N-butyldeoxynojirimycin causes weight loss as a result of appetite suppression in lean and obese mice.

AIM: To determine the mechanism of weight loss caused by high doses of N-butyldeoxynojirimycin (NB-DNJ) in healthy lean and leptin-deficient obese (ob/ob) mice. METHODS: Healthy lean and obese mice were treated with NB-DNJ by the following methods: admixed with their diet, delivered by subcutaneously implanted mini-pumps or by intraperitoneal or intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection. Daily changes in body weight and food intake were recorded during the experimental period. The effect of NB-DNJ treatment on subcutaneous adipose tissue and on epididymal fat pads was measured. RESULTS: Lean mice treated with NB-DNJ, admixed with their diet, lost weight in the form of adipose tissue. This resulted in a 40% reduction in skin thickness (control, 358 +/- 11 microm; NB-DNJ treated 203 +/- 6 microm) and a reduction in epididymal fat pad weights after 5 weeks of treatment at 2400 mg/kg/day (control, 0.0154 +/- 0.001; NB-DNJ treated, 0.0026 +/- 0.0005 as ratios of fat pad weight to total body weight). Following the depletion of adipose tissue mass, the mice grew normally and did not have any reduction in lean mass. Obese mice treated with NB-DNJ also lost weight or gained weight at a greatly reduced rate compared with non-treated controls. Body weights at 6 months of age were: lean control, 29.10 +/- 1.15 g; lean NB-DNJ treated, 22.73 +/- 0.29 g; obese control, 63.25 +/- 1.5 g; obese NB-DNJ treated from 5 weeks of age, 35.30 +/- 1.68 g; obese NB-DNJ treated from 12 weeks of age, 38.84 +/- 1.26 g. Both the lean and obese groups of mice treated with NB-DNJ ate up to 30% less than untreated controls. Daily food intake (powder diet) were: lean control, 4.15 +/- 0.54 g; obese control, 4.14 +/- 0.2 g; lean NB-DNJ treated 2.9 +/- 0.37 g; obese NB-DNJ treated, 2.88 +/- 0.47 g. Mice treated with the N-substituted galactose imino sugar analogue, N-butyldeoxygalactonojirimycin (NB-DGJ) did not lose weight. Mice experienced similar weight loss or lack of weight gain when fed a restricted diet that mimics the drug-induced level of food consumption. Delivery of 2 nmol NB-DNJ by ICV injection into lean mice also caused similar reductions in food intake. Food intake: saline vehicle, 4.30 +/- 0.12 g; NB-DNJ, 3.37 +/- 0.19 g; NB-DGJ, 4.03 +/- 0.16 g; 2-deoxyglucose, 4.7 +/- 0.15 g. CONCLUSION: NB-DNJ causes weight loss as a result of reduced food consumption due to central appetite suppression.

Severe endothelial dysfunction in the aorta of a mouse model of Fabry disease; partial prevention by N-butyldeoxynojirimycin treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Fabry disease results from alpha-gala-ctosidase A deficiency and is characterized by the lysosomal accumulation of globotriaosylceramide. Globotriaosylceramide storage predominantly affects endothelial cells, altering vascular wall morphology and vasomotor function. Our objective was to investigate aortic globotriaosylceramide levels, morphology and function in a mouse model of Fabry disease, and the effect of substrate reduction therapy, using the glycosphingolipid biosynthesis inhibitor N-butyldeoxynojirimycin. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mice used were C57BL/6J and alpha-galactosidase A knockout (Fabry). We show progressive accumulation of aortic globotriaosylceramide throughout the lifespan of untreated Fabry mice (55-fold elevation at 2 months increasing to 187-fold by 19 months), localized to endothelial and vascular smooth-muscle cells; there was no effect on vascular wall morphology in young Fabry mice. In old mice, storage resulted in intimal thickening. Endothelial function declined with age in Fabry mouse aorta. Aortae from N-butyldeoxynojirimycin-treated Fabry mice at 19 months of age had reduced endothelial globotriaosylceramide storage, fewer morphological abnormalities and less severe vasomotor dysfunction compared with untreated littermates. CONCLUSION: We provide evidence of a novel vascular phenotype in the Fabry mouse that has relevance to vascular disease in Fabry patients. N-Butyldeoxynojirimycin treatment partially prevented the phenotype in the Fabry mouse by reducing endothelial globotriaosylceramide storage.

