MCD encodes peroxisomal and cytoplasmic forms of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase and is mutated in malonyl-CoA decarboxylase deficiency.

Malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCD) catalyzes the proton-consuming conversion of malonyl-CoA to acetyl-CoA and CO(2). Although defects in MCD activity are associated with malonyl-CoA decarboxylase deficiency, a lethal disorder characterized by cardiomyopathy and developmental delay, the metabolic role of this enzyme in mammals is unknown. A computer-based search for novel peroxisomal proteins led to the identification of a candidate gene for human MCD, which encodes a protein with a canonical type-1 peroxisomal targeting signal of serine-lysine-leucine(COOH). We observed that recombinant MCD protein has high intrinsic malonyl-CoA decarboxylase activity and that a malonyl-CoA decarboxylase-deficient patient has a severe mutation in the MCD gene (c.947-948delTT), confirming that this gene encodes human MCD. Subcellular fractionation experiments revealed that MCD resides in both the cytoplasm and peroxisomes. Cytoplasmic MCD is positioned to play a role in the regulation of cytoplasmic malonyl-CoA abundance and, thus, of mitochondrial fatty acid uptake and oxidation. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that malonyl-CoA decarboxylase-deficient patients display a number of phenotypes that are reminiscent of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation disorders. Additional support for this hypothesis comes from our observation that MCD mRNA is most abundant in cardiac and skeletal muscles, tissues in which cytoplasmic malonyl-CoA is a potent inhibitor of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and which derive significant amounts of energy from fatty acid oxidation. As for the role of peroxisomal MCD, we propose that this enzyme may be involved in degrading intraperoxisomal malonyl-CoA, which is generated by the peroxisomal beta-oxidation of odd chain-length dicarboxylic fatty acids.     

Malonyl-CoA content and fatty acid oxidation in rat muscle and liver in vivo

Malonyl-CoA acutely regulates fatty acid oxidation in liver in vivo by inhibiting carnitine palmitoyltransferase. Thus rapid increases in the concentration of malonyl-CoA, accompanied by decreases in long-chain fatty acyl carnitine (LCFA-carnitine) and fatty acid oxidation have been observed in liver of fasted-refed rats. It is less clear that it plays a similar role in skeletal muscle. To examine this question, whole body respiratory quotients (RQ) and the concentrations of malonyl-CoA and LCFA-carnitine in muscle were determined in 48-h-starved rats before and at various times after refeeding. RQ values were 0.82 at baseline and increased to 0.93, 1. 0, 1.05, and 1.09 after 1, 3, 12, and 18 h of refeeding, respectively, suggesting inhibition of fat oxidation in all tissues. The increases in RQ at each time point correlated closely (r = 0.98) with increases (50-250%) in the concentration of malonyl-CoA in soleus and gastrocnemius muscles and decreases in plasma FFA and muscle LCFA-carnitine levels. Similar changes in malonyl-CoA and LCFA-carnitine were observed in liver. The increases in malonyl-CoA in muscle during refeeding were not associated with increases in the assayable activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) or decreases in the activity of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCD). The results suggest that, during refeeding after a fast, decreases in fatty acid oxidation occur rapidly in muscle and are attributable both to decreases in plasma FFA and increases in the concentration of malonyl-CoA. They also suggest that the increase in malonyl-CoA in this situation is not due to changes in the assayable activity of either ACC or MCD or an increase in the cytosolic concentration of citrate.     

Metabolism and short-term metabolic effects of conjugated linoleic acids in rat hepatocytes

Metabolic fate and short-term effects of a 1:1 mixture of cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12-conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), compared to linoleic acid (LA), on lipid metabolism was investigated in rat liver. In isolated mitochondria CLA-CoA were poorer substrates than LA-CoA for carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I (CPT-I) activity. However, in digitonin-permeabilized hepatocytes, where interactions among different metabolic pathways can be simultaneously investigated, CLA induced a remarkable stimulatory effect on CPT-I activity. This stimulation can be ascribed to a reduced malonyl-CoA level in turn due to inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) activity. The ACC/malonyl-CoA/CPT-I system can therefore represent a coordinate control by which CLA may exert effects on the partitioning of fatty acids between esterification and oxidation. Moreover, the rate of oxidation to CO2 and ketone bodies was significantly higher from CLA; peroxisomes rather than mitochondria were responsible for this difference. Interestingly, peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase (AOX) activity strongly increased by CLA-CoA compared to LA-CoA. CLA, metabolized by hepatocytes at a higher rate than LA, were poorer substrates for cellular and VLDL-triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis. Overall, our results suggest that increased fatty acid oxidation with consequent decreased fatty acid availability for TAG synthesis is a potential mechanism by which CLA reduce TAG level in rat liver.     

