scholarly journals Production and utilization of acetate in mammals

1974 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 401-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spencer E. Knowles ◽  
Ivan G. Jarrett ◽  
Owen H. Filsell ◽  
F. John Ballard

1. In an attempt to define the importance of acetate as a metabolic precursor, the activities of acetyl-CoA synthetase (EC 6.2.1.1) and acetyl-CoA hydrolase (Ec 3.1.2.1) were assayed in tissues from rats and sheep. In addition, the concentrations of acetate in blood and liver were measured, as well as the rates of acetate production by tissue slices and mitochondrial fractions of these tissues. 2. Acetyl-CoA synthetase occurs at high activities in heart and kidney cortex of both species as well as in rat liver and the sheep masseter muscle. The enzyme is mostly in the cytosol fraction of liver, whereas it is associated with the mitochondrial fraction in heart tissue. Both mitochondrial and cytosol activities have a Km for acetate of 0.3mm. Acetyl-CoA synthetase activity in liver was not altered by changes in diet, age or alloxan-diabetes. 3. Acetyl-CoA hydrolase is widely distributed in rat and sheep tissues, the highest activity being found in liver. Essentially all of the activity in liver and heart is localized in the mitochondrial fraction. Hepatic acetyl-CoA hydrolase activity is increased by starvation in rats and sheep and during the suckling period in young rats. 4. The concentrations of acetate in blood are decreased by starvation and increased by alloxan-diabetes in both species. The uptake of acetate by the sheep hind limb is proportional to the arterial concentration of acetate, except in alloxan-treated animals, where uptake is impaired. 5. Acetate is produced by liver and heart slices and also by heart mitochondrial fractions that are incubated with either pyruvate or palmitoyl-(—)-carnitine. Liver mitochondrial fractions do not form acetate from either substrate but instead convert acetate into acetoacetate. 6. We propose that acetate in the blood of rats or starved sheep is derived from the hydrolysis of acetyl-CoA. Release of acetate from tissues would occur under conditions when the function of the tricarboxylic acid cycle is restricted, so that the circulating acetate serves to redistribute oxidizable substrate throughout the body. This function is analogous to that served by ketone bodies.

1972 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Snoswell ◽  
Patricia P. Koundakjian

1. The total acid-soluble carnitine concentrations of four tissues from Merino sheep showed a wide variation not reported for other species. The concentrations were 134, 538, 3510 and 12900nmol/g wet wt. for liver, kidney cortex, heart and skeletal muscle (M. biceps femoris) respectively. 2. The concentration of acetyl-CoA was approximately equal to the concentration of free CoA in all four tissues and the concentration of acid-soluble CoA (free CoA plus acetyl-CoA) decreased in the order liver>kidney cortex>heart>skeletal muscle. 3. The total amount of acid-soluble carnitine in skeletal muscle of lambs was 40% of that in the adult sheep, whereas the concentration of acid-soluble CoA was 2.5 times as much. A similar inverse relationship between carnitine and CoA concentrations was observed when different muscles in the adult sheep were compared. 4. Carnitine was confined to the cytosol in all four tissues examined, whereas CoA was equally distributed between the mitochondria and cytosol in liver, approx. 25% was present in the cytosol in kidney cortex and virtually none in this fraction in heart and skeletal muscle. 5. Carnitine acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.7) was confined to the mitochondria in all four tissues and at least 90% of the activity was latent. 6. Acetate thiokinase (EC 6.2.1.1) was predominantly (90%) present in the cytosol in liver, but less than 10% was present in this fraction in heart and skeletal muscle. 7. In alloxan-diabetes, the concentration of acetylcarnitine was increased in all four tissues examined, but the total acid-soluble carnitine concentration was increased sevenfold in the liver and twofold in kidney cortex. 8. The concentration of acetyl-CoA was approximately equal to that of free CoA in the four tissues of the alloxan diabetic sheep, but the concentration of acid-soluble CoA in liver increased approximately twofold in alloxan-diabetes. 9. The relationship between CoA and carnitine and the role of carnitine acetyltransferase in the various tissues is discussed. The quantitative importance of carnitine in ruminant metabolism is also emphasized.