Ionization and fragmentation of neutral and acidic glycosphingolipids with a Q-TOF mass spectrometer fitted with a MALDI ion source.

This paper reports the use of a quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer fitted with a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) ion source for the analysis of neutral and acidic glycosphingolipids. All compounds gave strong [M + Na]+ ions with 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid as the matrix, with no loss of sensitivity with increasing mass as was observed from the corresponding ions produced by electrospray. Neutral glycosphingolipids showed negligible in-source fragmentation but sialylated compounds fragmented by loss of sialic acid. However, these losses were not accompanied by unfocused post-source-decay ions as observed with MALDI-reflectron-TOF instruments. The MS/MS spectra were almost identical to those obtained by electrospray. Fragmentation of all compounds was mainly by glycosidic cleavage to give ions, both with and without the ceramide moiety, which defined the carbohydrate chain sequence. Weak ions which defined the sphingosine chain length and abundant ions, produced by loss of the acyl chain, were present when this chain contained a 2-hydroxy group. The technique was applied to the identification of ceramide-trihexosides present in tissues from mice genetically modified to model one of the glycolipid storage diseases (Fabry disease).

Inhibition of substrate synthesis as a strategy for glycolipid lysosomal storage disease therapy.

The glycosphingolipid (GSL) lysosomal storage diseases are caused by mutations in the genes encoding the glycohydrolases that catabolize GSLs within lysosomes. In these diseases the substrate for the defective enzyme accumulates in the lysosome and the stored GSL leads to cellular dysfunction and disease. The diseases frequently have a progressive neurodegenerative course. The therapeutic options for treating these diseases are relatively limited, and for the majority there are no effective therapies. The problem is further compounded by difficulties in delivering therapeutic agents to the brain. Most research effort to date has focused on strategies for augmenting enzyme levels to compensate for the underlying defect. These include bone marrow transplantation (BMT), enzyme replacement and gene therapy. An alternative strategy that we have been exploring is substrate deprivation. This approach aims to balance the rate of GSL synthesis with the impaired rate of GSL breakdown. The imino sugar N-butyldeoxynojirimycin (NB-DNJ) inhibits the first step in GSL biosynthesis and has been used to evaluate this approach. Studies in an asymptomatic mouse model of Tay-Sachs disease have shown that substrate deprivation prevents GSL storage in the CNS. In a severe neurodegenerative mouse model of Sandhoff disease, substrate deprivation delayed the onset of symptoms and disease progression and significantly increased life expectancy. Combining NB-DNJ and BMT was found to be synergistic in the Sandhoff mouse model. A clinical trial in type I Gaucher disease has been undertaken and has shown beneficial effects. Efficacy was demonstrated on the basis of significant decreases in liver and spleen volumes, gradual but significant improvement in haematological parameters and disease activity markers, together with diminished GSL biosynthesis and storage as determined by independent biochemical assays. Further trials in type I Gaucher disease are in progress; studies are planned in patients with GSL storage in the CNS.

Hyperthyroidism facilitates cardiac fatty acid oxidation through altered regulation of cardiac carnitine palmitoyltransferase: studies in vivo and with cardiac myocytes.

The aim was to establish whether increased cardiac fatty acid oxidation in hyperthyroidism is due to direct alterations in cardiac metabolism which favour fatty acid oxidation and/or whether normal regulatory links between changes in glucose supply and fatty acid oxidation are dysfunctional. Euthyroid rats were sampled in the absorptive state or after 48 h starvation. Rats were rendered hyperthyroid by injection of tri-iodothyronine (1000 microg/kg body wt. per day; 3 days). We evaluated the regulatory significance of direct effects of hyperthyroidism by measuring rates of palmitate oxidation in the absence or presence of glucose using cardiac myocytes. The results were examined in relation to the activity/regulatory characteristics of cardiac carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) estimated by measuring rates of [3H]palmitoylcarnitine formation from [3H]carnitine and palmitoyl-CoA by isolated mitochondria. To define the involvement of other hormones, we examined whether hyperthyroidism altered basal or agonist-stimulated cardiac cAMP concentrations in cardiac myocytes and whether the effects of hyperthyroidism could be reversed by 24 h exposure to insulin infused subcutaneously (2 i. u. per day; Alzet osmotic pumps). Rates of 14C-palmitate oxidation (to 14CO2) by cardiac myocytes were significantly increased (1.6 fold; P< 0.05) by hyperthyroidism, whereas the percentage suppression of palmitate oxidation by glucose was greatly diminished. Cardiac CPT activities in mitochondria from hyperthyroid rats were 2-fold higher and the susceptibility of cardiac CPT activity to inhibition by malonyl-CoA was decreased. These effects were not mimicked by 48 h starvation. The decreased susceptibility of cardiac CPT activities to malonyl-CoA inhibition in hyperthyroid rats was normalised by 24 h exposure to elevated insulin concentration. Acute insulin addition did not influence the response to glucose in cardiac myocytes from euthyroid or hyperthyroid rats and basal and agonist-stimulated cAMP concentrations were unaffected by hyperthyroidism in vivo. The data provide insight into possible mechanisms by which hyperthyroidism facilitates fatty acid oxidation by the myocardium, identifying changes in cardiac CPT activity and malonyl-CoA sensitivity that would be predicted to render cardiac fatty acid oxidation less sensitive to external factors influencing malonyl-CoA content, and thereby to favour fatty acid oxidation. The increased CPT activity observed in response to hyperthyroidism may be a consequence of an impaired action of insulin but occurs through a cAMP-independent mechanism.