Peroxisomal and mitochondrial oxidation of fatty acids in the heart, assessed from the 13C labeling of malonyl-CoA and the acetyl moiety of citrate

We previously showed that a fraction of the acetyls used to synthesize malonyl-CoA in rat heart derives from partial peroxisomal oxidation of very long and long-chain fatty acids. The 13C labeling ratio (malonyl-CoA)/(acetyl moiety of citrate) was >1.0 with 13C-fatty acids, which yields [13C]acetyl-CoA in both mitochondria and peroxisomes and < 1.0 with substrates, which yields [13C]acetyl-CoA only in mitochondria. In this study, we tested the influence of 13C-fatty acid concentration and chain length on the labeling of acetyl-CoA formed in mitochondria and/or peroxisomes. Hearts were perfused with increasing concentrations of labeled docosanoate, oleate, octanoate, hexanoate, butyrate, acetate, or dodecanedioate. In contrast to the liver, peroxisomal oxidation of 1-13C-fatty acids in heart does not form [1-13C]acetate. With [1-13C]docosanoate and [1,12-13C2]dodecanedioate, malonyl-CoA enrichment plateaued at 11 and 9%, respectively, with no detectable labeling of the acetyl moiety of citrate. Thus, in the intact rat heart, docosanoate and dodecanedioate appear to be oxidized only in peroxisomes. With [1-13C]oleate or [1-13C]octanoate, the labeling ratio >1 indicates the partial peroxisomal oxidation of oleate and octanoate. In contrast, with [3-13C]octanoate, [1-13C]hexanoate, [1-13C]butyrate, or [1,2-13C2]acetate, the labeling ratio was <0.7 at all concentrations. Therefore, in rat heart, (i) n-fatty acids shorter than 8 carbons do not undergo peroxisomal oxidation, (ii) octanoate undergoes only one cycle of peroxisomal beta-oxidation, (iii) there is no detectable transfer to the mitochondria of acetyl-CoA from the cytosol or the peroxisomes, and (iv) the capacity of C2-C18 fatty acids to generate mitochondrial acetyl-CoA decreases with chain length.     

Malonyl-CoA decarboxylase inhibition suppresses fatty acid oxidation and reduces lactate production during demand-induced ischemia

The rate of cardiac fatty acid oxidation is regulated by the activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I (CPT-I), which is inhibited by malonyl-CoA. We tested the hypothesis that the activity of the enzyme responsible for malonyl-CoA degradation, malonyl-CoA decarboxlyase (MCD), regulates myocardial malonyl-CoA content and the rate of fatty acid oxidation during demand-induced ischemia in vivo. The myocardial content of malonyl-CoA was increased in anesthetized pigs using a specific inhibitor of MCD (CBM-301106), which we hypothesized would result in inhibition of CPT-I, reduction in fatty acid oxidation, a reciprocal activation of glucose oxidation, and diminished lactate production during demand-induced ischemia. Under normal-flow conditions, treatment with the MCD inhibitor significantly reduced oxidation of exogenous fatty acids by 82%, shifted the relationship between arterial fatty acids and fatty acid oxidation downward, and increased glucose oxidation by 50%. Ischemia was induced by a 20% flow reduction and beta-adrenergic stimulation, which resulted in myocardial lactate production. During ischemia MCD inhibition elevated malonyl-CoA content fourfold, reduced free fatty acid oxidation rate by 87%, and resulted in a 50% decrease in lactate production. Moreover, fatty acid oxidation during ischemia was inversely related to the tissue malonyl-CoA content (r = -0.63). There were no differences between groups in myocardial ATP content, the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase, or myocardial contractile function during ischemia. Thus modulation of MCD activity is an effective means of regulating myocardial fatty acid oxidation under normal and ischemic conditions and reducing lactate production during demand-induced ischemia.     

Malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCD) is differentially regulated in subcellular compartments by 5'AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Studies using H9c2 cells overexpressing MCD and AMPK by adenoviral gene transfer technique.

