Kinetic properties of the partially purified pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of ox brain

The properties of a purified preparation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from ox brain have been compared with those of a similar preparation from ox kidney. A broad pH optimum around 7.8, similar dependence on ionic strength, and independence of the nature of the buffer anions or cations characterized preparations from both tissues. Michaelis constants for the binding of pyruvate, thiamin pyrophosphate, NAD(+) and CoA were also similar. Enzyme from both tissues was inhibited by NADH, by copper and other heavy metals, by high concentrations of tricarboxylic acid-cycle intermediates, and by preincubation with ATP. Acetyl-CoA itself did not appear to inhibit these preparations, although some commercial preparations of acetyl-CoA did contain an inhibitor. Although oxaloacetate and alpha-oxobutyrate were weak inhibitors, a number of other alpha-oxo acids including phenylpyruvate did not inhibit. The properties of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from brain and kidney appeared similar.     

Effects of alpha-ketoisovalerate on bovine heart pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase

The regulatory effects of alpha-ketoisovalerate on purified bovine heart pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and endogenous pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase were investigated. Incubation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex with 0.125 to 10 mM alpha-ketoisovalerate caused an initial lag in enzymatic activity, followed by a more linear but inhibited rate of NADH production. Incubation with 0.0125 or 0.05 mM alpha-ketoisovalerate caused pyruvate dehydrogenase inhibition, but did not cause the initial lag in pyruvate dehydrogenase activity. Gel electrophoresis and fluorography demonstrated the incorporation of acyl groups from alpha-keto[2-14C]isovalerate into the dihydrolipoyl transacetylase component of the enzyme complex. Acylation was prevented by pyruvate and by arsenite plus NADH. Endogenous pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase activity was stimulated specifically by K+, in contrast to previous reports, and kinase stimulation by K+ correlated with pyruvate dehydrogenase inactivation. Maximum kinase activity in the presence of K+ was inhibited 62% by 0.1 mM thiamin pyrophosphate, but was inhibited only 27% in the presence of 0.1 mM thiamin pyrophosphate and 0.1 mM alpha-ketoisovalerate. Pyruvate did not affect kinase inhibition by thiamin pyrophosphate at either 0.05 or 2 mM. The present study demonstrates that alpha-ketoisovalerate acylates heart pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and suggests that acylation prevents thiamin pyrophosphate-mediated kinase inhibition.     

Lipoic acid is the site of substrate-dependent acetylation of component X in ox heart pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex

The recently characterized Mr-50000 polypeptide associated with mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, referred to as component or protein X, was shown to incorporate N-ethylmaleimide only in the presence of pyruvate or NADH. Component X, modified with N-ethyl[2,3-14C]maleimide in the presence of pyruvate, was isolated and subjected to acid hydrolysis. The radioactive products were resolved on an amino acid analyser and these coeluted with products from similarly modified and hydrolysed lipoate acetyltransferase. Preincubation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex with pyruvate or NADH and acetyl-CoA resulted in a time-dependent diminution of incorporation of radiolabelled N-ethylmaleimide into component X and lipoate acetyltransferase and, correspondingly, in the extent of inhibition of overall complex activity by N-ethylmaleimide.     

Inhibition by acetaldehyde of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from ox brain and ox kidney (Short Communication)

Low concentrations of acetaldehyde, similar to those that can occur in the brain of ethanol-treated animals, effectively inhibit the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex purified from ox brain or from ox kidney, although the precise mechanism of this inhibition remains to be defined.     

Purification of bovine kidney and heart pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase on Sepharose derivatized with the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

Pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase has been purified to apparent homogeneity from mitochondrial extracts of both beef heart and beef kidney. An essential step in this three-step purification is affinity chromatography of a largely purified phosphatase fraction using Sepharose beads to which pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is covalently bound through the lipoic acid residues of the dihydrolipoyl transacetylase component of the complex. The purified phosphatase, which has a native relative molecular mass, Mr, of about 140000, is composed of two nonidentical subunits of Mr 89000 and 49000.     

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase activity of pig heart pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1 component of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex).

The pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1) and acetyltransferase (E2) components of pig heart and ox kidney pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex were separated and purified. The E1 component was phosphorylated (alpha-chain) and inactivated by MgATP. Phosphorylation was mainly confined to site 1. Addition of E2 accelerated phosphorylation of all three sites in E1 alpha and inactivation of E1. On the basis of histone H1 phosphorylation, E2 is presumed to contain PDH kinase, which was removed (greater than 98%) by treatment with p-hydroxymercuriphenylsulphonate. Stimulation of ATP-dependent inactivation of E1 by E2 was independent of histone H1 kinase activity of E2. The effect of E2 is attributed to conformational change(s) induced in E1 and/or E1-associated PDH kinase. PDH kinase activity associated with E1 could not be separated from it be gel filtration or DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Subunits of PDH kinase were not detected on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide gels of E1 or E2, presumably because of low concentration. The activity of pig heart PDH complex was increased by E2, but not by E1, indicating that E2 is rate-limiting in the holocomplex reaction. ATP-dependent inactivation of PDH complex was accelerated by E1 or by phosphorylated E1 plus associated PDH kinase, but not by E2 plus presumed PDH kinase. It is suggested that a substantial proportion of PDH kinase may accompany E1 when PDH complex is dissociated into its component enzymes. The possibility that E1 may possess intrinsic PDH kinase activity is considered unlikely, but may not have been fully excluded.     