Moderate protein restriction during pregnancy modifies the regulation of triacylglycerol turnover and leads to dysregulation of insulin's anti-lipolytic action.

Moderate protein restriction throughout pregnancy in the rat leads to relative hyperlipidaemia and blunted insulin responsiveness of lipid fuel supply, and impairs foetal growth. The present study examined the basis for these changes. Isocaloric 8% (vs 20%) protein diets were provided throughout pregnancy. Rats were sampled at 19-20 days of gestation. Protein restriction enhanced triacylglycerol (TAG) secretion rates (estimated using Triton WR 1339) 1.6-fold (P < 0.05) in the post-absorptive state. Insulin infusion (4.2 mU/kg per min) decreased plasma TAG concentrations by 33% (P < 0.05) and 48% (P < 0.05) in control (C) and protein-restricted (PR) pregnant groups, an effect associated with suppression of TAG secretion by 42% (P < 0.05) and 51% (P < 0.01) respectively, in the C and PR groups. Since TAG concentrations decline more rapidly, while TAG secretion is enhanced, TAG utilisation during hyperinsulinaemia is enhanced in the PR group. We evaluated whether these changes were associated with dysregulation of lipolysis using adipocytes from two abdominal depots (mesenteric and parametrial). Noradrenaline-stimulated glycerol release was enhanced in parametrial adipocytes (by 40%; P < 0.05) from PR pregnant rats. The anti-lipolytic action of insulin at low concentrations (< or = 15 microU/ml) was impaired by protein restriction (adipocytes from both depots). There was no evidence for altered intra-hepatic regulation of fatty acid (FA) disposal at the level of carnitine palmitoyltransferase. Our results demonstrate increased post-absorptive production of non-carbohydrate energy substrates (TAG and FA) as a consequence of mild protein restriction during pregnancy. These adaptations contribute to a homeostatic strategy to reduce the maternal requirement for gluconeogenesis from available amino acids, optimising the foetal protein supply. Protein restriction also enhances TAG turnover during hyperinsulinaemia. This effect is not a consequence of abnormal regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism by insulin.

Impact of protein restriction on the regulation of cardiac carnitine palmitoyltransferase by malonyl-CoA.

Using a rat model of isocaloric protein restriction (8 v 20% protein diet), the study tested the hypothesis that growth retardation in utero, induced by maternal protein malnutrition, influences cardiac carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) activity and regulation by malonyl-CoA in the newborn period, as well as in the offspring's adult life. The susceptibility of cardiac CPT to inhibition by malonyl-CoA was greater in adulthood than in hearts of 4-day-old neonatal rats, consistent with decreased expression of the L-CPT I isoform and increased expression of the M-CPT I isoform in adulthood. Maternal protein restriction during pregnancy resulted in reduced foetal growth and significantly (P < 0.05) lower rates of cardiac glucose utilization in vivo in the adult offspring, suggesting a switch to the use of substrates other than glucose. Maternal protein restriction did not affect CPT activity in hearts of 4-day-old neonatal offspring and, furthermore, the relative sensitivity of CPT activity to malonyl-CoA inhibition was unchanged by maternal protein restriction. It is therefore unlikely that maternal protein malnutrition has any major impact on cardiac mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in the offspring during early postnatal development through altered regulatory characteristics of CPT. Transfer of rats previously maintained on 8% protein diet to 20% protein diet at weaning did not influence age-dependent changes in cardiac CPT activity or increase the susceptibility of cardiac CPT to inhibition by malonyl-CoA. Cardiac CPT activities and the susceptibility of cardiac CPT activities to malonyl-CoA inhibition in adulthood did not differ significantly between rats maintained on 8 or 20% protein throughout. Palmitate oxidation was suppressed to a similar extent by glucose in cardiac myocytes from adult rats maintained on 20% protein diet or 8% protein diet throughout and from rats transferred from 8 to 20% protein diet at weaning. The results exclude cardiac CPT activity as a direct target for the metabolic programming of cardiac function and cardiovascular disease associated with early growth retardation.

