Escherichia coli alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex

The alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex from Escherichia coli catalyzes the hydrolysis of S-succinyl-CoA to succinate and CoASH. The reaction rate is dependent upon the presence of thiamin pyrophosphate and NADH, as well as the functional integrity of the alpha-lipoyl groups associated with the enzyme. The Km value for S-succinyl-CoA is 9.3 X 10(-5) M, and the maximum velocity is 0.02 mumol X min-1 X mg of protein-1 at pH 7 and 25 degrees C. This hydrolysis can be rationalized on the basis that succinyl thiamin pyrophosphate is generated under reductive succinylation conditions. Occasional diversion of succinyl thiamin pyrophosphate to hydrolysis produces succinate.     

The alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex in neurodegeneration

Altered energy metabolism is characteristic of many neurodegenerative disorders. Reductions in the key mitochondrial enzyme complex, the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC), occur in a number of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The reductions in KGDHC activity may be responsible for the decreases in brain metabolism, which occur in these disorders. KGDHC can be inactivated by several mechanisms, including the actions of free radicals (Reactive Oxygen Species, ROS). Other studies have associated specific forms of one of the genes encoding KGDHC (namely the DLST gene) with AD, Parkinson's disease, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases. Reductions in KGDHC activity can be plausibly linked to several aspects of brain dysfunction and neuropathology in a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Further studies are needed to assess mechanisms underlying the sensitivity of KGDHC to oxidative stress and the relation of KGDHC deficiency to selective vulnerability in neurodegenerative diseases.     

Interaction between NAD-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, and NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase

Interaction between the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex and NAD+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase was detected with a variety of techniques including polyethylene glycol precipitation, ultracentrifugation, and centrifugal gel filtration on a Sepharose 6B column. The interaction was specific in that citrate synthase, cytosolic malate dehydrogenase, and NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase did not interact with alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. The interaction was not inhibited by either 0.1 M KCl or 0.4 M (NH4)2SO4, but was completely prevented by 5% glycerol. A new method for the preparation of NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase resulted in an enzyme having a protein subunit composition similar to that of classical complex I preparation. Evidence is given for the existence of ternary complexes containing NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase-alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex-NAD-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase and NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase-alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex-succinate thiokinase. These data suggest that a part of the citric acid cycle may be located in the vicinity of NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase. These complexes may facilitate the transport of metabolites among these enzymes without their equilibrating with the whole compartment.     

Kinetic advantages of hetero-enzyme complexes with glutamate dehydrogenase and the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex

We have found previously (Fahien, L.A., Kmiotek, E.H., MacDonald, M. J., Fibich, B., and Mandic, M. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 10687-10697) that glutamate-malate oxidation can be enhanced by cooperative binding of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase and malate dehydrogenase to the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. The present results demonstrate that glutamate dehydrogenase, which forms binary complexes with these enzymes, adds to this ternary complex and thereby increases binding of the other enzymes. Kinetic evidence for direct transfer of alpha-ketoglutarate and NADH, within these complexes, has been obtained by measuring steady-state rates of E2 when most of the substrate or coenzyme is bound to the aminotransferase or glutamate dehydrogenase (E1). Rates significantly greater than those which can be accounted for by the concentration of free ligand, calculated from the measured values of the E1-ligand dissociation constants, require that the E1-ligand complex serve as a substrate for E2 (Srivastava, D. K., and Bernhard, S. A. (1986) Curr. Tops. Cell Regul. 28, 1-68). By this criterion, NADH is transferred directly from glutamate dehydrogenase to malate dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate is channeled from the aminotransferase to both glutamate dehydrogenase and the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. Similar evidence indicates that GTP bound to an allosteric site on glutamate dehydrogenase functions as a substrate for succinic thiokinase. The potential physiological advantages to channeling of activators and inhibitors as well as substrates within multienzyme complexes organized around the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex are discussed.     

Distinct physiological roles of animal succinate thiokinases. Association of guanine nucleotide-linked succinate thiokinase with ketone body utilization

Two distinct succinate thiokinases have recently been shown to exist in animal tissues, one specific for guanine nucleotide and the other for adenine nucleotide. Their physiological roles have here been investigated by comparing the levels of the two enzymes in liver and brain of normal and diabetic rats. A marked rise in the level of brain guanine nucleotide-linked succinate thiokinase in the diabetic condition is consistent with an enhanced utilization of ketone bodies and hence with the associated elevated demand for succinyl-CoA for the activation of acetoacetate. Taken together with the reported mitochondrial values of the ATP/ADP and GTP/GDP ratios, the results are interpreted to indicate that the adenine nucleotide-linked enzyme functions as a component of the citric acid cycle whereas the guanine nucleotide-linked enzyme functions in the opposite metabolic direction to produce succinyl-CoA from succinate.     

