Correlation of the effects of citric acid cycle metabolites on succinate oxidation by rat liver mitochondria and submitochondrial particles

1. Succinate dehydrogenase is inhibited by citrate and β-hydroxybutyrate in a complex manner, both in mitochondria and submitochondrial particles. Kinetics of inhibition in the particles points to a competitive component in the mechanism involved.
2. Pyruvate, α-ketoglutarate, malate, and glutamate stimulate oxidation of succinate by mitochondria.
3. Stimulation by α-ketoglutarate and glutamate is not influenced by the presence of rotenone.
4. Stimulation by pyruvate is higher in the absence of rotenone and increases significantly in the presence of K⁺ and valinomycin. Pyruvate supplies in mitochondria reducing equivalents for malate dehydrogenase operating in the reverse direction-reduction of oxaloacetate to malate.
5. Stimulation by malate is higher in the presence of rotenone.

     

Pathway of carbon flow during fatty acid synthesis from lactate and pyruvate in rat adipose tissue

The metabolism of pyruvate and lactate by rat adipose tissue was studied. Pyruvate and lactate conversion to fatty acids is strongly concentration-dependent. Lactate can be used to an appreciable extent only by adipose tissue from fasted-refed rats. A number of compounds, including glucose, pyruvate, aspartate, propionate, and butyrate, stimulated lactate conversion to fatty acids. Based on studies of incorporation of lactate-2-(3)H and lactate-2-(14)C into fatty acids it was suggested that the transhydrogenation sequence of the "citrate-malate cycle"(1) was not providing all of the NADPH required for fatty acid synthesis from lactate. An alternative pathway for NADPH formation involving the conversion of isocitrate to alpha-ketoglutarate via cytosolic isocitrate dehydrogenase was proposed. Indirect support for this proposal was provided by the rapid labeling of glutamate from lactate-2-(14)C by adipose tissue incubated in vitro, as well as the demonstration that glutamate can be readily metabolized by adipose tissue via reactions localized largely in the cytosol. Furthermore, isolated adipose tissue mitochondria convert alpha-ketoglutarate to malate, or in the presence of added pyruvate, to citrate. Glutamate itself can not be metabolized by these mitochondria, a finding in keeping with the demonstration of negligible levels of NAD-glutamate dehydrogenase activity in adipose tissue mitochondria. Pyruvate stimulated alpha-ketoglutarate and malate conversion to citrate and reduced their oxidation to CO(2). It is proposed that under conditions of excess generation of NADH malate may act as a shuttle carrying reducing equivalents across the mitochondrial membrane. Malate at low concentrations increased pyruvate conversion $$Word$$ citrate and markedly decreased the formation of CO(2) by isolated adipose tissue mitochondria. Malate also stimulated citrate and isocitrate metabolism by these mitochondria, an effect that could be blocked by 2-n-butylmalonate. This potentially important role of malate in the regulation of carbon flow during lipogenesis is underlined by the observation that 2-n-butylmalonate inhibited fatty acid synthesis from pyruvate, but not from glucose and acetate, and decreased the stimulatory effect of pyruvate on acetate conversion to fatty acids.     

The relationship between energy generation and cholesterol side-chain cleavage reaction in the mitochondria from human term placenta

1. The interrelationship between progesterone (from cholesterol) biosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation in human placental mitochondria was examined. 2. ADP and ATP stimulated the malate, succinate and alpha-ketoglutarate-supported progesterone biosynthesis probably via the energy-dependent pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase activation. The effect of ADP was abolished by rotenone and antimycin in the presence of malate or alpha-ketoglutarate. 3. In the non-energized state of mitochondria malate may supported progesterone biosynthesis by the malic enzyme-dependent pathway. 4. The inhibitory effects of antimycin or cyanide, and the stimulatory effect of rotenone on the succinate-supported progesterone biosynthesis indicate that the succinate to malate conversion is a necessary condition for the stimulation of progesterone biosynthesis from cholesterol. 5. alpha-Ketoglutarate plus malonate did support progesterone biosynthesis also in the presence of ADP or ATP and to a lesser degree in the presence of DNP and rotenone. Arsenate in the presence of alpha-ketoglutarate, malonate, dinitrophenol and rotenone did not affect significantly progesterone biosynthesis. These results indicate that NADPH may be generated also by a non-energy-dependent transhydrogenation in placental mitochondria.     

