Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Activity in Osmotically Shocked Rat Brain Mitochondria: Stimulation by Oxaloacetate

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity (PDHC) measured by CO2 release isotopic assay has generally been much lower than activity measured by the spectrophotometric arylamine acetyltransferase assay (ArAT). Decarboxylation of [1-14C]pyruvate was measured in osmotically shocked rat brain cortical mitochondria. Activity is dependent on the concentration of the substrate pyruvate. Activity of 74.6 units +/- 12.3 SD (n = 22) was observed at 4 mM pyruvate (1 unit = 1 nmol pyruvate decarboxylated/min/mg protein). Activity was dependent on added NAD, CoA, and thiamine pyrophosphate, implying increased mitochondrial permeability after osmotic shock. Freeze/thaw with sonication of the mitochondrial preparation reduced PDHC activity to 11.5 units +/- 3.0 SD (n = 4). Oxaloacetate produced a marked stimulation of activity. The optimal assay contained 3 mM oxaloacetate, and without oxaloacetate activity fell to 15.4 units +/- 9.9 SD (n = 8). These studies highlight the importance of optimal substrate concentrations in the CO2 release isotopic PDHC method. Higher PDHC activity is found with intact mitochondria and thus activity values should be interpreted in the light of the presence or absence of intact mitochondria in individual preparations.     

Studies on the Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex in Brain with the Arylamine Acetyltransferase-Coupled Assay

Abstract: A spectrophotometric assay for the brain pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) with arylamine acetyltransferase (ArAT; EC 2.3.1.5) to follow the production of acetyl-CoA has been standardized. Activity was proportional to time and protein. It depended completely on added pyruvate, CoA, NAD, and MgCI₂, and partially on thiamine pyrophosphate, Triton X-100, and a sulfhydryl compound. The activities are the highest in the literature for brain PDHC (50 nmol/min/mg protein) and equal the maximum recorded rates of pyruvate flux for brain in vivo . Activities as low as 0.6 nmol/min could be measured. Use of ArAT of different purities (1–2-fold and 11–%-fold) allowed convenient measurement of total PDHC (ArAT-I) and of the active form of PDHC (ArAT-II). The proportion of PDHC in the active form was 50% in mouse brain, 30% in rat brain, and 10% in mouse liver. Total PDHC activity was unchanged postmortem during storage of mouse brain in situ at +4°C or at -20°C for 3 days or at +20°C for 24 h. The relative specific activity of PDHC in cytoplasmic or synaptoplasmic fractions was less than that of two other mitochondrial enzymes, fumarase (EC 4.2.1.2) and monoamine oxidase (EC 1.4.3.4), which argues strongly against the hypothesis of a cytoplasmic PDHC in cholinergic nerve endings.     

Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Activity in Regions of the Rat Brain During Postnatal Development

Abstract: Activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) was measured in seven brain regions of themale rat at various times during the postnatal period usingan arylamine acetyltransferase coupled assay. Three daysafter birth, PDHC activity was found to be < 15% ofadult values in all brain regions with the exception of hypothalamus and medulla-pons (30% of adult values ineach case). Activity of the enzyme complex in these latterregions attained adult levels by 21 days postnatally, some 5-15 days ahead of that found in cerebral cortex, striatum, hippocampus, and cerebellum. Such differences in PDHC maturation reflect the greater degree of earlymaturity of the phylogenetically older brain structures. Cerebellar PDHC developed more slowly than in otherbrain regions to attain only 40% of adult levels by thetime of weaning. The pattern of maturation of cerebellarPDHC is paralleled by increased incorporation of glucoseinto cerebral amino acids and by the pattern of develop-ment of parallel fiber synaptogenesis. These findings sug-gest that PDHC may play a key role in the regional de-velopment of metabolic compartmentation and the asso-ciated maturation of cerebral function in the rat.     