Studies of the long-term regulation of hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase.

The administration of a low-carbohydrate/high-saturated-fat (LC/HF) diet for 28 days or starvation for 48 h both increased pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDHK) activity in extracts of rat hepatic mitochondria, by approx. 2.1-fold and 3.5-fold respectively. ELISAs of extracts of hepatic mitochondria, conducted over a range of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activities, revealed that mitochondrial immunoreactive PDHKII (the major PDHK isoform in rat liver) was significantly increased by approx. 1.4-fold after 28 days of LC/HF feeding and by approx. 2-fold after 48 h of starvation. The effect of LC/HF feeding to increase hepatic PDHK activity was retained through hepatocyte preparation, but was decreased on 21 h culture with insulin (100 micro-i.u./ml). A sustained (24 h) 2-4-fold elevation in plasma insulin concentration in vivo (achieved by insulin infusion via an osmotic pump) suppressed the effect of LC/HF feeding so that hepatic PDHK activities did not differ significantly from those of (insulin-infused) control rats. The increase in hepatic PDHK activity evoked by 28 days of LC/HF feeding was prevented and reversed (within 24 h) by the replacement of 7% of the dietary lipid with long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Analysis of hepatic membrane lipid revealed a 1.9-fold increase in the ratio of total polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids to total mono-unsaturated fatty acids. The results indicate that the increased hepatic PDHK activities observed in livers of LC/HF-fed or 48 h-starved rats are associated with long-term actions to increase hepatic PDHKII concentrations. The long-term regulation of hepatic PDHK by LC/HF feeding might be achieved through an impaired action of insulin to suppress PDHK activity. In addition, the fatty acid composition of the diet, rather than the fat content, is a key influence.

Molecular mechanisms underlying the long-term impact of dietary fat to increase cardiac pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase: regulation by insulin, cyclic AMP and pyruvate.

Previous studies have demonstrated that pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDHK) activity in extracts of rat cardiac mitochondria is increased @two-fold by providing a high-fat diet for 28 days. The present study sought to establish the factor(s) that might underlie the response of cardiac PDHK to the provision of a high-fat diet. ELISA assays of PDHKII, conducted over a range of PDHK activities, demonstrated that the increase in cardiac PDHK activity was not due to an increase in mitochondrial immunoreactive PDHKII concentration. The pyruvate concentration giving 50% active PDHC (PDHa) in mitochondria incubated with respiratory substrates was unaffected by high-fat feeding, demonstrating a dissociation between increased PDHK activity and altered sensitivity of PDHK to suppression by pyruvate. In cardiac myocytes cultured (25 h) with n-octanoate (1 mm) plus dibutyryl cAMP (50 microM), insulin at 12.5 microU/ml, 25 microU/ml and 75 microU/ml, suppressed PDHK activities in cells prepared from control rats, but insulin at concentrations <100 microU/ml failed to suppress PDHK activities in cardiac myocytes prepared from high-fat-fed rats. In vivo, cardiac insulin sensitivity (assessed by euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp in combination with 2-[3H] deoxyglucose administration) was suppressed after high-fat feeding. A sustained (24 h) two- to four-fold elevation in plasma insulin concentration (achieved by insulin infusion via osmotic pumps) did not affect PDHK activity in hearts of control rats. In contrast, PDHK activity in hearts of high-fat-fed rats was suppressed to values not significantly different from (insulin-infused) control rats. Basal and agonist-stimulated cAMP concentrations were unaffected by high-fat-feeding or insulin. Furthermore, rates of palmitate oxidation (to CO2) in cardiac myocytes (in the absence or presence of insulin or adrenergic agonists) were not statistically significantly affected by high-fat-feeding. The results indicate that an impaired action of insulin to suppress PDHK participates in the mechanism by which increased PDHK activity is achieved in response to high-fat feeding, but insulin does not act through decreasing cAMP concentrations or suppressing fatty acid oxidation.