Regulation of insulin release by factors that also modify glutamate dehydrogenase

Leucine and monomethyl succinate initiate insulin release, and glutamine potentiates leucine-induced insulin release. Alanine enhances and malate inhibits leucine plus glutamine-induced insulin release. The insulinotropic effect of leucine is at least in part secondary to its ability to activate glutamate oxidation by glutamate dehydrogenase (Sener, A., Malaisse-Lagae, F., and Malaisse, W. J. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 78, 5460-5464). The effect of these other amino acids or Krebs cycle intermediates on insulin release also correlates with their effects on glutamate dehydrogenase and their ability to regulate inhibition of this enzyme by alpha-ketoglutarate. For example, glutamine enhances insulin release and islet glutamate dehydrogenase activity only in the presence of leucine. This could be because leucine, especially in the presence of alpha-ketoglutarate, increases the Km of glutamate and converts alpha-ketoglutarate from a noncompetitive to a competitive inhibitor of glutamate. Thus, in the presence of leucine, this enzyme is more responsive to high levels of glutamate and less responsive to inhibition by alpha-ketoglutarate. Malate could decrease and alanine could increase insulin release because malate increases the generation of alpha-ketoglutarate in islet mitochondria via the combined malate dehydrogenase-aspartate aminotransferase reaction, and alanine could decrease the level of alpha-ketoglutarate via the alanine transaminase reaction. Monomethyl succinate alone is as stimulatory of insulin release as leucine alone, and glutamine enhances the action of both. Succinyl coenzyme A, leucine, and GTP are all bound in the same region on glutamate dehydrogenase, where GTP is a potent inhibitor and succinyl coenzyme A and leucine are comparable activators. Thus, the insulinotropic properties of monomethyl succinate could result from it increasing the level of succinyl coenzyme A and decreasing the level of GTP via the succinate thiokinase reaction.     

Substrate-dependent differential regulation of mitochondrial bioenergetics in the heart and kidney cortex and outer medulla

The kinetics and efficiency of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) can depend on the choice of respiratory substrates. Furthermore, potential differences in this substrate dependency among different tissues are not well-understood. Here, we determined the effects of different substrates on the kinetics and efficiency of OxPhos in isolated mitochondria from the heart and kidney cortex and outer medulla (OM) of Sprague-Dawley rats. The substrates were pyruvate+malate, glutamate+malate, palmitoyl-carnitine+malate, alpha-ketoglutarate+malate, and succinate±rotenone at saturating concentrations. The kinetics of OxPhos were interrogated by measuring mitochondrial bioenergetics under different ADP perturbations. Results show that the kinetics and efficiency of OxPhos are highly dependent on the substrates used, and this dependency is distinctly different between heart and kidney. Heart mitochondria showed higher respiratory rates and OxPhos efficiencies for all substrates in comparison to kidney mitochondria. Cortex mitochondria respiratory rates were higher than OM mitochondria, but OM mitochondria OxPhos efficiencies were higher than cortex mitochondria. State 3 respiration was low in heart mitochondria with succinate but increased significantly in the presence of rotenone, unlike kidney mitochondria. Similar differences were observed in mitochondrial membrane potential. Differences in H₂O₂ emission in the presence of succinate±rotenone were observed in heart mitochondria and to a lesser extent in OM mitochondria, but not in cortex mitochondria. Bioenergetics and H₂O₂ emission data with succinate±rotenone indicate that oxaloacetate accumulation and reverse electron transfer may play a more prominent regulatory role in heart mitochondria than kidney mitochondria. These studies provide novel quantitative data demonstrating that the choice of respiratory substrates affects mitochondrial responses in a tissue-specific manner.     

Regulation of malate dehydrogenase activity by glutamate, citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, and multienzyme interaction

Binding experiments indicate that mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase can associate with the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex and that mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase can associate with this binary complex to form a ternary complex. Formation of this ternary complex enables low levels of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, in the presence of the aminotransferase, to reverse inhibition of malate oxidation by glutamate. Thus, glutamate can react with the aminotransferase in this complex without glutamate inhibiting production of oxalacetate by the malate dehydrogenase in the complex. The conversion of glutamate to alpha-ketoglutarate could also be facilitated because in the trienzyme complex, oxalacetate might be directly transferred from malate dehydrogenase to the aminotransferase. In addition, association of malate dehydrogenase with these other two enzymes enhances malate dehydrogenase activity due to a marked decrease in the Km of malate. The potential ability of the aminotransferase to transfer directly alpha-ketoglutarate to the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex in this multienzyme system plus the ability of succinyl-CoA, a product of this transfer, to inhibit citrate synthase could play a role in preventing alpha-ketoglutarate and citrate from accumulating in high levels. This would maintain the catalytic activity of the multienzyme system because alpha-ketoglutarate and citrate allosterically inhibit malate dehydrogenase and dissociate this enzyme from the multienzyme system. In addition, citrate also competitively inhibits fumarase. Consequently, when the levels of alpha-ketoglutarate and citrate are high and the multienzyme system is not required to convert glutamate to alpha-ketoglutarate, it is inactive. However, control by citrate would be expected to be absent in rapidly dividing tumors which characteristically have low mitochondrial levels of citrate.     