Properties and Regional Distribution of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase in Rat Brain

A method is described to measure directly in rat brain the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDHa kinase; EC 2.7.1.99), which catalyzes the inactivation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC, EC 1.2.4.1, EC 2.3.1.12, and EC 1.6.4.3). The activity showed the expected dependence on added ATP and divalent cation, and the expected inhibition by dichloroacetate, pyruvate, and thiamin pyrophosphate. These results, and the properties of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphate phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.43), indicate that the mechanisms of control of phosphorylation of PDHC seem qualitatively similar in brain to those in other tissues. Regionally, PDHa kinase is more active in cerebral cortex and hippocampus, and less active in hypothalamus, pons and medulla, and olfactory bulbs. Indeed, the PDHa kinase activity in olfactory bulbs is uniquely low, and is more sensitive to inhibition by pyruvate and dichloroacetate than that in the cerebral cortex. Thus, there are significant quantitative differences in the enzymatic apparatus for controlling PDHC activity in different parts of the brain.     

Effects of Dichloroacetate on Brain Pyruvate Dehydrogenase

The action of dichloroacetate (DCA) on pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity of rat brain has been studied in vitro and in vivo. In a crude brain mitochondrial fraction, DCA inhibits PDH kinase and in rat brain slices this compound increases PDH activity and stimulates glucose oxidation. In the whole animal, intraperitoneal injection of DCA causes activation of brain PDH, indicating that this inhibitor crosses the blood-brain barrier. The same treatment with DCA also produced a large increase in heart PDH activity. Further studies of the effects of DCA on the CNS should lead to results of considerable importance.     

哺乳动物中丙酮酸脱氢酶复合体的活性调节

高等生物的一个重要代谢调控机制是通过对酶的磷酸化和去磷酸化来进行的,哺乳动物的丙酮酸脱氢酶复合体(pyruvate dehydrogenase complex,PDHc)也是如此。PDHc的活性的调节主要是通过对其E1(pyru-vate dehydrogenase,PDH)的磷酸化和去磷酸化来实现的。当机体主要靠储存的脂肪生存而所存的葡萄糖仅供大脑和神经组织等只能依靠葡萄糖来提供能量的器官使用的时候,即葡萄糖缺乏时,就需要抑制PDHc的活性。主要探讨了哺乳动物在特定器官中和特定的一些生理条件下,PDHc活性改变的一些规律。     

Studies on the Bovine Brain Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Using the Antibodies Against Kidney Enzyme Complex

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) was purified from bovine kidney with a specific activity of 12-16 mumol of NADH or acetyl-CoA formed/min/mg protein. The four peptides comprising its three catalytic components were separated by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Rabbit antibodies against this highly purified PDHC (anti-PDHC) exhibited similar binding affinity to the phospho-PDHC as it did to the PDHC antigen. To test whether there exist brain isozymes of PDHC differing from kidney enzyme, which has been extensively characterized, the PDHCs in bovine brain and kidney were compared using this anti-PDHC. The PDHC activities in the brain and kidney mitochondrial extracts were inhibited to the same degree by varying amounts of anti-PDHC. Brain PDHC was precipitated with the anti-PDHC and resolved by SDS-PAGE. The four brain PDHC peptides isolated immunochemically with anti-PDHC had the same sizes as the kidney PDHC peptides. These PDHC peptides from kidney and brain were further compared by their peptide fragment patterns, which were generated by partial proteolysis with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease or by CNBr and resolved by SDS-PAGE. The peptide patterns generated with the former method indicated that the alpha and beta peptides of the pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1) component and the peptide of dihydrolipoyl transacetylase (E2) component of kidney PDHC were very similar to the corresponding peptides immunologically isolated from brain. The peptide patterns generated with CNBr further confirmed that the beta E1 and E2 peptides of kidney PDHC were similar to the corresponding peptides from brain.     

Relationship Between Activation State of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex and Rate of Pyruvate Oxidation in Isolated Cerebro-Cortical Mitochondria: Effects of Potassium Ions and Adenine Nucleotides