Malonyl-CoA, a potent inhibitor of carnitine pamitoyl transferase-I (CPT-I), plays a pivotal role in fuel selection in cardiac muscle. Malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCD) catalyzes the degradation of malonyl-CoA, removes a potent allosteric inhibition on CPT-I and thereby increases fatty acid oxidation in the heart. Although MCD has several Ser/Thr phosphorylation sites, whether it is regulated by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been controversial. We therefore overexpressed MCD (Ad.MCD) and constitutively active AMPK (Ad.CA-AMPK) in H9c2 cells, using an adenoviral gene delivery approach in order to examine if MCD is regulated by AMPK. Cells infected with Ad.CA-AMPK demonstrated a fourfold increase in AMPK activity as compared with control cells expressing green fluorescent protein (Ad.GFP). MCD activity increased 40- to 50-fold in Ad.MCD + Ad.GFP cells when compared with Ad.GFP control. Co-expressing AMPK with MCD further augmented MCD expression and activity in Ad.MCD + Ad.CA-AMPK cells compared with the Ad.MCD + Ad.GFP control. Subcellular fractionation further revealed that 54.7 kDa isoform of MCD expression was significantly higher in cytosolic fractions of Ad.MCD + Ad.CA-AMPK cells than of the Ad.MCD +Ad.GFP control. However, the MCD activities in cytosolic fractions were not different between the two groups. Interestingly, in the mitochondrial fractions, MCD activity significantly increased in Ad.MCD + Ad.CA-AMPK cells when compared with Ad.MCD + Ad.GFP cells. Using phosphoserine and phosphothreonine antibodies, no phosphorylation of MCD by AMPK was observed. The increase in MCD activity in mitochondria-rich fractions of Ad.MCD + Ad.CA-AMPK cells was accompanied by an increase in the level of the 50.7 kDa isoform of MCD protein in the mitochondria. This differential regulation of MCD expression and activity in the mitochondria by AMPK may potentially regulate malonyl-CoA levels at sites nearby CPT-I on the mitochondria.     

Overexpression of a modified human malonyl-CoA decarboxylase blocks the glucose-induced increase in malonyl-CoA level but has no impact on insulin secretion in INS-1-derived (832/13) beta-cells

The long-chain acyl-CoA (LC-CoA) model of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) holds that secretion is linked to a glucose-induced increase in malonyl-CoA level and accumulation of LC-CoA in the cytosol. We have previously tested the validity of this proposal by overexpressing goose malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCD) in INS-1 cells, but these studies have been criticized due to: 1) the small insulin secretion response (2-4-fold) of the INS-1 cells used; 2) unknown contribution of the ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channel-independent pathway of GSIS in INS-1 cells, which has been implicated as the site at which lipids regulate insulin granule exocytosis; and 3) deletion of the N-terminal mitochondrial targeting sequence, but not the C-terminal peroxisomal targeting sequence in the goose MCD construct, raising the possibility that a significant fraction of the overexpressed enzyme was localized to peroxisomes. To address these outstanding concerns, INS-1-derived 832/13 cells, which exhibit robust K(ATP) channel-dependent and -independent pathways of GSIS, were treated with a new adenovirus encoding human MCD lacking both its mitochondrial and peroxisomal targeting sequences (AdCMV-MCD Delta 5), resulting in large increases in cytosolic MCD activity. Treatment of 832/13 cells with AdCMV-MCD Delta 5 completely blocked the glucose-induced rise in malonyl-CoA and attenuated the inhibitory effect of glucose on fatty acid oxidation. However, MCD overexpression had no effect on K(ATP) channel-dependent or -independent GSIS in 832/13 cells. Furthermore, combined treatment of 832/13 cells with AdCMV-MCD Delta 5 and triacsin C, an inhibitor of long chain acyl-CoA synthetase that reduces LC-CoA levels, did not impair GSIS. These findings extend our previous observations and are not consistent with the LC-CoA hypothesis as originally set forth.     

Regulation of cardiac malonyl-CoA content and fatty acid oxidation during increased cardiac power