Calcium transport in bovine sperm mitochondria: effect of substrates and phosphate.

Calcium uptake into filipin-treated bovine spermatozoa is completely inhibited by the uncoupler CCCP or by ruthenium red. Both Pi and mitochondrial substrates are required to obtain the maximal rate of calcium uptake into the sperm mitochondria. Bicarbonate and other anions such as lactate, acetate or beta-hydroxybutyrate do not support a high rate of calcium uptake. There are significant differences among various mitochondrial substrates in supporting calcium uptake. The best substrates are durohydroquinone, alpha-glycerophosphate and lactate. Pyruvate is a relatively poor substrate, and its rate can be greatly enhanced by malate or succinate but not by oxalacetate or lactate. This stimulation is blocked by the dicarboxylate translocase inhibitor, butylmalonate and can be mimiced by the non-metabolized substrate D-malate. The Ka for pyruvate was found to be 17 microM and 67 microM in the presence and absence of L-malate, respectively. The Ka for L-malate is 0.12 mM. It is suggested that in addition to the known pyruvate/lactate translocase there is a second translocase for pyruvate which is malate/succinate-dependent and does not transport lactate. In the presence of succinate, glutamate stimulates calcium uptake 3-fold, and this effect is not inhibited by rotenone. In the presence of glutamate plus malate or oxalacetate there is only an additive effect. It is suggested that glutamate stimulates succinate transport and/or oxidation in bovine sperm mitochondria. The alpha-hydroxybutyrate is almost as good as lactate in supporting calcium uptake. Since the alpha-keto product is not further metabolized in the citric acid cycle, it is suggested that lactate can supply the mitochondrial needs for NADH from its oxidation to pyruvate by the sperm lactate dehydrogenase x. Thus, when there is sufficient lactate in the sperm mitochondria, pyruvate need not be further metabolized in the citric acid cycle in order to supply more NADH.     

Nonezymatic formation of succinate in mitochondria under oxidative stress

The products of the reactions of mitochondrial 2-oxo acids with hydrogen peroxide and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tert-BuOOH) were studied in a chemical system and in rat liver mitochondria. It was found by HPLC that the decarboxylation of alpha-ketoglutarate (KGL), pyruvate (PYR), and oxaloacetate (OA) by both oxidants results in the formation of succinate, acetate, and malonate, respectively. The two latter products do not metabolize in rat liver mitochondria, whereas succinate is actively oxidized, and its nonenzymatic formation from KGL may shunt the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle upon inactivation of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDH) under oxidative stress, which is inherent in many diseases and aging. The occurrence of nonenzymatic oxidation of KGL in mitochondria was established by an increase in the CO(2) and succinate levels in the presence of the oxidants and inhibitors of enzymatic oxidation. H(2)O(2) and menadione as an inductor of reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused the formation of CO(2) in the presence of sodium azide and the production of succinate, fumarate, and malate in the presence of rotenone. These substrates were also formed from KGL when mitochondria were incubated with tert-BuOOH at concentrations that completely inhibit KGDH. The nonenzymatic oxidation of KGL can support the TCA cycle under oxidative stress, provided that KGL is supplied via transamination. This is supported by the finding that the strong oxidant such as tert-BuOOH did not impair respiration and its sensitivity to the transaminase inhibitor aminooxyacetate when glutamate and malate were used as substrates. The appearance of two products, KGL and fumarate, also favors the involvement of transamination. Thus, upon oxidative stress, nonenzymatic decarboxylation of KGL and transamination switch the TCA cycle to the formation and oxidation of succinate.     

