculated loss varied moderately with temperature but did not vary when the flux of ribulose bisphosphate formation was altered by changing the irradiance. The calculated loss under zero-photorespiration conditions, therefore, may be used to calculate ribulose bisphosphate and glycolate partitioning under other conditions. Earlier experiments on the influence of O2 and CO2 concentrations of temperature on the partitioning of ribulose bisphosphate and glycolate have been reexamined. The loss corrections decreased all values for the fraction of ribulose bisphosphate oxidized and increased all values for the stoichiometry of photorespiration. Essentially all stoichiometry values were above the theoretical lower limit of 25%. The previous conclusion that the stoichiometry of photorespiration substantially exceeds 25% at higher O2 concentrations and higher temperatures is unchanged. The results with maize leaf discs implied that there is very little oxidation of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate under normal-air conditions; i.e., photorespiration is indeed suppressed, not merely hidden, by efficient refixation of CO2.

Protection of photosensitized rats against long ultraviolet radiation by topical application of compounds with structures similar to that of dihydroxyacetone

Dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a browning agent, protects photosensitive rats and humans against long ultraviolet radiation (UVA, 320-400 nm) and visible (blue) light. The photoprotective efficacy of DHA and structurally similar compounds was assessed as prevention of edema in the paws of psoralen-sensitized rats, after exposure to blacklight fluorescent lamps. Methylglyoxal produced a yellow-brown color and provided nearly the same protection as DHA, whereas monohydroxyacetone did not color the skin and afforded little or no protection. Glyceraldehyde provided a moderate amount of protection, which was enhanced by prior exposure of the agent to alkaline pH. A solution of 5-hydroxymethylfurfuraldehyde was yellow and provided minimal protection by staining the skin rather than browning it. We conclude that the ability to produce a brown color in skin is a useful criterion for screening compounds for photoprotective efficacy against UVA radiation.

Metabolic effects of D-glyceraldehyde in isolated hepatocytes

The effects of D-glyceraldehyde on the hepatocyte contents of various metabolites were examined and compared with the effects of fructose, glycerol and dihydroxyacetone, which all enter the glycolytic/gluconeogenic pathways at the triose phosphate level. D-Glyceraldehyde (10 MM) caused a substantial depletion of hepatocyte ATP, as did equimolar concentrations of fructose and glycerol. D-Glyceraldehyde and fructose each caused a 2-fold increase in fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and the accumulation of millimolar quantities of fructose 1-phosphate in the cells. D-Glyceraldehyde caused an increase in the glycerol 3-phosphate content and a decrease in the dihydroxyacetone phosphate content, whereas dihydroxyacetone increased the content of both metabolites. The increase in the [glycerol 3-phosphate]/[dihydroxyacetone phosphate] ratio caused by D-glyceraldehyde was not accompanied by a change in the cytoplasmic [NAD+]/[NADH] ratio, as indicated by the unchanged [lactate]/[pyruvate] ratio. The accumulation of fructose 1-phosphate from D-glyceraldehyde and dihydroxyacetone phosphate in the hepatocyte can account for the depletion of the intracellular content of the latter. Presumably ATP is depleted as the result of the accumulation of millimolar amounts of a phosphorylated intermediate, as is the case with fructose and glycerol. It is suggested that the accumulation of fructose 1-phosphate during hepatic fructose metabolism is the result of a temporary increase in the D-glyceraldehyde concentration because of the high rate of fructose phosphorylation compared with triokinase activity. The equilibrium constant of aldolase favours the formation and thus the accumulation of fructose 1-phosphate.

Pyrophosphate-dependent sucrose metabolism and its activation by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in sucrose importing plant tissues

In the presence of pyrophosphate and uridine diphosphate, sucrose was cleaved to form glucose 1-phosphate and fructose with soluble extracts from sucrose importing plant tissues. The glucose 1-phosphate then was converted through glycolysis to triose phosphates in a pyrophosphate-dependent pathway which was activated by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. Much less activity, less than 5%, was found in sucrose exporting tissue extracts from the same plants. These findings suggest that imported sucrose is metabolized in the cytoplasm of plant tissues by utilizing pyrophosphate and that sucrose metabolism is partially regulated by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate.