Genetics of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex of Bacillus subtilis.

The enzymatic defects in a number of Bacillus subtilis mutants of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex lacking activity have been investigated. Mutants in the citK locus, as well as a series of deletions of unknown length covering the citK locus, are deficient in E1 of the complex, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, but have normal activities of E2, dehydrolipoyl transsuccinylase, and E3, lipoamide dehydrogenase. The citK mutants and the citL22 mutant show in vitro complementation of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex activity. The citL22 mutant is severely deficient in lipoamide dehydrogenase activity, and, as a result, lacks activity for both the alpha-ketoglutarate and the pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes. Thus, the E3 components of both complexes are identical. The citL22 mutation maps between ura and metC on the chromosome.     

Studies on the apparent instability of bovine kidney alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex

The α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex in extracts of bovine kidney and liver mitochondria is inactivated rapidly at 25 °C. This inactivation is not accompanied by loss of activity of the three component enzymes of the complex. This inactivation can be prevented by extensive washing of the mitochondria with dilute phosphate buffer prior to rupturing the mitochondria by freezing and thawing. Evidence is presented that the washings contain a protease which cleaves a peptide bond or bonds in the dihydrolipoyl transsuccinylase component of the α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, and this limited proteolysis results in dissociation of α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase from the transsuccinylase.The protease appears to be specific for the transsuccinylase component of the mammalian α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. It does not affect the activity of the mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex or the Escherichia coli α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. The protease has been purified about 100-fold from extracts of unwashed mitochondria from bovine kidney. It requires a thiol for activity and it is not affected by treatment with diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate or phenylmethyl sulfonylfluoride.A component has been detected in highly purified preparations of the bovine kidney α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which is present in trace amounts, if at all, in purified preparations of the bovine heart α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. This component is tightly bound to the transsuccinylase.     

Fluorescence polarization study of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex from Escherichia coli

The lipoic acids of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex from Escherichia coli have been modified with two fluorescent probes, N-(1-pyrenyl)-maleimide and 5-[[[(iodoacetyl)amino]ethyl]amino]-naphthylene-1-sulfonic acid. Time-resolved fluorescence polarization of partially labeled complexes (18-77% inhibition of enzyme activity) reveals a complex depolarization process: one component of the anisotropy is characterized by a rotational correlation time much longer than the time scale of the measurements (less than or equal to 400 ns), reflecting the overall rotation of the complex, while a second component of the anisotropy decays with a rotational correlation time of 320 (+/- 50) ns. This decay is essentially independent of viscosity and is consistent with a model in which the depolarization is due to the dissociation from and rotation of lipoic acids between binding sites on the multienzyme complex. The sum of the rate constants characterizing the association and dissociation with the binding sites is approximately 3 x 10(6) s-1. In addition, approximately 5% of the anisotropy of the N-(1-pyrenyl)maleimide-labeled complex decays with a rotational correlation time of 25 ns; this can be attributed to local motion of the probe. At high extents of N-(1-pyrenyl)maleimide labeling (90-95% inhibition of enzyme activity), the anisotropy decay can be described by a constant term plus a rotational correlation time of about 1 microseconds. The increase in the correlation time probably reflects interactions between pyrene moieties. The N-(1-pyrenyl)maleimide-labeled dihydrolipoyl transsuccinylase core of the multienzyme complex has been isolated, and the anisotropy is constant over the observed time range of 300 ns. This suggests that the native structure is necessary for observation of lipoic acid movement within the complex. Fluorescent-labeled limited trypsin digestion fragments of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex also have been isolated, and anisotropy measurements reveal substantial mobility of the label within the fragments. The time-resolved anisotropy of FAD in the native complex and in the isolated dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase indicates some rapid local mobility of the FAD (rotational correlation time of 12 ns) that is viscosity independent, as well as a component of the anisotropy that is constant over the 35-ns time scale of the experiments.     