Production of reactive oxygen species by mitochondria: central role of complex III

The mitochondrial respiratory chain is a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under pathological conditions including myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. Limitation of electron transport by the inhibitor rotenone immediately before ischemia decreases the production of ROS in cardiac myocytes and reduces damage to mitochondria. We asked if ROS generation by intact mitochondria during the oxidation of complex I substrates (glutamate, pyruvate/malate) occurred from complex I or III. ROS production by mitochondria of Sprague-Dawley rat hearts and corresponding submitochondrial particles was studied. ROS were measured as H2O2 using the amplex red assay. In mitochondria oxidizing complex I substrates, rotenone inhibition did not increase H2O2. Oxidation of complex I or II substrates in the presence of antimycin A markedly increased H2O2. Rotenone prevented antimycin A-induced H2O2 production in mitochondria with complex I substrates but not with complex II substrates. Catalase scavenged H2O2. In contrast to intact mitochondria, blockade of complex I with rotenone markedly increased H2O2 production from submitochondrial particles oxidizing the complex I substrate NADH. ROS are produced from complex I by the NADH dehydrogenase located in the matrix side of the inner membrane and are dissipated in mitochondria by matrix antioxidant defense. However, in submitochondrial particles devoid of antioxidant defense ROS from complex I are available for detection. In mitochondria, complex III is the principal site for ROS generation during the oxidation of complex I substrates, and rotenone protects by limiting electron flow into complex III.     

Complex I binds several mitochondrial NAD-coupled dehydrogenases

NADH:ubiquinone reductase (complex I) of the mitochondrial inner membrane respiratory chain binds a number of mitochondrial matrix NAD-linked dehydrogenases. These include pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase, and beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase. No binding was detected between complex I and cytosolic malate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, NAD-isocitrate dehydrogenase, lipoamide dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, or fumarase. The dehydrogenases that bound to complex I did not bind to a preparation of complex II and III, nor did they bind to liposomes. The binding of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, and mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase to complex I is a saturable process. Based upon the amount of binding observed in these in vitro studies, there is enough inner membrane present in the mitochondria to bind the dehydrogenases in the matrix space. The possible metabolic significance of these interactions is discussed.     

Isolation and properties of flight muscle mitochondria of the bumblebee Bombus terrestris (L.)

This report describes the isolation procedure and properties of tightly coupled flight muscle mitochondria of the bumblebee Bombus terrestris (L.). The highest respiratory control index was observed upon oxidation of pyruvate, whereas the highest respiration rates were registered upon oxidation of a combination of the following substrates: pyruvate + malate, pyruvate + proline, or pyruvate + glutamate. The respiration rates upon oxidation of malate, glutamate, glutamate + malate, or succinate were very low. At variance with flight muscle mitochondria of a number of other insects reported earlier, B. terrestris mitochondria did not show high rates of respiration supported by oxidation of proline. The maximal respiration rates were observed upon oxidation of α-glycerophosphate. Bumblebee mitochondria are capable of maintaining high membrane potential in the absence of added respiratory substrates, which was completely dissipated by the addition of rotenone, suggesting high amount of intramitochondrial NAD-linked oxidative substrates. Pyruvate and α-glycerophosphate appear to be the optimal oxidative substrates for maintaining the high rates of oxidative metabolism of the bumblebee mitochondria.     

The effect of rotenone on respiration in pea cotyledon mitochondria

Respiration utilizing NAD-linked substrates in mitochondria isolated from cotyledons of etiolated peas (Pisum sativum L. var. Homesteader) by sucrose density gradient centrifugation exhibited resistance to rotenone. The inhibited rate of α-ketoglutarate oxidation was equivalent to the recovered rate of malate oxidation. (The recovered rate is the rate following the transient inhibition by rotenone.) The inhibitory effect of rotenone on malate oxidation increased with increasing respiratory control ratios as the mitochondria developed. The cyanide-resistant and rotenone-resistant pathways followed different courses of development as cotyledons aged. The rotenone-resistant pathway transferred reducing equivalents to the cyanide-sensitive pathway. Malic enzyme was found to be inhibited competitively with respect to NAD by rotenone concentrations as low as 1.67 micromolar. In pea cotyledon mitochondria, rotenone was transformed into elliptone. This reduced its inhibitory effect on intact mitochondria. Malate dehydrogenase was not affected by rotenone or elliptone. However, elliptone inhibited malic enzyme to the same extent that rotenone did when NAD was the cofactor. The products of malate oxidation reflected the interaction between malic enzyme and malate dehydrogenase. Rotenone also inhibited the NADH dehydrogenase associated with malate dehydrogenase. Thus, rotenone seemed to exert its inhibitory effect on two enzymes of the electron transport chain of pea cotyledon mitochondria.     

