The tricarboxylic acid cycle in Dictyostelium discoideum. II. Evaluation of model consistency and robustness.

When kinetic models of complex biochemical systems are reconstructed from knowledge of the component reactions that have been characterized in vitro, or when values must be assumed for some of the parameters, errors are invariably encountered, and, as a consequence, the resulting model is frequently internally inconsistent. The simplest and most basic manifestations of such logical inconsistency are the failure of the model to exhibit a steady state or to yield a steady state that is in agreement with the actual steady state of the integrated system, or to yield a steady state that is dynamically stable. Models that are consistent may nonetheless be lacking in robustness, which is manifested as a pathological sensitivity to small changes in the values of their parameters. In this paper, we examine the current model of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in Dictyostelium discoideum (see Shiraishi, F., and Savageau, M. A. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 22912-22918) with regard to these basic indicators of model quality. This may be viewed as a preliminary analysis; the object is to determine whether or not the model is reasonable and worthy of a more refined analysis and, if not, to diagnose the areas in need of modification before further analysis is undertaken. The results demonstrate that the current model of the tricarboxylic acid cycle is self-consistent and possesses a steady state that is in agreement with experimental evidence. However, the results also suggest that this model is not very robust. The high sensitivities of parameters influencing pyruvate metabolism indicate that the experimental characterization of these reactions might be fruitfully re-examined. These high sensitivities lead us to predict that this model of the tricarboxylic acid cycle should be accurate only over a very narrow range in variation of the independent variables. This is verified by the results presented in the following paper (Shiraishi, F., and Savageau, M. A. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 22926-22933).     

The effect of cosubstrates on tricarboxylic acid cycle dynamics during pyruvate oxidation: the formation of alpha-ketoglutarate and utilization of glutamate by mitochondria from rabbit brain.

—Data comparing tricarboxylic acid cycle dynamics in mitochondria from rabbit brain using [2- or 3-¹⁴C]pyruvate with and without cosubstrates (malate, α-ketoglutarate, glutamate) are reported. With a physiological concentration of an unlabelled cosubstrate, from 90-99% of the isotope remained in cycle intermediates. However, the liberation of ¹⁴CO₂ and the presence of ¹⁴C in the C-1 position of α-ketoglutarate indicated that multiple turns of the cycle occurred. Entry of pyruvate into the cycle was greater with malate than with either α-ketoglutarate or glutamate as cosubstrate. With malate as cosubstrate for [¹⁴C]pyruvate the amount of [¹⁴C]citrate which accumulated averaged 30nmol/ml or 23% of the pyruvate utilized while α-ketoglutarate averaged 45 nmol/ml or 35% of the pyruvate utilized. With α-ketoglutarate as cosubstrate for [¹⁴C]pyruvate, the average amount of [¹⁴C]citrate which accumulated decreased to 8 nmol/ml or 10% of the pyruvate utilized while [¹⁴C]α-ketoglutarate increased slightly to 52 nmol/ml or an increase to 62%, largely due to a decrease in pyruvate utilization. The percentage of ¹⁴C found in α-ketoglutarate was always greater than that found in malate, irrespective of whether α-ketoglutarate or malate was the cosubstrate for either [2- or 3-¹⁴C]pyruvate. The fraction of ¹⁴CO₂ produced was slightly greater with α-ketoglutarate as cosubstrate than with malate. This observation and the fact that malate had a higher specific activity than did α-ketoglutarate when α-ketoglutarate was the cosubstrate, indicated a preferential utilization of α-ketoglutarate formed within the mitochondria. When l -glutamate was a cosubstrate for [¹⁴C]pyruvate the principal radioactive product was glutamate, formed by isotopic exchange of glutamate with [¹⁴C] α-ketoglutarate. If malate was also added, [¹⁴C]citrate accumulated although pyruvate entry did not increase. Due to retention of isotope in glutamate, little [¹⁴C]succinate, malate or aspartate accumulated. When [U-¹⁴C]l -glutamate was used in conjunction with unlabelled pyruvate more ¹⁴C entered the cycle than when unlabelled glutamate was used with [¹⁴C]pyruvate and led to α-ketoglutarate, succinate and aspartate as the major isotopic products. When in addition, unlabelled malate was added, total and isotopic α-ketoglutarate increased while [¹⁴C]aspartate decreased. The increase in [¹⁴C]succinate when [¹⁴C] glutamate was used indicated an increase in the flux through α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and was accompanied by a decrease of pyruvate utilization as compared to experiments when either α-ketoglutarate or glutamate were present at low concentration. It is concluded that the tricarboxylic acid cycle in brain mitochondria operates in at least three open segments, (1) pyruvate plus malate (oxaloacetate) to citrate; (2) citrate to α-ketoglutarate and; (3) α-ketoglutarate to malate, and that at any given time, the relative rates of these segments depend upon the substrate composition of the environment of the mitochondria. These data suggest an approach to a steady state consistent with the kinetic properties of the tricarboxylic acid cycle within the mitochondria.     