Different mechanisms underlie the long-term regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDHK) by tri-iodothyronine in heart and liver.

Antibodies to purified recombinant PDHKII were used for ELISAs of PDHKII in mitochondrial extracts. In liver, hyperthyroidism elicited a 2.3-fold increase in PDHK activity (P < 0.01) which was accompanied by a significant 1.5-fold (P < 0.001) increase in the amount of mitochondrial immunoreactive PDHKII. In contrast, despite a stable 2.0-fold increase in cardiac PDHK activity (P < 0.001), the amount of mitochondrial immunoreactive PDHKII in heart was unaffected by hyperthyroidism. The mechanisms for long-term regulation of PDHK activity by thyroid hormones therefore differ fundamentally between heart and liver.

Pyruvate inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase. Effects of progressive starvation and hyperthyroidism in vivo, and of dibutyryl cyclic AMP and fatty acids in cultured cardiac myocytes.

Both prolonged starvation and hyperthyroidism evoke stable increases in cardiac pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDHK) activity. Pyruvate inhibits PDHK in rat heart mitochondria with activation of PDHC. The sensitivity of PDHK to inhibition by pyruvate declines after prolonged starvation. In the present study, pyruvate concentrations giving 50% active complex (PDHa) in mitochondria from fed, control and fed, hyperthyroid rats were 0.3 and 0.8 mM, respectively, compared with 1.0 and 2.8 mM, respectively in mitochondria from 24-h-starved and 48-h-starved rats. The results demonstrate that altered pyruvate sensitivity is not of necessity linked with altered PDHK activity. PDHK activities in mitochondria prepared from cardiac myocytes from fed rats were increased after culture for 24 h with dibutyryl cyclic AMP (50 microM) plus n-octanoate (1 mM), with a concomitant decline in sensitivity of PDHK to pyruvate inhibition, suggesting that changes in sensitivity of PDHK to pyruvate inhibition in vivo may be secondary to increased fatty acid supply and cyclic AMP concentrations.

Fasting and decreased B cell sensitivity: important role for fatty acid-induced inhibition of PDH activity.

Fasting inhibits glucose-induced insulin secretion. We investigated the role of a glucose fatty acid cycle for such inhibition and its molecular basis in pancreatic islets from 48-h fasted rats. The fasting-impaired insulin response to 27 mM glucose was restored by 41% with a carnitine palmitoyltransferase I inhibitor, etomoxir. Etomoxir also restored (by 50%) impaired glucose oxidation in islets from fasted rats and increased the ratio of oxidation to glycolytic flux from 33 to 43%. Fasting decreased total pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity (active, unphosphorylated plus inactive, phosphorylated form) by 29%, as well as the percentage of active form (54 +/- 5 vs. 79 +/- 2% in fed rats, P < 0.001). Fasting increased islet PDH kinase activity as follows: PDH-bound activity by 36% and free (not PDH bound) PDH kinase by 70%. Fasting failed to affect PDH kinase content when assayed by an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay with antibodies raised against 45 kDa PDH kinase alpha-chain. We conclude that fasting impairs B cell function to a major extent through the operation of a glucose fatty acid cycle and that decreased PDH activity resulting from increased specific activity of PDH kinase constitutes an important molecular mechanism.

Increased hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase activity in fed hyperthyroid rats: studies in vivo and with cultured hepatocytes.

Experimental hyperthyroidism induced by the administration of tri-iodothyronine (T3; 100 micrograms/100 g body wt; 3 days) increased plasma non-esterified fatty acids in the fed state in the rat. At the same time, hepatic PDH kinase responded with a persistent (1.6-fold) increase in activity. The exposure of hepatocytes from fed euthyroid rats to T3 (100 nM) in culture for 21 h increased PDH kinase activity to an extent comparable to that observed in vivo in response to hyperthyroidism. The in vitro increase in PDH kinase activity was suppressed by insulin (100 microU/ml) and by inhibition of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. The results demonstrate a direct hepatic action of T3 to increase PDH kinase activity, which is mediated by intramitochondrial fatty acyl-CoA or a product of beta-oxidation, and facilitated by hepatic insulin resistance.