The relation between the activation (phosphorylation) state of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC; EC 1.2.4.1, EC 2.3.1.12, and EC 1.6.4.3) and the rate of pyruvate oxidation has been examined in isolated, metabolically active, and tightly coupled mitochondria from rat cerebral cortex. With pyruvate and malate as the substrates, the activation state of PDHC decreased on addition of ADP, while the rates of oxygen uptake and 14CO2 formation from [1-14C]pyruvate increased. The lack of correlation between the activation state of PDHC and rate of pyruvate oxidation was seen in media containing 5, 30, or 100 mM KCl. Both the activation state of PDHC and pyruvate oxidation increased, however, when KCl was increased from 5 to 100 mM. Although the PDHC is inactivated by an ATP-dependent kinase (EC 2.7.1.99), direct measurement of ATP and ADP failed to show a consistent relationship between the activation state of PDHC and either ATP levels or ATP/ADP ratios. Comparison of the activation state of PDHC in uncoupled or oligomycin-treated mitochondria also failed to correlate PDHC activation state to adenine nucleotides. In brain mitochondria, unlike those from other tissues, the activation state of PDHC does not seem to be related clearly to the rate of pyruvate oxidation, or to the mitochondrial adenylate energy charge.     

Brain MR Imaging and Proton MR Spectroscopy in Female Mice with Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Deficiency

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) deficiency is an inborn metabolic disorder that causes neurological abnormalities. In this report, a murine model of PDC deficiency was analyzed using histology, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR spectroscopy (MRS) and the results compared to PDC-deficient female patients. Histological analysis of brains from PDC-deficient mice revealed defects in neuronal cytoarchitecture in grey matter and reduced size of white matter structures. MR results were comparable to previously published clinical MR findings obtained from PDC-deficient female patients. Specifically, a 15.4% increase in relative lactate concentration, 64.4% loss of N-acetylaspartate concentration and a near complete loss of discernable glutamine plus glutamate concentration were observed in a PDC deficient mouse compared to wild-type control. Lower apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) were observed within the brain consistent with atrophy. These results demonstrate the usefulness of this murine model to systematically evaluate the beneficial effects of dietary and pharmacological interventions. Special issue dedicated to John P. Blass. Lioudmila Pliss and Richard Mazurchuk are two investigators who contributed equally.     

The Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex: Cloning of the Rat Somatic El α Subunit and Its Coordinate Expression with the mRNAs for the E1β E2, and E3 Catalytic Subunits in Developing Rat Brain

Abstract: We report the isolation of cDNA clones encoding the somatic form of the E1α subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of rat. The deduced amino acid sequence has 99.5, 98, and 97% identity, respectively, with the orthologous proteins of mouse, human, and pig and 98.5% identity with a rat E1α sequence reported previously. The cDNAs isolated in this and earlier studies predict different E1α subunit mRNA sizes and amino acid sequences. These differences have been investigated by PCR, northern blot hybridization, and RNase protection. We have used our E1α cDNA, in conjunction with cDNA probes to the E1β, E2, and E3 catalytic subunits of rat pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and also to rat citrate synthase, to perform RNase protection assays of developing rat whole brain RNA. The results show a 2.5-fold increase in the concentration of each of the subunit mRNAs and a 1.2-fold increase in citrate synthase mRNA from late foetal stage to 5 days post partum. Thereafter, the mRNA levels remained constant. These data indicate that the respective six-and threefold increases in the amounts of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and citrate synthase found to occur in rat brain between birth and adulthood are mediated principally by translational and/or posttranslational mechanisms.     

R-Lipoic Acid Inhibits Mammalian Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase

The four pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) and two pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase (PDP) isoenzymes that are present in mammalian tissues regulate activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of its pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1) component. The effect of lipoic acids on the activity of PDKs and PDPs was investigated in purified proteins system. R-lipoic acid, S-lipoic acid and R-dihydrolipoic acid did not significantly affect activities of PDPs and at the same time inhibited PDKs to different extents (PDK1?>?PDK4?～?PDK2?>?PDK3 for R-LA). Since lipoic acids inhibited PDKs activity both when reconstituted in PDC and in the presence of E1 alone, dissociation of PDK from the lipoyl domains of dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase in the presence of lipoic acids is not a likely explanation for inhibition. The activity of PDK1 towards phosphorylation sites 1, 2 and 3 of E1 was decreased to the same extent in the presence of R-lipoic acid, thus excluding protection of the E1 active site by lipoic acid from phosphorylation. R-lipoic acid inhibited autophosphorylation of PDK2 indicating that it exerted its effect on PDKs directly. Inhibition of PDK1 by R-lipoic acid was not altered by ADP but was decreased in the presence of pyruvate which itself inhibits PDKs. An inhibitory effect of lipoic acid on PDKs would result in less phosphorylation of E1 and hence increased PDC activity. This finding provides a possible mechanism for a glucose (and lactate) lowering effect of R-lipoic acid in diabetic subjects.     