Formation and dissimilation of oxalacetate and pyruvate Pseudomonas citronellolis grown on noncarbohydrate substrates.

Metabolism of lactate as a carbon source by Pseudomonas citronellolis occurred via a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-independent L-lactate dehydrogenase, which was present in cells grown on DL-lactate but was not present in cells grown on acetate, aspartate, citrate, glucose, glutamate, or malate. The cells also possessed a constitutive, NAD-independent malate dehydrogenase instead of the conventional NAD-dependent malate dehydrogenase instead of the conventional NAD-dependent enzyme in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Both enzymes were particulate and used dichlorophenolindo-phenol or oxygen as an electron acceptor. In acetate-grown cells, the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase and NAD phosphate-linked malate enzyme decreased, cells grown on glucose or lactate. This was consistent with the need to maintain a supply of oxalacetate for metabolism of acetate via the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Changes in enzyme activities suggest that gluconeogenesis from noncarbohydrate carbon sources occurs via the malate enzyme (when oxalacetate decarboxylase is inhibited) or a combination of the NAD-independent malate dehydrogenase and oxalacetate decarboxylase.     

Systems analysis of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in Dictyostelium discoideum. II. Control analysis.

A steady-state computer model of the tricarboxylic cycle in Dictyostelium discoideum was analyzed using metabolic control theory. The steady state had variations of less than 0.04% over the last half of the simulation for both metabolite concentrations and fluxes. Metabolite and flux control coefficients were determined by varying enzymatic activities within 2% of their initial values and simulating the responses of metabolite concentrations and fluxes to these changes. Under these conditions, summation properties were met for most metabolite and all flux control coefficients. Maximum flux control coefficients were found for succinate dehydrogenase (0.35), malic enzyme (0.24), and malate dehydrogenase (-0.18). Comparable control was found for the reaction supplying pyruvate (0.14) and for the sum of the input amino acids (0.43), which serve as an energy source for D. discoideum. The time-dependent processes by which a new steady state was established were examined after increasing malic enzyme or malate dehydrogenase activities. This provided a method for an analysis of the mechanisms by which the observed control coefficients were generated. In addition, the effects of increasing the stimuli within 5-20% of the original enzyme activity were examined. Under these conditions, more typical of experimental stimuli and measurable responses, the metabolic model failed to return to steady state, and thus summation properties were not met. Whether "true" steady states ever occur or whether metabolic control theory can be applied in vivo is discussed.     

The redistribution of carbon label by the reactions involved in glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle in rat liver

A scheme is presented that shows how the reactions involved in gluconeogenesis, glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle are linked in rat liver. Equations are developed that show how label is redistributed in aspartate, glutamate and phosphopyruvate when it is introduced as specifically labelled pyruvate or glucose either at a constant rate (steady-state theory) or at a variable rate (non-steady-state theory). For steady-state theory the fractions of label introduced as specifically labelled pyruvate that are incorporated into glucose and carbon dioxide are also given, and for both theories the specific radioactivities of aspartate and glutamate relative to the specific radioactivity of the substrate. The theories allow for entry of label into the tricarboxylic acid cycle via both oxaloacetate and acetyl-CoA, for (14)CO(2) fixation and for loss of label from the tricarboxylic acid cycle in glutamate, but not for losses in citrate. They also allow for incomplete symmetrization of label in oxaloacetate due to incomplete equilibration with fumarate both in the extramitochondrial part of the cell and in the mitochondrion on entry of oxaloacetate into the tricarboxylic acid cycle. In the latter case failure both of oxaloacetate to equilibrate with malate and of malate to equilibrate with fumarate are considered.     