Inhibition of mitochondrial alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion

Effects of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+) on the activities of NAD+- or NADP+-linked dehydrogenases in the TCA cycle were studied using mitochondria prepared from mouse brains. Activities of NAD+- and NADP+-linked isocitrate dehydrogenases, NADH- and NADPH-linked glutamate dehydrogenases, and malate dehydrogenase were little affected by 2 mM of MPP+. However, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity was significantly inhibited by MPP+. Kinetic analysis revealed a competitive type of inhibition. Inhibition of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase may be one of the important mechanisms of MPP+-induced inhibition of mitochondrial respiration, and of neuronal degeneration.     

Significance of the alanine aminotransferase reaction in the formation of alpha-ketoglutarate in rat liver mitochondria

The total production of alpha-ketoglutarate from glutamate and isocitrate was estimated in isolated rat liver mitochondria. Mitochondrial alanine aminotransferase converts glutamate to alpha-ketoglutarate [A.K. Groen et al. (1982) Eur. J. Biochem. 122, 87-93], thus participating in the net formation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates from glutamate. The present investigation indicates a significant contribution of the alanine aminotransferase reaction to glutamate oxidation by isolated rat liver mitochondria in the presence of bicarbonate. It amounted to 41-74 and 7-31% of the total utilization of glutamate in States 4 and 3, respectively, in various conditions in vitro, at pyruvate concentrations in the range of 0.1-10 mM. The participation of glutamate in the total production of alpha-ketoglutarate at physiological concentrations of glutamate, citrate, and isocitrate varied in the range of 72-82%. It was calculated that alpha-ketoglutarate formation by the reaction of alanine aminotransferase amounted to 30 and 5% of the total mitochondrial alpha-ketoglutarate production in States 4 and 3, respectively, at physiological concentrations of its precursors and in the presence of 0.5 mM malate and 0.1 mM pyruvate. It constituted 77-97% of the net production of the tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates from glutamate in rat liver mitochondria. The importance of alpha-ketoglutarate production via the alanine aminotransferase reaction under various physiological conditions is discussed.     

Glutamate-malate metabolism in liver mitochondria. A model constructed on the basis of mitochondrial levels of enzymes, specificity, dissociation constants, and stoichiometry of hetero-enzyme complexes.

The level of aspartate aminotransferase in liver mitochondria was found to be approximately 140 microM, or 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than its dissociation constant in complexes with the inner mitochondrial membrane and the high molecular weight enzymes (M(r) = 1.6 x 10(5) to 2.7 x 10(6)) carbamyl-phosphate synthase I, glutamate dehydrogenase, and the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. The total concentration of aminotransferase-binding sites on these structures in liver mitochondria was more than sufficient to accommodate all of the aminotransferase. Therefore, in liver mitochondria, the aminotransferase could be associated with the inner mitochondrial membrane and/or these high molecular weight enzymes. The aminotransferase in these hetero-enzyme complexes could be supplied with oxalacetate because binding of aminotransferase to the high molecular weight enzymes can enhance binding of malate dehydrogenase, and binding of both malate dehydrogenase and the aminotransferase facilitated binding of fumarase. The level of malate dehydrogenase was found to be so high (140 microM) in liver mitochondria, compared with that of citrate synthase (25 microM) and the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (0.3 microM), that there would also be a sufficient supply of oxalacetate to citrate synthase-pyruvate dehydrogenase.     

5-Alkyl(C19-C25) resorcinols as regulators of succinate and NAD-dependent substrate oxidation by mitochondria

The effect of 5-n-alkyl(C19-C25) resorcinols isolated from Azotobacter chroococcum on the oxidation of succinate and NAD-dependent substrates (glutamate, alpha-ketoglutarate, malate, pyruvate) by rat liver mitochondria was studied, using the polarographic technique. With succinate, the above resorcinol lipids activated to some extent the 2,4-dinitrophenol-decoupled mitochondrial respiration, but markedly suppressed it (up to 95%) in the presence of NAD-dependent substrates. The activating and inhibiting effects correlated with the resorcinol lipid/mitochondrial proteins ratio and were observed, when the lipid concentration in the incubation mixture ranged from 2.4.10(-4) to 6.0.10(-4) M. The most striking inhibiting effect was observed with alpha-ketoglutarate as substrate. The results obtained suggest that 5-n-alkyl(C19-C25) resorcinols should be regarded as rotenone type regulators of cell respiration.     