Pretranslational regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex subunits in white adipose tissue during the suckling-weaning transition in the rat.

Total pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity is low in white adipose tissue during the suckling period and increases markedly at weaning on to a high-carbohydrate diet. This is concomitant with an increase in the E1 alpha, E1 beta and E2 subunit protein concentration and their respective mRNAs, suggesting a pretranslational control of this phenomenon. The most marked change is seen for the E1 alpha subunit (17-fold increase in protein concentration). The changes in pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity and subunit abundance induced by weaning on to a high-carbohydrate diet are precluded if the animals are weaned on to a high-fat diet, suggesting that the nutritional and/or related hormonal changes rather than a developmental stage are responsible for the observed adipose-tissue pyruvate dehydrogenase complex pattern.

Mechanisms modifying glucose oxidation in diabetes mellitus.

The Glucose Fatty Acid Cycle as formulated 30 years ago and reviewed in the Minkowski lecture in 1966 described short term effects of fatty acids (minutes) to decrease uptake, glycolysis and oxidation of glucose in heart and skeletal muscles. Such short term effects have since been extended to include inhibition of glucose uptake and glycolysis and stimulation of gluconeogenesis in liver and these effects have also been convincingly demonstrated in man in vivo. More recently a longer term effect of fatty acid metabolism to decrease glucose oxidation (hours) has been shown in heart and skeletal muscle and liver. This effect increases the specific activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, which in turn results in enhanced phosphorylation and inactivation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is the major determinant of glucose oxidation rate. It seems likely that longer term effects of fatty acids on this and other aspects of glucose metabolism could be important in the development of insulin resistance in diabetes mellitus in man.

Role of protein synthesis and of fatty acid metabolism in the longer-term regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase.

Antibodies were raised in rabbits to free rat liver pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) kinase alpha-chain and shown to react with PDH kinase alpha-chain in rat heart and liver PDH complexes, in purified pig heart PDH complex and in bovine kidney dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase-protein X-PDH kinase subcomplex. E.l.i.s.a for PDHE1 (pyruvate dehydrogenase) and PDH kinase have been developed and applied to assays of these proteins in extracts of rat liver and rat heart mitochondria; the measured immunoreactivities for PDHE1 (heart > liver) and for PDH kinase alpha-chain (liver > heart) paralleled known differences in PDH complex and PDH kinase activities respectively. The results of e.l.i.s.a of PDH kinase alpha-chain in extracts of rat liver mitochondria showed that the effects of starvation to increase PDH kinase activity in vivo, and the effects of dibutyryl cyclic AMP or palmitate to increase PDH kinase activity in hepatocytes cultured in vitro, are due largely (> 90%) to an increase in the specific activity of PDH kinase. The effect, in cultured hepatocytes, of dibutyryl cyclic AMP to increase PDH kinase activity was blocked by cycloheximide; the effect of palmitate was blocked by an inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (Etomoxir), but not by cycloheximide.

Glucose fatty acid interactions and the regulation of glucose disposal.

Glucose is essential for the energy metabolism of some cells and conservation of glucose is obligatory for survival during starvation. The principal site of this glucose conservation is the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex, which is regulated by reversible phosphorylation (phosphorylation is inactivating). In cells in which glucose oxidation is switched off during starvation, fatty acids are used as fuel, and acetyl CoA and NADH formed by beta-oxidation promote phosphorylation of PDH complex by activation of PDH kinase. A longer-term mechanism further increases PDH kinase activity in response to cAMP and products of beta-oxidation of fatty acids. Coordinated inhibition of glycolytic flux mediated by effects of citrate on PFK1 and PFK2 in muscles and liver results in an associated inhibition of glucose uptake. Similar mechanisms lead to impaired glucose oxidation in diabetes.

Purification and partial characterization of rat liver pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase activator protein (free pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase).

Rat liver pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) kinase activator protein (KAP), a free PDH kinase readily separable from PDH complex and its intrinsic kinase, has been purified to apparent homogeneity from liver mitochondria of fed and 48-h starved rats. On SDS-PAGE an apparently single band of M(r) 45 kDa was obtained. N-Terminal amino acid sequence analyses (8-10 cycles) confirmed the presence of a single peptide in each case. The specific activity of the purified KAP from 48-h starved rats (14,413 U/mg protein) was 4.5-fold greater than that from fed rats.