The tricarboxylic and acid pathway in Desulfovibrio.

Strains of two species of Desulfovibrio were examined for enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and related pathways. Pyruvate carboxylase (EC6.4.1.1) is present, and alpha-ketoglutarate is formed via the tricarboxylic acids. Glutamate, but not succinyl-CoA, arises from alpha-ketoglutarate. A pathway exists from pyruvate by malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.39) activity to malate, then fumarate and succinate, again with no evidence of succinyl-CoA formation. The enzymes concerned with metabolism of these dicarboxylic acids show greater activity in the strains that can grow by fumarate dismutation. Glutamate (or glutamine), alpha-ketoglutarate, and yeast extract repress the enzymes that metabolize the tricarboxylic acids. There appears to be no glyoxylate cycle in Desulfovibrio vulgaris or D. desulfuricans.     

The role of malate in hormone-induced enhancement of mitochondrial respiration

Shortly after the injection of glucagon, epinephrine, norepinephrine, vasopressin, or angiotensin II into fasted rats, mitochondria isolated from their livers contained elevated concentrations of malate and oxidized citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, and, in some cases, succinate more rapidly than mitochondria from fasted, control rats. The administration of tryptophan, lactate, or ethanol and refeeding of rats fasted 24 h result in similar elevations of mitochondrial malate concentration and oxidation of added substrates. Treatments that resulted in elevated mitochondrial malate resulted also in increased uptake of added citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, pyruvate, and, in some cases, succinate. It is postulated that the well-documented effect of gluconeogenic hormones on mitochondrial oxidation of carboxylic substrates may be mediated by malate which not only yields oxalacetate to support the tricarboxylic acid cycle but also facilitates the transport of added substrates, and which is regenerated in the tricarboxylic acid cycle.     

Elimination and replenishment of tricarboxylic acid-cycle intermediates in myocardium.

1. The contribution of Co2 fixation to the anaplerotic mechanisms in the myocardium was investigated in isolated perfused rat hearts. 2. K+-induced arrest of the heart was used to elicit a transition in the concentrations of the intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. 3. Incorporation of 14C from [14]bicarbonate into tricarboxylic acid-cycle intermediates was measured and the rates of the reactions of the cycle were estimated by means of a linear optimization program which solves the differential equations describing a simulation model of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and related reactions. 4. The results showed that the rate of CO2 fixation is dependent on the metabolic state of the myocardium. Upon a sudden diminution of cellular ATP consumption, the pool size of the tricarboxylic acid-cycle metabolites increased and the rate of label incorporation from [14C]bicarbonate into the cycle metabolites increased simultaneously. The computer model was necessary to separate the rapid equilibration between bicarbonate and some metabolites from the potentially anaplerotic reactions. The main route of anaplerosis during metabolite accumulation was through malate + oxaloacetate. Under steady-state conditions there was a constant net outward flow from the tricarboxylic acid cycle via the malate + oxaloacetate pool, with a concomitant anaplerotic flow from metabolites forming succinyl-CoA (3-carboxypropionyl-CoA).     

On the Function of Mitochondrial Metabolism during Photosynthesis in Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) Leaves (Partitioning between Respiration and Export of Redox Equivalents and Precursors for Nitrate Assimilation Products)