Synthesis of phosphoenolpyruvate from propionate in sheep liver

1. Utilization of propionate by sheep liver mitochondria was stimulated equally by pyruvate or alpha-oxoglutarate, with formation predominantly of malate. Pyruvate increased conversion of propionate carbon into citrate, whereas alpha-oxoglutarate increased formation of phosphoenolpyruvate. The fraction of metabolized propionate converted into phosphoenolpyruvate was about 17% in the presence or absence of alpha-oxoglutarate and about 7% in the presence of pyruvate. Pyruvate consumption was inhibited by 80% by 5mm-propionate. 2. Compared with rat liver, sheep liver was characterized by very high activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and moderately high activities of aconitase in the mitochondria and by low activities of ;malic' enzyme, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase in the cytosol. Activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy-kinase were similar in liver cytosol from rats and sheep. Activities of malate dehydrogenase and NADP-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase in sheep liver were about half those in rat liver. 3. The phosphate-dicarboxylate antiport was active in sheep liver mitochondria, but compared with rat liver mitochondria the citrate-malate antiport showed only low activity and mitochondrial aconitase was relatively inaccessible to external citrate. The rate of swelling of mitochondria induced by phosphate in solutions of ammonium malate was inversely related to the concentration of malate. 4. The results are discussed in relation to gluconeogenesis from propionate in sheep liver. It is proposed that propionate is converted into malate by the mitochondria and the malate is converted into phosphoenolpyruvate by enzymes in the cytosol. In this way sufficient NADH would be generated in the cytosol to convert the phosphoenolpyruvate into glucose.     

Inhibition by alloxan of mitochondrial aconitase and other enzymes associated with the citric acid cycle

Considerable variations were found in the in vitro effect of alloxan on mouse liver enzymes associated with the citric acid cycle. The following approximative alloxan concentrations induced 50% inhibition of enzyme activity: 10(-6)M for aconitase, 10(-4)M for NAD-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, succinyl-CoA synthetase and fumarase, and 10(-3)M for citrate synthase and NADP-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase. Pyruvate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase were not inhibited by 10(-3)M alloxan. The inhibition of aconitase was competitive both when using mouse liver and purified porcine heart enzyme. The Ki values for the purified enzyme in the presence of 5 microM alloxan were 0.22 microM with citrate, 4.0 microM with cis-aconitate and 0.62 microM with isocitrate as substrate. The high sensitivity of aconitase for inhibition by alloxan probably plays a prominent role for the toxic effects of alloxan.     

Glucose-mediated catabolite repression of the tricarboxylic acid cycle as an explanation for increased acetic acid production in suicidal Aeromonas strains.

Growth in the presence of glucose, even under highly aerobic conditions, significantly reduced the activities of three tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes, citrate synthetase, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, and malate dehydrogenase, in suicidal but not nonsuicidal Aeromonas strains. Pyruvate dehydrogenase activity, however, was significantly increased. The activities of all of the enzymes, as well as the glucose-mediated increase in acetic acid production, were shown to be regulated by catabolite repression. The regulator protein is the same one which regulates the utilization of several sugars.     

Properties of mitochondria as a function of the growth stages of Neurospora crassa.

The oxidative and phosphorylative properties of mitochondria isolated from Neurospora crassa were investigated as a function of growth stage. The rates of oxidation of exogenous NADH and NADPH varied independently of each other, thus ruling out the existence of only one unspecific dehydrogenase. Two different pathways were involved in the oxidation of NAD-linked substrates, as indicated by changes in the rate of oxygen uptake, the sensitivity to rotenone, and the efficiency of phosphorylation. One pathway was sensitive to rotenone and involved three energy-coupling sites, whereas the other was resistant to rotenone and bypassed complex I. Our results indicated that the activity of complex I of the respiratory chain increased markedly in the late exponential phase of growth, remained high in the stationary phase, and then decreased when conidiae were formed. In contrast, the activity of the rotenone-resistant bypass was maximal in the early exponential phase. With malate (plus glutamate) as a substrate, the sensitivity to rotenone and the ADP/O ratios were always lower than those observed with other NAD-linked substrates, suggesting a possible cooperation between malate dehydrogenase and the rotenone-resistant pathway. The rate of oxygen uptake measured in the presence of rotenone was significantly increased by the addition of exogenous NAD+, suggesting that added NAD+ could interact with the rotenone-resistant bypass.