Dietary fructose augments ethanol-induced liver pathology

Certain dietary components when combined with alcohol exacerbate alcohol-induced liver injury (ALI). Here, we tested whether fructose, a major ingredient of the western diet, enhances the severity of ALI. We fed mice ethanol for 8 weeks in the following Lieber-DeCarli diets: (a) Regular (contains olive oil); (b) corn oil (contains corn oil); (c) fructose (contains fructose and olive oil) and (d) corn + fructose (contains fructose and corn oil). We compared indices of metabolic function and liver pathology among the different groups. Mice fed fructose-free and fructose-containing ethanol diets exhibited similar levels of blood alcohol, blood glucose and signs of disrupted hepatic insulin signaling. However, only mice given fructose–ethanol diets showed lower insulin levels than their respective controls. Compared with their respective pair-fed controls, all ethanol-fed mice exhibited elevated levels of serum ALT; the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, MCP-1 and MIP-2; hepatic lipid peroxides and triglycerides. All the latter parameters were significantly higher in mice given fructose-ethanol diets than those fed fructose-free ethanol diets. Mice given fructose-free or fructose-containing ethanol diets each had higher levels of hepatic lipogenic enzymes than controls. However, the level of the lipogenic enzyme fatty acid synthase (FAS) was significantly higher in livers of mice given fructose control and fructose–ethanol diets than in all other groups. Our findings indicate that dietary fructose exacerbates ethanol-induced steatosis, oxidant stress, inflammation and liver injury, irrespective of the dietary fat source, to suggest that inclusion of fructose in or along with alcoholic beverages increases the risk of more severe ALI in heavy drinkers.     

Active subunits of rabbit liver fructose diphosphatase

Fructose diphosphatase, bound to a matrix of Sepharose, retains most of the catalytic activity but becomes half desensitized to AMP. The dimers, obtained by acid dissociation of the enzyme bound to the matrix, possess half of the specific activity of the tetramers and are almost completely desensitized to AMP. The monomers are inactive.     

Regulation of rat liver fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase

An enzyme activity that catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphate from the C-2 position of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate has been detected in rat liver cytoplasm. The S0.5 for fructose 2,6-bisphosphate was about 15 microM and the enzyme was inhibited by fructose 6-phosphate (Ki 40 microM) and activated by Pi (KA 1 mM). Fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase activity was purified to homogeneity by specific elution from phosphocellulose with fructose by specific elution from phosphocellulose with fructose 6-phosphate and had an apparent molecular weight of about 100,000, 6-phosphofructo 2-kinase activity copurified with fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase activity at each step of the purification scheme. Incubation of the purified protein with [gamma-32P]ATP and the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase resulted in the incorporation of 1 mol of 32P/mol of enzyme subunit (Mr = 50,000). Concomitant with this phosphorylation was an activation of the fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase and an inhibition of the 6-phosphofructo 2-kinase activity. Glucagon addition to isolated hepatocytes also resulted in an inhibition of 6-phosphofructo 2-kinase and activation of fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase measured in cell extracts, suggesting that the hormone regulates the level of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate by affecting both synthesis and degradation of the compound. These findings suggest that this enzyme has both phosphohydrolase and phosphotransferase activities i.e. that it is bifunctional, and that both activities can be regulated by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation.     

Selective modification of rabbit liver fructose bisphosphatase

Chemical modification of rabbit liver fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase by 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) results in thiolation of four highly reactive sulfhydryl groups and a diminished sensitivity to AMP inhibition but not loss of enzyme activity. Ethoxyformylation of the histidine groups of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase does not result in a sharp loss of activity until at least 4 or 5 of the 13 residues have reacted. Exhaustive formylation does abolish the enzyme's activity. These four most reactive sulfhydryl groups and the one or two least easily modified histidine moieties (those responsible for activity) can be protected against modification by fructose-1,6-P₂ and to a lesser extent by fructose-6-P. The binding of fructose-1,6-P₂ to fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, however, depends on the presence of structural metal ion since EDTA which removes all endogenous Zn²⁺ from the protein prevents binding of fructose-1, 6-P₂ to the enzyme.     

Isotope-tapping experiments with rabbit liver fructose bisphosphatase.

Isotope-trapping experiments with mental-free rabbit liver fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase have shown that enzyme-bound D-fructose 1,6-bisphosphate completely dissociates prior to enzyme turnover initiated by Mn2+ as the catalytic metal. The exchange rate of the binary enzyme-D-fructose 1,6-bisphosphate complex with the substrate pool is, therefore, more rapid than its conversion to products, suggesting that structural Mn2+ is necessary for productive substarate binding. Rapid-quench isotope-trapping experiments confirm the requirement for structural Mn2+ ions for productive binding to occur. These experiments also show that an ordered formation of the enzyme-Mn2+ s-D-fructose 1,6-bisphosphate ternary complex which features metal-ion addition prior to substrate constitutes a catalytically competent pathway in the mechanism of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase and that all four subunits are active in a single turnover event.     

Crystallographic data for chicken liver fructose bisphosphatase.