Effects of Dichloroacetate on Brain Tissue Pyruvate Dehydrogenase

The activation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) by dichloroacetate (DCA) was studied in brain tissue. Chronic administration of DCA to rats caused no significant change of PDHC activation in brain. DCA brain concentrations were comparable to those of other tissues in which activation is known to occur. No effect of DCA on PDHC could be demonstrated from isolated brain mitochondria, whereas DCA reversed the deactivation of PDHC by ATP, alpha-ketoglutarate plus malate, and succinate in liver mitochondria. This study suggests that the regulation of PDHC activation in neural tissue differs from that in other tissues.     

Immunochemical Characterization of the Deficiency of the α-Ketoglutarate Dehydrogenase Complex in Thiamine-Deficient Rat Brain

Abstract: Mitochondrial dysfunction is a common feature of many neurodegenerative disorders. The metabolic encephalopathy caused by thiamine deficiency (TD) is a classic example in which an impairment of cerebral oxidative metabolism leads to selective cell death. In experimental TD in rodents, a reduction in the activity of the thiamine diphosphate-dependent, mitochondrial enzyme α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC) occurs before the onset of pathologic lesions and is among the earliest biochemical deficits found. To understand the molecular basis and the significance of the deficiency of KGDHC in TD-induced brain damage, the enzyme activity and protein levels of KGDHC were analyzed. The effect of TD on the subregional/cellular distribution of KGDHC and the anatomic relation of KGDHC with selective cell death were also tested by immunocytochemistry. Consistent with several previous studies, TD dramatically reduced KGDHC activity in both anatomically damaged (thalamus and inferior colliculus) and spared (cerebral cortex) regions. Immunocytochemistry revealed no apparent correlation of regional KGDHC immunoreactivity or its response to TD with affected regions in TD. The basis of the enzymatic and immunocytochemical behavior of KGDHC was further assessed by quantitative immunoblots, using antibodies specific for each of the three KGDHC components. Despite the marked decrease of KGDHC activity in TD, no reduction of any of the three KGDHC protein levels was found. Thus, TD impairs the efficacy of the KGDHC catalytic machinery, whereas the concentration of protein molecules persists. The generalized decline of KGDHC activity with no apparent anatomic selectivity is consistent with the notion that the compromised mitochondrial oxidation sensitizes the brain cells to various other insults that precipitate the cell death. The current TD model provides a relevant experimental system to understand the molecular basis of many neurodegenerative conditions in which mitochondrial dysfunction and KGDHC deficiency are prominent features.     

The Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Is Partially Inactivated During Early Recirculation Following Short-Term Forebrain Ischemia in Rats

Abstract: The mechanisms of selective neuronal loss after short-term global ischemia remain undefined, but processes including increased proteolytic activity, impaired protein synthesis, and oxidative damage have been proposed to contribute. A decrease in activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in the dorsolateral striatum, an ischemia-susceptible region, is one change apparently differentiating this region from ischemia-resistant areas during early recirculation. To provide an insight into processes contributing to postischemic cell damage, the changes in the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex during early recirculation have been further characterized. These studies provide clear confirmation that the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is reduced in mitochondria from the dorsolateral striatum by 3 h of recirculation. The decrease in activity was not accompanied by a loss of antigenic sites or by changes in electrophoretic mobility of the components of the complex. A reduction in activity of the E1 component of the complex (39–42% decrease), but not the E2 and E3 components, was observed that was apparently sufficient to explain the decrease in activity of the whole complex. These results indicate that the changes in activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in the dorsolateral striatum are not due to loss or gross disruption of the constituent proteins but rather most likely reflect a selective inactivation of a specific component of the complex.     