Hydrogenosomal succinate thiokinase in Tritrichomonas foetus and Trichomonas vaginalis

Succinate thiokinase displays a diversity of nucleotide specificity and molecular size throughout Nature. Eukaryotes and Gram-positive bacteria possess distinct 'small' (dimeric) thiokinase enzymes which are specific for adenine (ADP) or guanine (GDP) nucleotides, whereas Gram-negative bacteria contain a single 'large' (tetrameric) enzyme which utilizes both nucleotides. Succinate thiokinase activities, both ADP- and GDP-dependent, were shown to be hydrogenosomal in Tritrichomonas foetus and Trichomonas vaginalis. Surprisingly, the 'small' enzyme was found in T. foetus whereas T. vaginalis contained a 'large' enzyme.     

Phosphonate analogues of alpha-ketoglutarate inhibit the activity of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex isolated from brain and in cultured cells

The alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC), a control point of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, is partially inactivated in brain in many neurodegenerative diseases. Potent and specific KGDHC inhibitors are needed to probe how the reduced KGDHC activity alters brain function. Previous studies showed that succinyl phosphonate (SP) effectively inhibits muscle and Escherichia coli KGDHC [Biryukov, A. I., Bunik, V. I., Zhukov, Yu. N., Khurs, E. N., and Khomutov, R. M. (1996) FEBS Lett. 382, 167-170]. To identify the phosphonates with the highest affinity toward brain KGDHC and with the greatest effect in living cells, we investigated the ability of SP and several of its ethyl esters to inhibit brain KGDHC, other alpha-keto acid-dependent enzymes, and KGDHC in intact cells. At a concentration of 0.01 mM, SP and its phosphonoethyl (PESP) and carboxyethyl (CESP) esters completely inhibited isolated brain KGDHC even in the presence of a 200-fold higher concentration of its substrate [alpha-ketoglutarate (KG)], while the diethyl (DESP) and triethyl (TESP) esters were ineffective. In cultured human fibroblasts, 0.01 mM SP, PESP, or CESP produced 70% inhibition of KGDHC. DESP and TESP were also inhibitory in the cell system, but only after preincubation, suggesting the release of their charged groups by cellular esterases. Thus, SP and its monoethyl esters target cellular KGDHC directly, while the di- and triethyl esters are activated in intact cells. When tested on other enzymes that bind KG or related alpha-keto acids, SP had minimal effects and its two esters (CESP and TESP) were ineffective even at a concentration (0.1 mM) 1 order of magnitude higher than that which inhibited cellular KGDHC activity. The high specificity in targeting KGDHC, penetration into cells, and minimal transformation by cellular enzymes indicate that SP and its esters should be useful in studying the effects of reduced KGDHC activity on neuronal and brain function.     

Bradyrhizobium japonicum does not require alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase for growth on succinate or malate.

The sucA gene, encoding the E1 component of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, was cloned from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The gene shows a codon usage bias typical of non-nif and non-fix genes from this bacterium, with 89.1% of the codons being G or C in the third position. A mutant strain of B. japonicum, LSG184, was constructed with the sucA gene interrupted by a kanamycin resistance marker. LSG184 is devoid of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity, indicating that there is only one copy of sucA in B. japonicum and that it is completely inactivated in the mutant. Batch culture experiments on minimal medium revealed that LSG184 grows well on a variety of carbon substrates, including arabinose, malate, succinate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, glycerol, formate, and galactose. The sucA mutant is not a succinate auxotroph but has a reduced ability to use glutamate as a carbon or nitrogen source and an increased sensitivity to growth inhibition by acetate, relative to the parental strain. Because LSG184 grows well on malate or succinate as its sole carbon source, we conclude that B. japonicum, unlike most other bacteria, does not require an intact tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle to meet its energy needs when growing on the four-carbon TCA cycle intermediates. Our data support the idea that B. japonicum has alternate energy-yielding pathways that could potentially compensate for inhibition of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase during symbiotic nitrogen fixation under oxygen-limiting conditions.     

Role of excess lipoyl dehydrogenase in reconstituted alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex of Escherichia coli

The alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex of Escherichia coli can bind up to 12 dimers of dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (E3) besides those already present. Maximal activity does not increase, however, when surplus E3 is present. This observation was previously interpreted to mean that the excess enzyme is inactive. We have now determined that if the reactions catalyzed by E3 are made rate-limiting, the excess E3 functions equivalently to that in the native complex.     