Large, single crystals of fructose bisphosphatase have been obtained under a variety of conditions. Preliminary crystallographic analysis reveals that the space group is R3, the cell dimensions on the hexagonal axes are a = b = 304 A and c = 80.4 A, and there is one tetramer per asymmetric unit.     

The interaction of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate with an allosteric site of rat liver fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase

Rat liver fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase can be protected against partial inactivation by N-ethylmaleimide by low concentrations of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate or high concentrations of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. The partially inactivated enzyme has a much reduced sensitivity to high substrate inhibition and has lost the sigmoid component of the inhibition by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate; this compound is a simple linear competitive inhibitor of the modified enzyme. The results suggest that fructose 2,6-bisphosphate can bind to the enzyme at two distinct sites, the catalytic site and an allosteric site. High levels of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate probably inhibit by binding to the allosteric site.     

P-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate for rabbit liver fructose diphosphatase

Purified rabbit liver fructose diphosphatase has been found to catalyze the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate, PNPP. It has been established that the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate is due to fructose diphosphatase through studies of the chromatographic properties of the enzyme, its temperature sensitivity, dependence on divalent cations and its inhibition by fructose diphosphate. The K_m for PNPP is 6 × 10⁻³M at pH 9.2, 5 × 10⁻⁴M at pH 7.5. This substrate should facilitate studies of the kinetics and mechanism of action of fructose diphosphatase and the comparison of this enzyme with other alkaline phosphatases.     

Unambiguous stereochemical course of rabbit liver fructose bisphosphatase hydrolysis

The stereochemical course of rabbit liver fructose bisphosphatase (EC 3.1.3.11) was determined by hydrolyzing the substrate analogue (Sp)-[1-18O]fructose 1-phosphorothioate 6-phosphate in H(2)17O, incorporating the chiral, inorganic phosphorothioate product into adenosine 5'-O-(2-thiotriphosphate) (ATP beta S), and analyzing the isotopic distribution of 18O in ATP beta S by 31P NMR. The result indicates that the 1-phosphoryl group is transferred with inversion of configuration. A series of single-turnover experiments ruled out an acyl phosphate intermediate in the hydrolysis. Consequently, fructose bisphosphatase catalyzes the hydrolysis of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate via a direct transfer of the phosphoryl moiety to water.     

Study of the fructose 6-phosphate/fructose 1,6-bi-phosphate cycle in the liver in vivo.

1. The method proposed by Rognstad & Katz [(1976) Arch, Biochem, Biophys, 177, 337-345] for the determination of the fructose 6-phosphate/fructose 1,6-bisphosphate cycle by the randomization of carbon between C-1 and C-6 of glucose glucose formed from [1-14C] galactose was applied to anaesthetized rats and conscious mice. 2. It was checked that the hydrolysis of fructose 6-phosphate by glucose 6-phosphatase is too weak to invalidate the method. The participation of the Cori cycle in the randomization was negligible within the short experimental period used (2-4 min). 3. No detectable randomization of carbon was observed in starved animals, indicating that phosphofructokinase is inactive in this experimental condition. 4. Randomization of carbon was detected as soon as 1 min after administration of [1-14C] galactose to fed animals and was maximal at about 3-4 min. It was calculated that on average 15% of the glucose formed by the liver to fed rats was recycled through the triose phosphates. The extent of cycling was quite variable. Recycling was also observed in starved rats in which glucose had been administered intravenously 10 min previously. In these animals, recycling was completely inhibited by glucagon. 5. The main factors that appear to be responsible for the very large changes in recycling observed in various experimental conditions are the concentrations of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and of fructose 6-phosphate and also the affinity of phosphofructokinase for fructose 6-phosphate. The concentration of nucleotides does not seem to play a role.     

Purification and properties of mouse liver fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase.

A simple procedure has been developed for the purification of mouse liver and kidney fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase. In addition to the conventional method, including substrate elution from phosphocellulose, Blue Sepharose column chromatography made the purification procedure highly reproducible. The enzyme from rabbit liver was also purified by this method with a small modification. The isolated preparation was electrophoretically homogeneous. The mouse liver enzyme was identical with the kidney enzyme, and different from the rabbit liver enzyme electrophoretically. The structural properties and the amino acid composition were similar to those of this enzyme from other mammalian livers; the molecular weight was 143,000, subunit size was 37,500, S20, w was 7.0, and partial specific volume was 0.74. Cysteine and methionine residues amounted to 5-6 mol per subunit. Tryptophan was not detected. The Km value for fructose-1,6-bisphosphate was 1.3 microM. The Ki value for AMP was 19 microM. EDTA strongly activated the activity of the mouse liver enzyme at neutral pH. A partial proteolytic digestion of the mouse liver enzyme decreased the activity at neutral pH, and increased it at alkaline pH.     

Evidence for different forms of rat liver fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase

Purified liver fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase exhibits different forms upon isoelectric focusing. The enzyme focused at pH 5.75, 5.60, and 5.44. Treatment of the enzyme preparation with the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and ATP altered the isoelectric focusing profile such that the bands at 5.75 and 5.60 were diminished, the band at 5.44 increased, and two new bands appeared at 5.30, and 5.18. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase may be present in rat liver in different forms, one of which is phosphorylated as the enzyme is isolated.