The functioning of isolated spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) leaf mitochondria has been studied in the presence of metabolite concentrations similar to those that occur in the cytosol in vivo. From measurements of the concentration dependence of the oxidation of the main substrates, glycine and malate, we have concluded that the state 3 oxidation rate of these substrates in vivo is less than half of the maximal rates due to substrate limitation. Analogously, we conclude that under steady-state conditions of photosynthesis, the oxidation of cytosolic NADH by the mitochondria does not contribute to mitochondrial respiration. Measurements of mitochondrial respiration with glycine and malate as substrates and in the presence of a defined malate:oxaloacetate ratio indicated that about 25% of the NADH formed in vivo during the oxidation of these metabolites inside the mitochondria is oxidized by a malate-oxaloacetate shuttle to serve extramitochondrial processes, e.g. reduction of nitrate in the cytosol or of hydroxypyruvate in the peroxisomes. The analysis of the products of the oxidation of malate indicates that in the steady state of photosynthesis the activity of the tricarboxylic acid cycle is very low. Therefore, we have concluded that the mitochondrial oxidation of malate in illuminated leaves produces mainly citrate, which is converted via cytosolic aconitase and NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase to yield 2-oxoglutarate as the precursor for the formation of glutamate and glutamine, which are the main products of photosynthetic nitrate assimilation.     

Metabolic fate of fumarate, a side product of the purine salvage pathway in the intraerythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum

In aerobic respiration, the tricarboxylic acid cycle is pivotal to the complete oxidation of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids to carbon dioxide and water. Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of human malaria, lacks a conventional tricarboxylic acid cycle and depends exclusively on glycolysis for ATP production. However, all of the constituent enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle are annotated in the genome of P. falciparum, which implies that the pathway might have important, yet unidentified biosynthetic functions. Here we show that fumarate, a side product of the purine salvage pathway and a metabolic intermediate of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, is not a metabolic waste but is converted to aspartate through malate and oxaloacetate. P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes and free parasites incorporated [2,3-(14)C]fumarate into the nucleic acid and protein fractions. (13)C NMR of parasites incubated with [2,3-(13)C]fumarate showed the formation of malate, pyruvate, lactate, and aspartate but not citrate or succinate. Further, treatment of free parasites with atovaquone inhibited the conversion of fumarate to aspartate, thereby indicating this pathway as an electron transport chain-dependent process. This study, therefore, provides a biosynthetic function for fumarate hydratase, malate quinone oxidoreductase, and aspartate aminotransferase of P. falciparum.     

The acid end-products of glucose metabolism of oral and other haemophili

The acids produced in broth culture by various species of oral haemophili and by stock strains of capsulated and other haemophili were identified and measured by gas-liquid chromatography. Succinic acid was the major acid end-product of all strains, with acetic acid also being regularly produced but in smaller amounts. A stock strain, Haemophilus parainfluenzae NCTC 4101, produced less succinic acid than other strains of haemophili. Strain NCTC 4101 possessed all the enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, as previously reported, but in the other haemophili examined only succinic dehydrogenase, fumarase and malate dehydrogenase could be detected. No other enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle were detected and isocitrate lyase, malate synthase and pyruvate carboxylase were also absent. Phosphoenolpyruvate-carboxylase was present in all strains. A partial tricarboxylic acid cycle and marked malate dehydrogenase activity appear to be characteristic of haemophili. The pathway to succinate in haemophili appears to be via carboxylation of phosphoenolpyruvate to oxalacetate and thence via malate and fumarate. The results of tracer studies on a single oral strain of H. parainfluenzae using various labelled substrates were in keeping with this proposed metabolic pathway.     

The disposition of citric acid cycle intermediates by isolated rat heart mitochondria

The mechanism of depletion of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates by isolated rat heart mitochondria was studied using hydroxymalonate (an inhibitor of malic enzymes) and mercaptopicolinate (an inhibitor of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) as tools. Hydroxymalonate inhibited the respiration rate of isolated mitochondria in state 3 by 40% when 2 mM malate was the only external substrate, but no inhibition was found with 2 mM malate plus 0.5 mM pyruvate as substrates. In the prescence od bicarbonate, arsenite and ATP, propionate was converted to pyruvate and malate at the rates of 14.0 ± 2.9 and 2.8 ± 1.8 nmol/mg protein in 5 min, respectively. Under these conditions, 0.1 mM mercaptopicolinate did not affect this conversion, but 2 mM hydroxymalonate inhibited pyruvate formation completely and resulted in an accumulation of malate up to 13.2 ± 2.9 nmol/mg protein. No accumulation of phosphoenolpyruvate was found under any condition tested. It is concluded that malic enzymes but not phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, are involved in conversion of propionate to pyruvate in isolated rat heart mitochondria.     