Brain α-Ketoglutarate Dehydrogenase Complex: Kinetic Properties, Regional Distribution, and Effects of Inhibitors

The substrate and cofactor requirements and some kinetic properties of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC; EC 1.2.4.2, EC 2.3.1.61, and EC 1.6.4.3) in purified rat brain mitochondria were studied. Brain mitochondrial KGDHC showed absolute requirement for alpha-ketoglutarate, CoA and NAD, and only partial requirement for added thiamine pyrophosphate, but no requirement for Mg2+ under the assay conditions employed in this study. The pH optimum was between 7.2 and 7.4, but, at pH values below 7.0 or above 7.8, KGDHC activity decreased markedly. KGDHC activity in various brain regions followed the rank order: cerebral cortex greater than cerebellum greater than or equal to midbrain greater than striatum = hippocampus greater than hypothalamus greater than pons and medulla greater than olfactory bulb. Significant inhibition of brain mitochondrial KGDHC was noted at pathological concentrations of ammonia (0.2-2 mM). However, the purified bovine heart KGDHC and KGDHC activity in isolated rat heart mitochondria were much less sensitive to inhibition. At 5 mM both beta-methylene-D,L-aspartate and D,L-vinylglycine (inhibitors of cerebral glucose oxidation) inhibited the purified heart but not the brain mitochondrial enzyme complex. At approximately 10 microM, calcium slightly stimulated (by 10-15%) the brain mitochondrial KGDHC. At concentrations above 100 microM, calcium (IC50 = 1 mM) inhibited both brain mitochondrial and purified heart KGDHC. The present results suggest that some of the kinetic properties of the rat brain mitochondrial KGDHC differ from those of the purified bovine heart and rat heart mitochondrial enzyme complexes. They also suggest that the inhibition of KGDHC by ammonia and the consequent effect on the citric acid cycle fluxes may be of pathophysiological and/or pathogenetic importance in hyperammonemia and in diseases (e.g., hepatic encephalopathy, inborn errors of urea metabolism, Reye's syndrome) where hyperammonemia is a consistent feature. Brain accumulation of calcium occurs in a number of pathological conditions. Therefore, it is possible that such a calcium accumulation may have a deleterious effect on KGDHC activity.     

Effect of a Deficiency of Thiamine on Brain Pyruvate Dehydrogenase: Enzyme Assay by Three Different Methods

A simple and rapid method based on the NADH-linked reduction of a tetrazolium dye was described for the determination of pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in rat brain homogenates. The method (method 3) gave a value of 36.06 +/- 1.24 nmol of pyruvate utilised/min/mg of whole brain protein. This value was higher than that obtained by measurement of the rate of decarboxylation of [1-14C]pyruvate (15.10 +/- 0.88 nmol/min/mg of protein; method 1) and was comparable with the rate of transfer of acetyl groups to an arylamine (39.04 +/- 1.32 nmol/min/mg of protein; method 2). A critique of the values reported by others by different methods was given. The pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in the mitochondria isolated from rat brain was in the "active" (nonphosphorylated) form. A deficiency of thiamine in rats was produced by treatment with pyrithiamine, an antagonist of thiamine. This treatment resulted in abnormal neurological signs, such as ataxia and convulsions. The measurement of the total activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase in the brain by all three methods showed no significant change in the enzymic activity in thiamine-deficient rats after treatment with pyrithiamine. The activities of the enzyme in the brains of pair-fed animals were similar to those in the controls.     

Pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphate (PDHb) phosphatase in brain: activity, properties, and subcellular localization

The activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphate (PDHb) phosphatase in rat brain mitochondria and homogenate was determined by measuring the rate of activation of purified, phosphorylated (i.e., inactive) pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC), which had been purified from bovine kidney and inactivated by phosphorylation with Mg . ATP. The PDHb phosphatase activity in purified mitochondria showed saturable kinetics with respect to its substrate, the phospho-PDHC. It had a pH optimum between 7.0 and 7.4, depended on Mg and Ca, and was inhibited by NaF and K-phosphate. These properties are consistent with those of the highly purified enzyme from beef heart. On subcellular fractionation, PDHb phosphatase copurified with mitochondrial marker enzymes (fumarase and PDHC) and separated from a cytosolic marker enzyme (lactate dehydrogenase) and a membrane marker enzyme (acetylcholinesterase), suggesting that it, like its substrate, is located in mitochondria. PDHb phosphatase had similar kinetic properties in purified mitochondria and in homogenate: dependence on Mg and Ca, independence of dichloroacetate, and inhibition by NaF and K-phosphate. These results are consistent with there being only one type of PDHb phosphatase in rat brain preparations. They support the validity of the measurements of the activity of this enzyme in brain homogenates.     