Mechanism for the oleate stimulation of gluconeogenesis from dihydroxyacetone by hepatocytes from fasted rats

Oleate stimulates glucose production and concomitantly decreases lactate and pyruvate production by rat hepatocyte suspensions incubated with dihydroxyacetone as substrate. The actions of oleate could be blocked by D-(+)dodecanoylcarnitine, which inhibits transport of the fatty acid into the mitochondria and the subsequent oxidation. beta-Hydroxybutyrate, but not acetoacetate, also stimulated glucose synthesis and inhibited lactate and pyruvate production. Furthermore, both beta-hydroxybutyrate and oleate stimulated oxygen consumption to the same extent. This suggests that oleate stimulates glucose production by the provision of energy subsequent to mitochondrial beta-oxidation of the fatty acids. The content of ATP itself did not appear to be responsible for the effects of oleate. Crossover analysis of the gluconeogenic intermediates implicated a site of oleate action between fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and fructose 6-phosphate, suggesting phosphofructokinase and/or fructose-bisphosphatase as possible regulatory sites. Coupled with the finding that intracellular citrate accumulates upon addition of oleate or beta-hydroxybutyrate, but not acetoacetate, the results suggest that citrate inhibition of phosphofructokinase accounts for the redirection of carbon flow from lactate and pyruvate formation and towards that of glucose.

Catecholamine and vasopressin stimulation of gluconeogenesis from dihydroxyacetone in the presence of atractyloside

Atractyloside inhibited gluconeogenesis from dihydroxyacetone in hepatocytes from fasted rats and increased lactate synthesis. In the presence of atractyloside, lactate/pyruvate and beta-hydroxybutyrate/aceto-acetate ratios were increased and the accumulation of Fru-2,6-P2 was prevented. In the absence of atractyloside, gluconeogenesis from dihydroxyacetone was stimulated by dibutyryl-cAMP and, to a much lesser extent, by norepinephrine and vasopressin. Omission of Ca2+ increased the stimulation by norepinephrine but prevented that by vasopressin. High concentrations (greater than or equal to 40 microM) of atractyloside abolished the stimulation of gluconeogenesis by dibutyryl-cAMP but not that by norepinephrine or vasopressin. Exogenous Ca2+ was not required for hormonal stimulation in the presence of atractyloside. The stimulation by norepinephrine was inhibited by ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N-tetraacetic acid or prazosin but not by propranolol. Atractyloside caused decreases of all glycolytic intermediates and an activation of pyruvate kinase. Norepinephrine partially reversed these effects. The mitochondrial and cytosolic ATP/ADP ratios were determined by digitonin fractionation of hepatocytes. Norepinephrine or vasopressin increased the cytosolic ATP/ADP in the presence of atractyloside. We suggest that the increased availability of cytosolic ATP could be responsible for the stimulation of gluconeogenesis by these hormones.

Chemical trapping of complexes of dihydroxyacetone phosphate with muscle fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase

Dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) in equilibrium with FDP aldolase of muscle is present in the form of two major covalent complexes. One, representing approximately 60% of total bound substrate, decomposes to Pi and methylglyoxal upon acid denaturation of the enzyme as first reported by Grazi and Trombetta [Grazi, E., & Trombetta, G. (1979) Biochem. J. 175, 361-365]. This is now shown to be the enzyme-eneamine phosphate reaction intermediate since Pi formation is prevented if the acid denaturation is done in the presence of potassium ferricyanide, an oxidant of the eneamine. The enzyme-eneamine aldehyde X Pi 6, presumed to be an intermediate of the slow methylglyoxal synthetase reaction of aldolase, must not be a significant source of the Pi produced upon denaturation and is probably not a significant component of the equilibrium. The oxidation product, the enzyme-imine of phosphopyruvaldehyde, is sufficiently stable in 1 N HCl, t1/2 = 76 min at 0 degree C, to be isolated with the trichloroacetic acid precipitated protein. A second covalent complex, approximately 20-24% of bound dihydroxyacetone [32P]phosphate, remains with the protein during acid denaturation and centrifugation. This acid-stable complex is formed rapidly and is chased rapidly by unlabeled substrate. Its stability in 1 N HCl is similar to that of the ferricyanide-oxidized derivative mentioned above. From this and its reactivity with cyanoborohydride in acid, this complex is thought to be the imine adduct of DHAP with aldolase 4 and/or the carbinolamine complex 3 present in the initial equilibrium. D-Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate in the carbonyl form also forms an acid-precipitable complex with aldolase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Reaction of triosephosphate isomerase with L-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and triose 1,2-enediol 3-phosphate