Regulation of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex from pigeon breast muscle]

The activity of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex from pigeon breast muscle is controlled by ADP and the reaction products, i. e. succinyl-CoA and NADH. ADP activates the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase component of the complex, whereas NADH inhibits alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and lipoyl dehydrogenase. In the presence of NADH the kinetic curve of the complex with respect to alpha-ketoglutarate and NAD and the dependence of upsilon versus [NAD] and upsilon versus [Lip (SH)2] in the lipoyl dehydrogenase reaction are S-shaped. In the absence of inhibitor ADP had no activating effect on lipoyl dehydrogenase; however, in the presence of NADH ADP decreases the cooperativity for NAD. The cooperative kinetics of the constituent enzymes of the complex are indicative of its allosteric properties. Isolation of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex and its lipoyl dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase components in a desensitized state confirms their allosteric nature. It is assumed that NADH effects of isolated alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase is due to a shift in the equilibrium between different oligomeric forms of the enzyme.     

In vivo assembly of yeast mitochondrial alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex.

The assembly of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDC) has been studied in wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in respiratory-deficient strains (pet) with mutations in KGD1 and KGD2, the structural genes for alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KE1) and dihydrolipoyl transsuccinylase (KE2) components, respectively. Mutants unable to express KE1 or KE2 form partial complexes similar to those reported in earlier studies on the resolution and reconstitution of bacterial and mammalian KGDC. Thus mutants lacking KE1 assemble a high-molecular-weight subcomplex consisting of a KE2 core particle with bound dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (E3). Similarly, mitochondrial extracts of mutants lacking KE2 contain dimeric KE1 and E3. These components, however, are not associated with each other. The partial complexes detected in the mutants are capable of reconstituting normal KGDC when supplied with the missing subunit. Complete restoration of overall alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity is achieved by mixing appropriate ratios of mitochondrial extracts from mutants deficient in KE1 and KE2. The reconstitution of enzymatic activity correlates with binding of KE1 to the KE2-E3 particle to form a complex with the same sedimentation properties as wild-type KGDC. Overexpression of KE2 relative to KE1 results in a preponderance of incompletely assembled complexes with substoichiometric contents of KE1. Formation of a complex with a full complement of KE1 therefore depends on a balanced output of KE1 and KE2 from their respective genes. Biochemical screens of a pet mutant collection have led to the identification of a new gene required for the expression of enzymatically active KGDC. Mitochondria of the mutant have all of the catalytic subunits of KGDC. Sedimentation analysis of these components indicates that while the mutant has a stable KE2-E3 subcomplex, the interaction of KE1 with KE2 core is much weaker in the mutant than in the wild type. The gene product responsible for this phenotype, therefore, appears to function at a late stage of assembly of KGDC, most likely by posttranslational modification of one of the subunits.     

Zn2+ inhibits alpha-ketoglutarate-stimulated mitochondrial respiration and the isolated alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex

Intracellular free Zn(2+) is elevated in a variety of pathological conditions, including ischemia-reperfusion injury and Alzheimer's disease. Impairment of mitochondrial respiration is also associated with these pathological conditions. To test whether elevated Zn(2+) and impaired respiration might be linked, respiration of isolated rat liver mitochondria was measured after addition of Zn(2+). Zn(2+) inhibition (K(i)(app) = approximately 1 micrometer) was observed for respiration stimulated by alpha-ketoglutarate at concentrations well within the range of intracellular Zn(2+) reported for cultured hepatocytes. The bc(1) complex is inhibited by Zn(2+) (Link, T. A., and von Jagow, G. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 25001-25006). However, respiration stimulated by succinate (K(i)(app) = approximately 6 micrometer) was less sensitive to Zn(2+), indicating the existence of a mitochondrial target for Zn(2+) upstream from bc(1) complex. Purified pig heart alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex was strongly inhibited by Zn(2+) (K(i)(app) = 0.37 +/- 0.05 micrometer). Glutamate dehydrogenase was more resistant (K(i)(app) = 6 micrometer), malate dehydrogenase was unaffected, and succinate dehydrogenase was stimulated by Zn(2+). Zn(2+) inhibition of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex required enzyme cycling and was reversed by EDTA. Reversibility was inversely related to the duration of exposure and the concentration of Zn(2+). Physiological free Zn(2+) may modulate hepatic mitochondrial respiration by reversible inhibition of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. In contrast, extreme or chronic elevation of intracellular Zn(2+) could contribute to persistent reductions in mitochondrial respiration that have been observed in Zn(2+)-rich diseased tissues.