Production of beta-thujaplicin in Cupressus lusitanica suspension cultures fed with organic acids and monoterpenes.

Effects of some organic acids and monoterpenes on production of beta-thujaplicin were studied in Cupressus lusitanica suspension cultures. The fungal elicitor-induced biosynthesis of beta-thujaplicin was promoted by the feedings of malate, pyruvate, fumarate, succinate, and acetate. These results suggest some relationships between acetate/pyruvate metabolism and beta-thujaplicin biosynthesis, or between tricarboxylic acid cycle and beta-thujaplicin biosynthesis. Feedings of C. lusitanica suspension cultures with some monoterpenes inhibited elicitor-triggered beta-thujaplicin biosynthesis, but 2-carene and terpinyl acetate feedings significantly improved the beta-thujaplicin production of C. lusitanica suspension cultures. These results indicate a possible involvement of terpinyl acetate and 2-carene in beta-thujaplicin biosynthesis, as well as potential uses of these monoterpenes in large-scale beta-thujaplicin production.     

Inhibition of some respiration and dehydrogenase enzyme systems in Escherichia coli NCTC 5933 by phenoxyethanol.

Low concentrations (less than 0.2% w/v) of phenoxyethanol stimulated both the rate of respiration and total oxygen uptakes of Escherichia coli NCTC 5933 suspensions with glucose and other substrates, whilst higher concentrations (0.2--0.6% w/v) although still below those showing significant bactericidal activity, produced progressive levels of inhibition. The degree of respiratory inhibition varied with different substrates in the order malate less than succinate less than pyruvate less than or equal to glucose less than lactate, and suggested appreciable inhibition at a point after malate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. This suggestion was supported by the use of tetrazolium salts as alternative electron acceptors, and by cytochrome difference spectra, which together implicated malate dehydrogenase as the most likely site of action. Isolated dehydrogenase enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in cell-free preparations were unaffected by high concentrations of phenoxyethanol (0.8% w/v) with the exception of malate dehydrogenase which was inhibited in extracts to extents similar to those of malate oxidation by intact bacteria. Lineweaver-Burke plots for malate dehydrogenase activity in the presence of phenoxyethanol suggested a competitive inhibition of the oxaloacetic acid-limited reaction and a non-competitive inhibition of the NADH-limited reaction. Accordingly, Ki values were found to be low when the rate of reaction was limited by oxaloacetic acid concentration yet relatively high when NADH was rate limiting.     

Stoichiometric traps in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. I. Self-inhibition and triggering phenomena

The steady-state oxidation of 2 mM pyruvate in pigeon and rat heart mitochondria in the presence of ADP-glucose-hexokinase load can be strongly inhibited by excess (10-40 mM) of pyruvate or beta-hydroxybutyrate. This inhibition is accompanied by the accumulation of alpha-ketoglutarate and a decrease of malate. The mechanism of such substrate inhibition may be associated with the limitation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle flux by low levels of oxaloacetate and free CoA due to their being trapped as alpha-ketoglutarate and acetyl-CoA. Contrary to pyruvate, the ketone bodies in the absence of other substrates produce self-inhibition of their oxidation at as low concentrations as 0.5-1 mM. At 10-15 mM of acetoacetate, a complete suppression of respiration may develop. At a high load (preset by ADP or the uncoupler CCCP), the suppression is characterised by the accumulation of malate and a decrease of alpha-ketoglutarate. At low loads, the reverse distribution of the intermediates takes place. It is concluded that the system of ketone body oxidation in heart mitochondria is an example of biochemical triggers (systems with two alternative stable states).     