Myocardial fatty acid oxidation is regulated by carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I), which is inhibited by malonyl-CoA. Increased cardiac power causes a fall in malonyl-CoA content and accelerated fatty acid oxidation; however, the mechanism for the decrease in malonyl-CoA is unclear. Malonyl-CoA is formed by acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and degraded by malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCD); thus a fall in malonyl-CoA could be due to activation of MCD, inhibition of ACC, or both. This study assessed the effects of increased cardiac power on malonyl-CoA content and ACC and MCD activities. Anesthetized pigs were studied under control conditions and during increased cardiac power in response to dobutamine infusion and aortic constriction alone, under hyperglycemic conditions, or with the CPT I inhibitor oxfenicine. An increase in cardiac power was accompanied by increased myocardial O(2) consumption, decreased malonyl-CoA concentration, and increased fatty acid oxidation. There were no differences among groups in activity of ACC or AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which physiologically inhibits ACC. There also were no differences in V(max) or K(m) of MCD. Previous studies have demonstrated that AMPK can be inhibited by protein kinase B (PKB); however, PKB was activated by dobutamine and the elevated insulin that accompanied hyperglycemia, but there was no effect on AMPK activity. In conclusion, the fall in malonyl-CoA and increase in fatty acid oxidation that occur with increased cardiac work were not due to inhibition of ACC or activation of MCD, suggesting alternative regulatory mechanisms for the work-induced decrease in malonyl-CoA concentration.     

AMP-activated protein kinase and coordination of hepatic fatty acid metabolism of starved/carbohydrate-refed rats

Acute increases in the concentration of malonyl-CoA play a pivotal role in mediating the decrease in fatty acid oxidation that occurs in many tissues during refeeding after a fast. In this study, we assess whether such increases in malonyl-CoA in liver could be mediated by malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCD), as well as acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). In addition, we examine how changes in the activity of ACC, MCD, and other enzymes that govern fatty acid and glycerolipid synthesis relate temporally to alterations in the activities of the fuel-sensing enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Rats starved for 48 h and refed a carbohydrate chow diet for 1, 3, 12, and 24 h were studied. Refeeding caused a 40% decrease in the activity of the alpha1-isoform of AMPK within 1 h, with additional decreases in AMPKalpha1 activity and a decrease in AMPKalpha2 occurring between 1 and 24 h. At 1 h, the decrease in AMPK activity was associated with an eightfold increase in the activity of the alpha1-isoform of ACC and a 30% decrease in the activity of MCD, two enzymes thought to be regulated by AMPK. Also, the concentration of malonyl-CoA was increased by 50%. Between 1 and 3 h of refeeding, additional increases in the activity of ACC and decreases in MCD were observed, as was a further twofold increase in malonyl-CoA. Increases in the activity (60%) and abundance (12-fold) of fatty acid synthase occurred predominantly between 3 and 24 h and increases in the activity of mitochondrial sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) and acyl-CoA:diaclyglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) at 12 and 24 h. The results strongly suggest that early changes in the activity of MCD, as well as ACC, contribute to the increase in hepatic malonyl-CoA in the starved-refed rat. They also suggest that the changes in these enzymes, and later occurring increases in enzymes regulating fatty acid and glycerolipid synthesis, could be coordinated by AMPK.     

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

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

Peroxisomal-mitochondrial oxidation in a rodent model of obesity-associated insulin resistance

Peroxisomal oxidation yields metabolites that are more efficiently utilized by mitochondria. This is of potential clinical importance because reduced fatty acid oxidation is suspected to promote excess lipid accumulation in obesity-associated insulin resistance. Our purpose was to assess peroxisomal contributions to mitochondrial oxidation in mixed gastrocnemius (MG), liver, and left ventricle (LV) homogenates from lean and fatty (fa/fa) Zucker rats. Results indicate that complete mitochondrial oxidation (CO(2) production) using various lipid substrates was increased approximately twofold in MG, unaltered in LV, and diminished approximately 50% in liver of fa/fa rats. In isolated mitochondria, malonyl-CoA inhibited CO(2) production from palmitate 78%, whereas adding isolated peroxisomes reduced inhibition to 21%. These data demonstrate that peroxisomal products may enter mitochondria independently of CPT I, thus providing a route to maintain lipid disposal under conditions where malonyl-CoA levels are elevated, such as in insulin-resistant tissues. Peroxisomal metabolism of lignoceric acid in fa/fa rats was elevated in both liver and MG (LV unaltered), but peroxisomal product distribution varied. A threefold elevation in incomplete oxidation was solely responsible for increased hepatic peroxisomal oxidation (CO(2) unaltered). Alternatively, only CO(2) was detected in MG, indicating that peroxisomal products were exclusively partitioned to mitochondria for complete lipid disposal. These data suggest tissue-specific destinations for peroxisome-derived products and emphasize a potential role for peroxisomes in skeletal muscle lipid metabolism in the obese, insulin-resistant state.     

Importance of experimental conditions in evaluating the malonyl-CoA sensitivity of liver carnitine acyltransferase. Studies with fed and starved rats.