Triosephosphate isomerase catalyzes the isomerization and/or racemization reactions of L-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (LGAP), the enantiomer of the physiological substrate. The reaction is inhibited by the active site directed reagent glycidol phosphate. The amount of protonation product formation catalyzed by a fixed enzyme concentration is nearly independent of increasing steady-state concentrations of triose 1,2-enediol 3-phosphate caused by buffer catalysis of LGAP deprotonation. Therefore, enzymatic protonation of the enediol or enediolate, which could account for the observed enzymatic catalysis of LGAP isomerization and/or racemization, is at best a minor reaction. Instead LGAP reacts directly at the enzyme active site. Triosephosphate isomerase catalysis of the protonation of triose 1,2-enediol 3-phosphate was expected because of the strong evidence supporting an enediol reaction intermediate for the overall reaction catalyzed by isomerase. The most reasonable explanation for the failure to observe enzymatic protonation is that in solution the enediol undergoes beta elimination of phosphate (t 1/2 is estimated to be 10(-6) s) faster than it can diffuse to and form a complex with isomerase.

Gluconeogenesis from dihydroxyacetone in rat hepatocytes during the shift from a low protein, high carbohydrate to a high protein, carbohydrate-free diet

Pyruvate kinase activity and rates of gluconeogenesis and glycolysis in rat hepatocytes were evaluated by production of glucose and lactate + pyruvate from dihydroxyacetone during the first 48 hours after the shift from a low protein, high carbohydrate diet to a high protein, carbohydrate-free diet. The effect of glucagon was also studied. In the absence of glucagon, 11-17 hours after the dietary shift when glycogen was lowest, gluconeogenesis was maximal and glycolysis minimal. The concentration of fructose 1,6-biphosphate was high and did not change during the experiment. The activity ratio of pyruvate kinase measured with phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) (V0.5 mM PEP/V4 mM PEP) was high in crude extracts and low in (NH4)2SO4-treated extracts, but remained unchanged during the whole experiment. There was no correlation of the rates of gluconeogenesis or glycolysis from dihydroxyacetone with the activity ratio of pyruvate kinase. With glucagon, gluconeogenesis from dihydroxyacetone was increased and a concurrent decrease in glycolysis was paralleled with a decrease in the fructose 1,6-bisphosphate concentration and in the activity ratio of pyruvate kinase. The activity ratio of pyruvate kinase in (NH4)2SO4-treated cells represented about 50% of that in the absence of the hormone. This difference may be related to glucagon-induced phosphorylation of pyruvate kinase.

Does microsomal glycerophosphate acyltransferase also catalyze the acylation of dihydroxyacetone phosphate?

Rat liver microsomal dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase, in contrast to the glycerophosphate acyltransferase, was found to be active at low pH (5.5), stable towards heat (55 degrees C, 15 min) and trypsin (in the absence of detergents) and was not inhibited by high concentrations of N-ethyl maleimide. Dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase is only slightly and non-competitively inhibited by sn-glycerol-3-phosphate whereas glycerophosphate acyltransferase is strongly inhibited by dihydroxyacetone phosphate in a competitive manner. Kinetic analysis indicates that this competitive inhibition is not due to the competition of two common substrates for the same active center of one enzyme. These results demonstrate that microsomal glycerophosphate acyltransferase and dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase are two distinct and separate enzymes.