Quantification of carbon fluxes through the tricarboxylic acid cycle in early germinating lettuce embryos

A method involving labeling to isotopic steady state and modeling of the tricarboxylic acid cycle has been used to identify the respiratory substrates in lettuce embryos during the early steps of germination. We have compared the specific radioactivities of aspartate and glutamate and of glutamate C-1 and C-5 after labeling with different substrates. Labeling with [U-14C]acetate and 14CO2 was used to verify the validity of the model for this study; the relative labeling of aspartate and glutamate was that expected from the normal operation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. After labeling with 14CO2, the label distribution in the glutamate molecule (95% of the label at glutamate C-1) was consistent with an input of carbon via the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase reaction, and the relative specific radioactivities of aspartate and glutamate permitted the quantification of the apparent rate of the fumarase reaction. CO2 and intermediates related to the tricarboxylic acid cycle were labeled with [U-14C]acetate, [1-14C] hexanoate, or [U-14C]palmitic acid. The ratios of specific radioactivities of asparate to glutamate and of glutamate C-1 to C-5 indicated that the fatty acids were degraded to acetyl units, suggesting the operation of beta-oxidation, and that the acety-CoA was incorporated directly into citrate. Short-term labeling with [1-14C]hexanoate showed that citrate and glutamate were labeled earlier than malate and aspartate, showing that this fatty acid was metabolized through the tricarboxylic acid cycle rather than the glyoxylate cycle. This was in agreement with the flux into gluconeogenesis compared to efflux as respiratory CO2. The fraction of labeled substrate incorporated into carbohydrates was only about 5% of that converted to CO2; the carbon flux into gluconeogenesis was determined after labeling with 14CO2 and [1-14C]hexanoate from the specific radioactivity of aspartate C-1 and the amount of label incorporated into the carbohydrate fraction. It was only 7.4% of the efflux of respiratory CO2. The labeling of alanine indicates a low activity of either a malic enzyme or the sequence phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase/pyruvate kinase. After labeling with [U-14C]glucose, the ratios of specific radioactivities indicated that the labeled carbohydrates contributed less than 10% to the flux of acetyl-CoA. The model indicated that the glycolytic flux is partitioned one-third to pyruvate and two-thirds to oxalacetate and is therefore mainly anaplerotic. The possible role of fatty acids as the main source of acetyl-CoA for respiration is discussed.     

Physiology and metabolism of pathogenic neisseria: tricarboxylic acid cycle activity in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Tricarboyxlic acid cycle activity was examined in Neisseria gonorrhoeae CS-7. The catabolism of glucose in N. gonorrheae by a combination of the Entner-Doudoroff and pentose phosphate pathways resulted in the accumulation of acetate, which was not further catabolized until the glucose was depleted or growth became limiting. Radiorespirometric studies revealed that the label in the 1 position of acetate was converted to CO2 at twice the rate of the label in the 2 position, indicating the presence of a tricarboxylic acid cycle. Growth on glucose markedly reduced the levels of all tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes except citrate synthase (EC 4.1.3.7). Extracts of glucose-grown cells contained detectable levels of all tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes except aconitase (EC 4.2.1.3), isocitrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.42), and a pyridine nucleotide-dependent malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37). Extracts of cells capable of oxidizing acetate lacked only the pyridine nucleotide-dependent malate dehydrogenase. In lieu of this enzyem, a particulate pyridine nucleotide-independent malate oxidase (EC 1.1.3.3) was present. This enzyme required flavin adenine dinucleotide for activity and appeared to be associated with the electron transport chain. Radiorespirometric studies utilizing labeled glutamate demonstrated that a portion of the tricarboxylic acid cycle functioned during glucose catabolism. In spite of the presence of all tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes, N. gonorrhoeae CS-7 was unable to grow in medium supplemented with cycle intermediates.     