The experiments reconfirm the powerful inhibitory effect of malonyl-CoA on carnitine acyltransferase I and fatty acid oxidation in rat liver mitochondria (Ki 1.5 microM). Sensitivity decreased with starvation (Ki after 18 h starvation 3.0 microM, and after 42 h 5.0 microM). Observations by Cook, Otto & Cornell [Biochem. J. (1980) 192, 955--958] and Ontko & Johns [Biochem. J. (1980) 192, 959--962] have cast doubt on the physiological role of malonyl-CoA in the regulation of hepatic fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis. The high Ki values obtained in the cited studies are shown to be due to incubation conditions that cause substrate depletion, destruction of malonyl-CoA or generation of excessively high concentrations of unbound acyl-CoA (which offsets the competitive inhibition of malonyl-CoA towards carnitine acyltransferase I). The present results are entirely consistent with the postulated role of malonyl-CoA as the primary regulatory of fatty acid synthesis and oxidation in rat liver.     

The involvement of fatty acid binding protein in peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation

Rat liver fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) can function as a fatty acid donor protein for both peroxisomal and mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, since 14C-labeled palmitic acid bound to FABP is oxidized by both organelles. FABP is, however, not detected in peroxisomes and mitochondria of rat liver by ELISA. Acyl-CoA oxidase activity of isolated peroxisomes was not changed by addition of FABP or flavaspidic acid, an inhibitor of fatty acid binding to FABP, nor by disruption of the peroxisomal membranes. These data indicate that FABP may transfer fatty acids to peroxisomes, but is not involved in the transport of acyl-CoA through the peroxisomal membrane.     

Evaluation of malonyl-CoA in the regulation of long-chain fatty acid oxidation in the liver. Evidence for an unidentified regulatory component of the system.

Palmitate oxidation by liver mitochondria from fed and starved rats exhibited markedly different sensitivities to inhibition by malonyl-CoA. In the mitochondrial system from fed rats, 50% inhibition required 19 muM-malonyl-CoA, whereas the mitochondria from starved rats were by comparison refractory to malonyl-CoA. Inhibition by malonyl-CoA was completely reversed by increasing the molar ratio of fatty acid to albumin. Results indicate that the potential effectiveness of malonyl-CoA as an inhibitor of fatty acid oxidation in the liver is dependent on an unidentified regulatory component of the system. The functional activity of this component is modified by the nutritional state, and its site of action is at the mitochondrial level.     

Probing the link between citrate and malonyl-CoA in perfused rat hearts

Little is known about the sources of cytosolic acetyl-CoA used for the synthesis of malonyl-CoA, a key regulator of fatty acid oxidation in the heart. We tested the hypothesis that citrate provides acetyl-CoA for malonyl-CoA synthesis after its mitochondrial efflux and cleavage by cytosolic ATP-citrate lyase. We expanded on a previous study where we characterized citrate release from perfused rat hearts (Vincent G, Comte B, Poirier M, and Des Rosiers C. Citrate release by perfused rat hearts: a window on mitochondrial cataplerosis. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 278: E846-E856, 2000). In the present study, we show that citrate release rates, ranging from 6 to 22 nmol/min, can support a net increase in malonyl-CoA concentrations induced by changes in substrate supply, at most 0.7 nmol/min. In experiments with [U-(13)C](lactate + pyruvate) and [1-(13)C]oleate, we show that the acetyl moiety of malonyl-CoA is derived from both pyruvate and long-chain fatty acids. This (13)C-labeling of malonyl-CoA occurred without any changes in its concentration. Hydroxycitrate, an inhibitor of ATP-citrate lyase, prevents increases in malonyl-CoA concentrations and decreases its labeling from [U-(13)C](lactate + pyruvate). Our data support at least a partial role of citrate in the transfer from the mitochondria to cytosol of acetyl units for malonyl-CoA synthesis. In addition, they provide a dynamic picture of malonyl-CoA metabolism: even when the malonyl-CoA concentration remains constant, there appears to be a constant need to supply acetyl-CoA from various carbon sources, both carbohydrates and lipids, for malonyl-CoA synthesis.     