1986 ◽  
Vol 239 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Newsholme ◽  
R Curi ◽  
S Gordon ◽  
E A Newsholme

Maximum activities of some key enzymes of metabolism were studied in elicited (inflammatory) macrophages of the mouse and lymph-node lymphocytes of the rat. The activity of hexokinase in the macrophage is very high, as high as that in any other major tissue of the body, and higher than that of phosphorylase or 6-phosphofructokinase, suggesting that glucose is a more important fuel than glycogen and that the pentose phosphate pathway is also important in these cells. The latter suggestion is supported by the high activities of both glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. However, the rate of glucose utilization by ‘resting’ macrophages incubated in vitro is less than the 10% of the activity of 6-phosphofructokinase: this suggests that the rate of glycolysis is increased dramatically during phagocytosis or increased secretory activity. The macrophages possess higher activities of citrate synthase and oxoglutarate dehydrogenase than do lymphocytes, suggesting that the tricarboxylic acid cycle may be important in energy generation in these cells. The activity of 3-oxoacid CoA-transferase is higher in the macrophage, but that of 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase is very much lower than those in the lymphocytes. The activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase is higher in macrophages, suggesting that fatty acids as well as acetoacetate could provide acetyl-CoA as substrate for the tricarboxylic acid cycle. No detectable rate of acetoacetate or 3-hydroxybutyrate utilization was observed during incubation of resting macrophages, but that of oleate was 1.0 nmol/h per mg of protein or about 2.2% of the activity of palmitoyltransferase. The activity of glutaminase is about 4-fold higher in macrophages than in lymphocytes, which suggests that the rate of glutamine utilization could be very high. The rate of utilization of glutamine by resting incubated macrophages was similar to that reported for rat lymphocytes, but was considerably lower than the activity of glutaminase.


1977 ◽  
Vol 168 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
C A Landa ◽  
H J F Maccioni ◽  
A Arce ◽  
R Caputto

Brain subcellular fractions were analysed for ganglioside-sialylating activity by measuring the incorporation of N-[3H]acetylneuraminic acid from CMP-N-[3H]acetylneuraminic acid into endogenous ganglioside acceptors (endogenous incorporation) and into exogenous lactosyceramide (haematoside synthetase activity). The ratios of endogenous incorporation to gangliosides and of haematoside synthetase to gangliosides for the synaptosomal and mitochondrial fractions from a washed crude mitochondrial fraction were lower than those obtained for other membrane fractions. The differences appear to reflect intrinsic characteristics of each membrane fraction. The results of labelling in vitro and the time course of labelling of gangliosides of the different subcellular fractions in vivo after injection of N-[3H]acetylmannosamine are consistent with the possibility of a subcellular site for synthesis of gangliosides different from that of ganglioside deposition.


1990 ◽  
Vol 265 (2) ◽  
pp. 569-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Norsten ◽  
T Cronholm

Acetate, 3-hydroxybutyrate, pyruvate, lactate, citrate, 2-oxoglutarate, succinate, fumarate and malate were analysed in rat bile by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of their O-melthyloxime-t-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives. The concentration of acetate increased to about 1.8 mmol/l after administration of [2,2,2-2H3]ethanol. Acetate was formed from ethanol to an extent of about 82% and retained all of the 2H at C-2, whereas 15% of the 2H had been lost in the tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and 24% in 3-hydroxybutyrate. Thus the exchange of 2H for 1H takes place after formation of acetyl CoA. For citrate and 3-hydroxybutyrate, 41% and 11% respectively was formed from [2,2,2-2H3]ethanol. These results indicate that different pools of acetyl CoA are used for the synthesis of ketone bodies and citrate, with the latter being derived from ethanol to a much larger extent. Smaller fractions of 2-oxoglutarate (16%) and succinate (5%) were derived from [2,2,2--2H3]ethanol, indicating significant contributions from amino acids.


1978 ◽  
Vol 171 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
A M Snoswell ◽  
P K Tubbs

The breakdown of acetylcarnitine catalysed by extracts of rat and sheep liver was completely abolished by Sephadex G-25 gel filtration, whereas the hydrolysis of acetyl-CoA was unaffected. Acetyl-CoA and CoA acted catalytically in restoring the ability of Sephadex-treated extracts to break down acetylcarnitine, which was therefore not due to an acetylcarnitine hydrolase but to the sequential action of carnitine acetyltransferase and acetyl-CoA hydrolase. Some 75% of the acetyl-CoA hydrolase activity of sheep liver was localized in the mitochondrial fraction. Two distinct acetyl-CoA hydrolases were partially purified from extracts of sheep liver mitochondria. Both enzymes hydrolysed other short-chain acyl-CoA compounds and succinyl-CoA (3-carboxypropionyl-CoA), but with one acetyl-CoA was the preferred substrate.