Pyruvate decarboxylation in astrocytes and in neurons in primary cultures in the presence and the absence of ammonia

Oxidative decarboxylation of [1-¹⁴C]pyruvate was studied in primary cultures of neurons and of astrocytes. The rate of this process, which is a measure of carbon flow into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and which is inhibited by its end product, acetyl CoA, was determined under conditions which would either elevate or reduce the components of the malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS). Addition of aspartate (1 mM) was found to stimulate pyruvate decarboxylation in astrocytes whereas addition of glutamate (or glutamine) had no effect. Since aspartate is a precursor for extramitochondrial malate, and thus intramitochondrial oxaloacetate, whereas glutamate and glutamine are not, this suggests that an increase in oxaloacetate level stimulates TCA cycle activity. Conversely, a reduction of the glutamate content by 3 mM ammonia, which might reduce exchange between glutamate and aspartate across the mitochondrial membrane, suppressed pyruvate decarboxylation. This effect was abolished by addition of glutamate or glutamine or exposure to methionine sulfoximine (MSO). These findings suggest that impairment of MAS activity by removal of MAS constituents decreases TCA cycle activity whereas replenishment of these compounds restores the activity of the TCA cycle. No corresponding effects were observed in neurons.     

Effects of glucagon on gluconeogenesis from lactate and propionate in the perfused rat liver.

Quinolinic acid (Q.A.) which inhibits gluconeogenesis at the site of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) synthesis, reduced the content of PEP while elevating that of aspartate and malate in rat livers perfused with a medium containing 10 mM L-lactate. Glucagon at 10(-9) M did not affect Q.A. inhibition of lactate gluconeogenesis nor the depression of PEP level, but further elevated malate and aspartate accumulation. Exogenous butyrate had the same effect as glucagon on these parameters. Butylmalonate (BM), an inhibitor of mitochondrial malate transport, inhibited lactate and propionate gluconeogenesis to similar extents. The addition of 10(-9) M glucagon had no effect on BM inhibition of lactate gluconeogenesis, but almost completely reversed BM inhibition of propionate gluconeogenesis. These results suggest that glucagon may act on at least two sites, resulting in elevated hepatic gluconeogenesis. First, it may stimulate dicarboxylic acid synthesis (malate and oxaloacetate, specifically) through activation of pyruvate carboxylation. Secondly, it may stimulate synthesis of other dicarboxylic acids (fumarate, for example) by activating certain steps of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The stimulatory effect of glucagon on gluconeogenesis in the perfused rat liver is well documented (1, 2). Exton et al., who earlier located the site of stimulation between pyruvate and PEP synthesis (3), proposed that glucagon stimulated PEP synthesis in the perfused rat liver (4), while reports from Williamson et al. (5) suggested the pyruvate-carboxylase reaction as the site of glucagon action. Stimulation at sites above PEP formation and of portions of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (4) by glucagon have also been suggested (6). In the present experiments, we have used substrates entering at different parts of the gluconeogenic pathway, and specific inhibitors to further resolve the action of glucagon.     

The Path of Carbon Flow during NO(3)-Induced Photosynthetic Suppression in N-Limited Selenastrum minutum

Nitrate addition to nitrate-limited cultures of Selenastrum minutum Naeg. Collins (Chlorophyta) resulted in a 70% suppression of photosynthetic carbon fixation. In ¹⁴CO₂ pulse/chase experiments nitrate resupply increased radiolabel incorporation into amino and organic acids and decreased radiolabel incorporation into insoluble material. Nitrate resupply increased the concentration of phosphoenolpyruvate and increased the radiolabeling of phosphoenolpyruvate, pyruvate and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, notably citrate, fumarate, and malate. Furthermore, nitrate also increased the pool sizes and radiolabeling of most amino acids, with alanine, aspartate, glutamate, and glutamine showing the largest changes. Nitrate resupply increased the proportion of radiolabel in the C-4 position of malate and increased the ratios of radiolabel in aspartate to phosphoenolpyruvate and in pyruvate to phosphoenolpyruvate, indicative of increased phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate kinase activities. Analysis of these data showed that the rate of carbon flow through glutamate (10.6 μmoles glutamate per milligram chlorophyll per hour) and the rate of net glutamate production (7.9 μmoles glutamate per milligram chlorophyll per hour) were both greater than the maximum rate of carbon export from the Calvin cycle which could be maintained during steady state photosynthesis. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that nitrogen resupply to nitrogen-limited microalgae results in a transient suppression of photosynthetic carbon fixation due, in part, to the severity of competition for carbon skeletons between the Calvin cycle and nitrogen assimilation (IR Elrifi, DH Turpin 1986 Plant Physiol 81: 273-279).