Effects of Aluminum and Calcium on Acetyl-CoA Metabolism in Rat Brain Mitochondria

Abstract: Al complexes are known to accumulate in extra- and intracellular compartments of the brain in the course of different encephalopathies. In this study possible effects of Al accumulation in the cytoplasmic compartment on mitochondrial metabolism were investigated. Al, like Ca, inhibited pyruvate utilization as well as citrate and oxoglutarate accumulation by whole brain mitochondria. Potencies of Ca²⁺_total effects were 10–20 times stronger than those of Al. Al decreased mitochondrial acetyl-CoA content in a concentration-dependent manner, along with an equivalent rise of free CoA level, whereas Ca caused loss of both intermediates from mitochondria. In the absence of P_i in the medium, Ca had no effect on mitochondrial metabolism, whereas Al lost its ability to suppress pyruvate utilization and acetyl-CoA content in Ca-free conditions. Verapamil potentiated, whereas ruthenium red reversed, Ca-evoked suppression of mitochondrial metabolism. On the other hand, in Ca-supplemented medium, Al partially overcame the inhibitory influence of verapamil. Accordingly, verapamil increased mitochondrial Ca levels much more strongly than Al. However, Al partially reversed the verapamil-evoked rise of Ca²⁺_total level. These data indicate that Al accumulated in cytoplasm in the form of the Al(PO₄)OH⁻ complex may inhibit mitochondrial functions by an increase of intramitochondrial [Ca²⁺]_total resulting from the Al-evoked rise of cytoplasmic [Ca²⁺]_free, as well as from inhibitory interference with the verapamil binding site on the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ antiporter.     

Effect of Dichloroacetate on Regional Energy Metabolites and Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Activity During Ischemia and Reperfusion in Gerbil Brain

The objective of this study was to determine whether administration of dichloroacetate (DCA), an activator of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), improves recovery of energy metabolites following transient cerebral ischemia. Gerbils were pretreated with DCA, and cerebral ischemia was produced using bilateral carotid artery occlusion for 20 min, followed by reperfusion up to 4 h. DCA had no effect on the accumulation of lactic acid and the decrease in ATP and phosphocreatine (PCr) during the 20-min insult, nor on the recovery of these metabolites measured at 20 and 60 min reperfusion. However, at 4 h reperfusion, levels of ATP and PCr were significantly higher in DCA-treated animals than in controls, as PCr exhibited a secondary decrease in caudate nucleus of control animals. PDH was markedly inhibited at 20 min reperfusion in both groups, but was reactivated to a greater extent in DCA-treated animals at 60 min and 4 h reperfusion. These results demonstrate that DCA had no effect on the initial recovery of metabolites following transient ischemia. However, later in reperfusion, DCA enhanced the postischemic reactivation of PDH and prevented the secondary failure of energy metabolism in caudate nucleus. Thus, inhibition of PDH may limit the recovery of energy metabolism following cerebral ischemia.     

Ontogeny and Cellular Localization of the Pyruvate Recycling System in Rat Brain

Abstract: The ontogeny of the cerebral pyruvate recycling pathway and the cellular localization of associated enzymes, malic enzyme (ME) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), have been investigated using a combination of ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, enzymatic analysis, and molecular biology approaches. Activity of the pathway, using [1,2-¹³C₂]acetate as a substrate, was detected by ¹³C NMR in brain extracts 3 weeks after birth, increasing progressively up to the third month of age. In whole-brain homogenates, ME activity increased to adult levels with the same time course as the recycling pathway. PEPCK activity was low during the first 2 weeks of life and decreased further toward adulthood. ME and PEPCK activity were found in primary cultures of astrocytes and in synaptosomal fractions of adult brain. Primary cultures of cortical neurons showed PEPCK activity but no detectable ME activity. The cytosolic ME gene was expressed in primary cultures of neurons and in astrocytes as well as in the neonatal and adult brain. The PEPCK gene was expressed both in primary cultures of cortical neurons and in astrocytes, but the level of its expression in the neonatal and adult brain was undetectable.