Coordinate regulation of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase,sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase,and acetyl-CoA carboxylase by AMP-activated protein kinase in rat tissues in response to exercise

Changes in the concentration of malonyl-CoA in many tissues have been related to alterations in the activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), the rate-limiting enzyme in its formation. In contrast, little is known about the physiological role of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCD), an enzyme responsible for malonyl-CoA catabolism. In this study, we examined the effects of voluntary exercise on MCD activity in rat liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue. In addition, the activity of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), which like MCD and ACC can be regulated by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), was assayed. Thirty min after the completion of a treadmill run, MCD activity was increased approximately 2-fold, malonyl-CoA levels were reduced, and ACC and GPAT activities were diminished by 50% in muscle and liver. These events appeared to be mediated via activation of AMPK since: 1) AMPK activity was concurrently increased by exercise in both tissues; 2) similar findings were observed after the injection of 5-amino 4 imidazole carboxamide, an AMPK activator; 3) changes in the activity of GPAT and ACC paralleled that of MCD; and 4) the increase in MCD activity in muscle was reversed in vitro by incubating immunoprecipitated enzyme from the exercised muscle with protein phosphatase 2A, and it was reproduced by incubating immunopurified MCD from resting muscle with purified AMPK. An unexpected finding was that exercise caused similar changes in the activities of ACC, MCD, GPAT, and AMPK and the concentration of malonyl-CoA in adipose tissue. In conclusion: MCD, GPAT, and ACC are coordinately regulated by AMPK in liver and adipose tissue in response to exercise, and except for GPAT, also in muscle. The results suggest that AMPK activation plays a major role in regulating lipid metabolism in many cells following exercise. They also suggest that in each of them, it acts to increase fatty acid oxidation and decrease its esterification.     

Sensitivity of carnitine acyltransferase I to malonyl-CoA inhibition in isolated rat liver mitochondria is quantitatively related to hepatic malonyl-CoA concentration in vivo

The sensitivity of carnitine acyltransferase I (EC 2.3.1.21) activity to malonyl-CoA inhibition in rat liver mitochondria isolated from animals in various physiological states was quantitatively proportional to the hepatic malonyl-CoA concentration in vivo. It is suggested that this relationship between the two parameters could result in a potent amplification mechanism for the reciprocal regulation of fatty acid synthesis and oxidation.     

Peroxisomal fatty acyl-coenzyme A oxidation in chicken liver

The activities of antimycin A-insensitive palmitoyl-CoA oxidation and of palmitoyl-CoA oxidase in peroxisomes from chicken liver were similar to those of rat liver. Catalase and d-amino acid oxidase activities in peroxisomes from chicken liver were lower than those of rat liver and urate oxidase was not detected. Carnitine acetyltransferase and palmitoyltransferase levels in chicken liver were 18- and 2-fold higher, respectively, than those of rat liver. Peroxisomal palmitoyl-CoA oxidation of chicken liver was inhibited by cyanide, in contrast to that of rat liver, although it was insensitive to antimycin A. Subcellular distribution of this enzyme was similar to that of rat liver; i.e., it was located only in the peroxisomes. The fatty acyl-CoA oxidase had a higher affinity toward medium- to long-chain fatty acyl-CoAs (C₈ to C₁₆) than shorter-chain analogs. The fatty acyl-CoA dehydrogenase had a broad affinity toward fatty acyl-CoAs (C₄ to C₁₈). Carnitine acetyltransferase was distributed equally in both peroxisomes and mitochondria. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase was distributed in the proportion of 20 and 80% in peroxisomes and mitochondria, respectively.     

Effect of ciprofibrate on the activation and oxidation of very long chain fatty acids

The effect of ciprofibrate, a hypolipidemic drug, was examined in the metabolism of palmitic (C_16:0) and lignoceric (C_24:0) acids in rat liver. Ciprofibrate is a peroxisomal proliferating drug which increases the number of peroxisomes. The palmitoyl-CoA ligase activity in peroxisomes, mitochondria and microsomes from ciprofibrate treated liver was 3.2, 1.9 and 1.5-fold higher respectively and the activity for oxidation of palmitic acid in peroxisomes and mitochondria was 8.5 and 2.3-fold higher respectively. Similarly, ciprofibrate had a higher effect on the metabolism of lignoceric acid. Treatment with ciprofibrate increased lignoceroyl-CoA ligase activity in peroxisomes, mitochondria and microsomes by 5.3, 3.3 and 2.3-fold respectively and that of oxidation of lignoceric acid was increased in peroxisomes and mitochondria by 13.4 and 2.3-fold respectively. The peroxisomal rates of oxidation of palmitic acid (8.5-fold) and lignoceric acid (13.4-fold) were increased to a different degree by ciprofibrate treatment. This differential effect of ciprofibrate suggests that different enzymes may be responsible for the oxidation of fatty acids of different chain length, at least at one or more step(s) of the peroxisomal fatty acid -oxidation pathway.