1976 ◽  
Vol 154 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
J C. K. Lai ◽  
J B. Clark

A method has been developed whereby a fraction of rat brain mitochondria (synaptic mitochondria) was isolated from synaptosomes. This brain mitochondrial fraction was compared with the fraction of “free” brain mitochondria (non-synaptic) isolated by the method of Clark & Nicklas (1970). (J. Biol. Chem. 245, 4724-4731). Both mitochondrial fractions are shown to be relatively pure, metabolically active and well coupled. 2. The oxidation of a number of substrates by synaptic and non-synaptic mitochondria was studied and compared. Of the substrates studied, pyruvate plus malate was oxidized most rapidly by both mitochondrial populations. However, the non-synaptic mitochondria oxidized glutamate plus malate almost twice as rapidly as the synaptic mitochondria. 3. The activities of certain tricarboxylic acid-cycle and related enzymes in synaptic and non-synaptic mitochondria were determined. Citrate synthase (EC 4.1.3.7), isocitrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.41) and malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37) activities were similar in both fractions, but pyruvate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.4.1) activity in non-synaptic mitochondria was higher than in synaptic mitochondria and glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.3) activity in non-synaptic mitochondria was lower than that in synaptic mitochondria. 4. Comparison of synaptic and non-synaptic mitochondria by rate-zonal separation confirmed the distinct identity of the two mitochondrial populations. The non-synaptic mitochondria had higher buoyant density and evidence was obtained to suggest that the synaptic mitochondria might be heterogeneous. 5. The results are also discussed in the light of the suggested connection between the heterogeneity of brain mitochondria and metabolic compartmentation.


Microbiology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 151 (11) ◽  
pp. 3793-3801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent J. Starai ◽  
Jane Garrity ◽  
Jorge C. Escalante-Semerena

This report shows that Salmonella enterica catabolizes ethanolamine to acetyl-CoA (Ac-CoA), which enters the glyoxylate bypass and tricarboxylic acid cycle for the generation of energy and central metabolites. During growth on ethanolamine, S. enterica excreted acetate, whose recapture depended on Ac-CoA synthetase (Acs) and the housekeeping phosphotransacetylase (Pta) enzyme activities. The Pta enzyme did not play a role in acetate excretion during growth of S. enterica on ethanolamine. It is proposed that during growth on ethanolamine, acetate excretion is necessary to maintain a pool of free CoA. Acetate excretion requires the eut operon-encoded phosphotransacetylase (EutD) and acetate kinase (Ack) enzymes. EutD function was not required for growth on ethanolamine, and an eutD strain showed only a slight reduction in growth rate. The existence of an as-yet-unidentified system that releases acetate was revealed during growth of a strain lacking Acs, the housekeeping phosphotransacetylase (Pta), and EutD. The functions of pyruvate oxidase (PoxB), Ack and STM3118 protein [a homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ac-CoA hydrolase (Ach1p) enzyme] were not involved in the release of acetate by the acs pta eutD strain.


1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (4) ◽  
pp. E788-E799 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. M. Jeffrey ◽  
C. J. Storey ◽  
A. D. Sherry ◽  
C. R. Malloy

A previous model using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance isotopomer analysis provided for direct measurement of the oxidation of 13C-enriched substrates in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and/or their entry via anaplerotic pathways. This model did not allow for recycling of labeled metabolites from tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates into the acetyl-CoA pool. An extension of this model is now presented that incorporates carbon flow from oxaloacetate or malate to acetyl-CoA. This model was examined using propionate metabolism in the heart, in which previous observations indicated that all of the propionate consumed was oxidized to CO2 and water. Application of the new isotopomer model shows that 2 mM [3-13C]propionate entered the tricarboxylic acid cycle as succinyl-CoA (an anaplerotic pathway) at a rate equal to 52% of tricarboxylic acid cycle turnover and that all of this carbon entered the acetyl-CoA pool and was oxidized. This was verified using standard biochemical analysis; from the rate (mumol.min-1.g dry wt-1) of propionate uptake (4.0 +/- 0.7), the estimated oxygen consumption (24.8 +/- 5) matched that experimentally determined (24.4 +/- 3).


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