Regulatory effect of thiamin pyrophosphate on pig heart pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

The kinetic behavior of pig heart pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) containing bound endogenous thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) was affected by exogenous TPP. In the absence of exogenous TPP, a lag phase of the PDC reaction was observed. TPP added to the PDC reaction medium containing Mg2+ led to a disappearance of the lag phase, inducing strong reduction of the Km value for pyruvate (from 76.7 to 19.0 microM) but a more moderate decrease of Km for CoA (from 12.2 to 4.3 microM) and Km for NAD+ (from 70.2 to 33.6 microM), with no considerable change in the maximum reaction rate. Likewise, thiamin monophosphate (TMP) decreased the Km value of PDC for pyruvate, but to a lesser extent (from 76.7 to 57.9 microM) than TPP. At the unsaturating level of pyruvate, the A50 values for TPP and TMP were 0.2 microM and 0.3 mM, respectively. This could mean that the effect of TPP on PDC was more specific. In addition, exogenous TPP changed the UV spectrum and lowered the fluorescence emission of the PDC containing bound endogenous TPP in its active sites. The data obtained suggest that TPP plays, in addition to its catalytic function, the important role of positive regulatory effector of pig heart PDC.     

Age-related compensatory activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in rat heart

Mitochondrial uptake and beta-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids are markedly impaired in the aging rat heart. While these alterations would be expected to adversely affect overall pyridine nucleotides, NADH levels do not change significantly with age. This conundrum suggests that specific compensatory mechanisms occur in the aging heart. The comparison of cardiac pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) kinetics in 4- and 24- to 28-month-old F344 rats revealed a 60% significant increase in V(max) with no change in PDC expression, and a 1.6-fold decrease in the Michaelis constant (K(m)) in old compared to young rats. The observed kinetic adjustments were selective to PDC, as neither the V(max) nor K(m) of citrate synthase changed with age. PDC kinase-4 mRNA levels decreased by 57% in old vs young rat hearts and correlated with a 45% decrease in PDC phosphorylation. We conclude that PDC from old rat hearts catabolizes pyruvate more efficiently due to an adaptive change in phosphorylation.     

Purification and immunochemical studies of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from rat heart, and cell-free synthesis of lipoamide dehydrogenase, a component of the complex

A mixture of NADPH and ferredoxin reductase is a convenient way of reducing adriamycin in vitro. Under aerobic conditions the adriamycin semiquinone reacts rapidly with O2 and superoxide radical is produced. Superoxide generated either by adriamycin:ferredoxin reductase or by hypoxanthine:xanthine oxidase can promote the formation of hydroxyl radicals in the presence of soluble iron chelates. Hydroxyl radicals produced by a hypoxanthine:xanthine oxidase system in the presence of an iron chelate cause extensive fragmentation in double-stranded DNA. Protection is offered by catalase, superoxide dismutase or desferrioxamine. Addition of double-stranded DNA to a mixture of adriamycin, ferredoxin reductase, NADPH and iron chelate inhibits formation of both superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. This is not due to direct inhibition of ferredoxin reductase and single-stranded DNA has a much weaker inhibitory effect. It is concluded that adriamycin intercalated into DNA cannot be reduced.     

Binding of pyruvate dehydrogenase to the core of the human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

In human (h) pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) the pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1) is bound to the E1-binding domain of dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2). The C-terminal surface of the E1beta subunit was scanned for the negatively charged residues involved in binding with E2. betaD289 of hE1 interacts with K276 of hE2 in a manner similar to the corresponding interaction in Bacillus stearothermophilus PDC. In contrast to bacterial E1beta, the C-terminal residue of the hE1beta does not participate in the binding with positively charged residues of hE2. This latter finding shows species specificity in the interaction between hE1beta and hE2 in PDC.     

alpha-Ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex of Escherichia coli. A hybrid complex containing pyruvate dehydrogenase subunits from pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

The alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex of Escherichia coli utilizes pyruvate as a poor substrate, with an activity of 0.082 units/mg of protein compared with 22 units/mg of protein for alpha-ketoglutarate. Pyruvate fully reduces the FAD in the complex and both alpha-keto[5-14C]glutarate and [2-14C]pyruvate fully [14C] acylate the lipoyl groups with approximately 10 nmol of 14C/mg of protein, corresponding to 24 lipoyl groups. NADH-dependent succinylation by [4-14C]succinyl-CoA also labels the enzyme with approximately 10 nmol of 14C/mg of protein. Therefore, pyruvate is a true substrate. However, the pyruvate and alpha-ketoglutarate activities exhibit different thiamin pyrophosphate dependencies. Moreover, 3-fluoropyruvate inhibits the pyruvate activity of the complex without affecting the alpha-ketoglutarate activity, and 2-oxo-3-fluoroglutarate inhibits the alpha-ketoglutarate activity without affecting the pyruvate activity. 3-Fluoro[1,2-14C]pyruvate labels about 10% of the E1 components (alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenases). The dihydrolipoyl transsuccinylase-dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase subcomplex (E2E3) is activated as a pyruvate dehydrogenase complex by addition of E. coli pyruvate dehydrogenase, the E1 component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. All evidence indicates that the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex purified from E. coli is a hybrid complex containing pyruvate dehydrogenase (approximately 10%) and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (approximately 90%) as its E1 components.     

Fluorescence energy-transfer studies on the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex isolated from Azotobacter vinelandii.

Fluorescence energy transfer has been employed to estimate the minimum distance between each of the active sites of the 4 component enzymes of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex from Azotobacter vinelandii. No energy transfer was seen between thiochrome diphosphate, bound to the pyruvate decarboxylase active site, and the FAD of the lipoamide dehydrogenase active site. Likewise, several fluorescent sulfhydryl labels, which were specifically bound to the lipoyl moiety of lipoyl transacetylase, showed no energy transfer to either the flavin or thiochrome diphosphate. These observations suggest that all the active centers of the complex are quite far apart (greater than or equal to 40 nm), at least during some stages of catalysis. These results do not preclude the possibility that the distances change during catalysis. Several of the fluorescent probes used possessed multiple fluorescent lifetimes, as shown by determination of lifetime averages by both phase and modulation measurements on a phase fluorimeter. These lifetimes are shown to result from multiple factors, not necessarily related to multiple protein conformations.     

Regulation of kinase reactions in pig heart pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.

1. Pig heart pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is inactivated by phosphorylation (MgATP2-) of an alpha-chain of the decarboxylase component. Three serine residues may be phosphorylated, one of which (site 1) is the major inactivating site. 2. The relative rates of phosphorylation are site 1 greater than 2 greater than site 3. 3. The kinetics of the inactivating phosphorylation were investigated by measuring inactivation of the complex with MgATP2-. The apparent Km for the Mg complex of ATP was 25.5 microM; ADP was a competitive inhibitor (Ki 69.8 microM) and sodium pyruvate an uncompetitive inhibitor (Ki 2.8 microM). Inactivation was accelerated by increasing concentration ratios of NADH/NAD+ and of acetyl-CoA/CoA. 4. The kinetics of additional phosphorylations (predominantly site 2 under these conditions) were investigated by measurement of 32P incorporation into non-radioactive pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphate containing 3-6% of active complex, and assumed from parrallel experiments with 32P labelling to contain 91% of protein-bound phosphate in site 1 and 9% in site 2. 5. The apparent Km for the Mg complex of ATP was 10.1 microM; ADP was a competitive inhibitor (Ki 31.5 microM) and sodium pyruvate an uncompetitive inhibitor (Ki 1.1 mM). 6. Incorporation was accelerated by increasing concentration ratios of NADH/NAD+ and of acetyl-CoA/CoA, although it was less marked at the highest ratios.     

Subunit binding in the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from bovine kidney and heart

Binding of pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1) and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3) to the isolated dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2) core of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from bovine heart and kidney was investigated with equilibrium, competitive binding, and kinetic methods. E2, which consists of 60 subunits arranged with icosahedral 532 symmetry, apparently possesses six equivalent, noninteracting binding sites for E3 dimers. It is proposed that each E3 dimer extends across 2 of the 12 faces of the E2 pentagonal dodecahedron. The equilibrium constant (Kd) for dissociation of E3 from E2 is about 3 nM, and the dissociation rate constant is about 0.057 min-1. For E1, Kd is about 13 nM, and the dissociation rate constant is about 0.043 min-1. Extensive phosphorylation of E1 (about three phosphoryl groups per E1 tetramer) increases Kd to about 40 nM.     

The pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex

During the review period, several structures of component enzymes and domains of enzymes of this multienzyme complex were determined. Three structures of the flavoprotein component, dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase, became available. The structure of the core component, dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase, can in principle be constructed from the known structures of its modules: the lipoyl, the peripheral subunit-binding and the catalytic domain. Dynamic aspects, such as the structure and function of the inter-domain linkers in dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase and the conformational changes invlved in the mechanism of electron transfer in dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase, remain to be clarified. Although several questions concerning the structure of the individual components of the complex have been solved, there is still much to learn about the assembly pathway. In mammalian complexes, the structure and function of protein X remains something of a riddle.     

A mimic of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

Pyruvic acid undergo decarboxylation catalyzed by a hydrophobic thiazolium salt and reacts with a hydrophobic analog of lipoic acid to form a hydrophobic acylthioester that reacts with aniline to form acetanilide in water, but only in the presence of a hydrophobically modified polyaziridine that acts to gather the reactants just as the enzyme complex does.