Acyl group and electron pair relay system: A network of interacting lipoyl moieties in the pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes from Escherichia coli

The dihydrolipoyl transacetylase component of the Escherichia coli pyruvate dehydrogenase complex [pyruvate:lipoate oxidoreductase (decarboxylating and acceptor-acetylating), EC 1.2.4.1] bears two sites on each of its 24 polypeptide chains that undergo reductive acetylation by [2-(14)C]pyruvate and thiamin pyrophosphate, acetylation by [1-(14)C]acetyl-CoA in the presence of DPNH, and reaction with N-ethyl[2,3-(14)C]maleimide in the presence of pyruvate and thiamin pyrophosphate. The data strongly imply that these sites are covalently bound lipoyl moieties. The results of similar experiments with the E. coli alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex [2-oxoglutarate:lipoate oxidoreductase (decarboxylating and acceptor-succinylating), EC 1.2.4.2] indicate that its dihydrolipoyl transsuccinylase component bears only one lipoyl moiety on each of its 24 chains. Charging of the 48 acetyl acceptor sites on the transacetylase or the 24 succinyl acceptor sites on the transsuccinylase by pyruvate or alpha-ketoglutarate, respectively, and thiamin pyrophosphate was observed in the presence of only a few functionally active pyruvate dehydrogenase or alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase chains. Extensive crosslinking of the transacetylase chains was observed when the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex was treated with pyruvate and thiamin pyrophosphate or with DPNH in the presence of N,N'-o- or N,N'-p-phenylenedimaleimide, respectively. When the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex was treated with DPNH in the presence of N,N'-p-phenylenedimaleimide, only transsuccinylase monomers and crosslinked transsuccinylase dimers were detected. It appears that the 48 lipoyl moieties in the transacetylase and the 24 lipoyl moieties in the transsuccinylase comprise an interacting network that functions as an acyl group and electron pair relay system through thiol-disulfide and acyl-transfer reactions among all of the lipoyl moieties.     

Purification and characterization of branched chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase complex of bovine kidney

A branched chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase-dihydrolipoyl transacylase complex was purified to apparent homogeneity from bovine kidney mitochondria. As usually isolated, the complex (s(20,w) = 40 S) contained little, if any, dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase. When saturated with the latter enzyme the complex had a specific activity of about 12 mumol of alpha-ketoisovalerate oxidized per min per mg of protein at 30 degrees with NAD(+) as electron acceptor. In addition to alpha-ketoisovalerate, the complex also oxidized alpha-ketoisocaproate, alpha-keto-beta-methylvalerate, alpha-ketobutyrate, and pyruvate. The ratios of the specific activities were 2.0:1.5:1.0:1.0:0.4, and the apparent K(m) values were 40, 50, 37, 56, and 1000 muM. The complex was separated into its component enzymes. The branched chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase (6 S) consists of two different subunits with estimated molecular weights of 46,000 and 35,000. The dihydrolipoyl transacylase (20 S) contains apparently identical subunits of molecular weight about 52,000. In the electron microscope, the transacylase has the appearance of a cube, and the molecules of branched chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase appear to be distributed on the surface of the cube. In contrast to the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of bovine kidney, the branched chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase complex apparently is not regulated by phosphorylation-dephosphorylation. Its activity, however, is subject to modulation by end-product inhibition.     

Subunit structure of dihydrolipoyl transacetylase component of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from Escherichia coli

Limited tryptic digestion of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of Escherichia coli or its dihydrolipoyl transacetylase core cleaves the trypsin-sensitive transacetylase subunits into two large fragments, A (lipoyl domain) and D (subunit binding domain). Release of fragments A from the complex does not significantly affect its sedimentation coefficient or its appearance in the electron microscope. Fragment A contains the lipoyl moieties ((3)H-labeled), is acidic with an apparent isoelectric point of about 4.0, has a M(r) of 31,600 as determined by sedimentation equilibrium analysis, and has a swollen or extended structure (f/f(o) = 1.78). Fragment A exhibits anomalous properties, probably due to its acidic nature. It is resistant to staining with Coomassie blue and it migrates on sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gels as if it had a M(r) of 46,000-48,000. Further tryptic digestion converts fragment A into a lipoyl-containing fragment of M(r) 20,000 (fragment B) and eventually into an apparently stable product of estimated M(r) about 10,000 (fragment C). Fragment D has a compact structure of M(r) about 29,600 as determined by sedimentation equilibrium analysis in 6 M guanidinium chloride, and it possesses the intersubunit binding sites of the transacetylase, the binding sites for pyruvate dehydrogenase and dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase, and the catalytic site for transacetylation. The assemblage of fragments D is responsible for the cube-like appearance of the transacetylase in the electron microscope. High-resolution electron micrographs of the transacetylase show fiber-like extensions, apparently corresponding to tryptic fragment A, surrounding the cube-like core.     

Subunit stoichiometry and molecular weight of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex from Escherichia coli.

The molar ratio of the component enzymes of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex from Escherichia coli was found to be 1.8:1.7:1[pyruvate decarboxylase (E1):dihydrolipoyl transacetylase (E2):dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (E3)]. This ratio was determined by measuring the Coomassie blue staining of the constituent enzymes after sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis. The above ratio is the average of four separate experiments with two different enzyme preparations. The average molecular weights of the individual enzymes were found to be 96,000, 76,000, and 55,000 for E1, E2, and E3, respectively, by sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium dodecyl sulfate/8 M urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by column chromatography in 6 M guanidine . HCl. The molecular weight of E2 was reduced to 33,000-36,000 after extensive reduction and alkylation with iodoacetamide. The molecular weights of the complex, E1, and E3 were found to be 4,800,000, 182,000, and 104,000, respectively, with low-angle laser light scattering. Both E1 and E3 are dimeric under the conditions employed. If octahedral symmetry is assumed for the E2 core, a polypeptide chain ratio of 24:24:12 (E1:E2:E3) is in good agreement with the measured molar ratio of component enzymes and the molecular weight of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.     

Fatal lactic acidosis due to deficiency of E1 component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

Summary Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency is thought to be a common cause of lactic acidosis. We report a patient with lactic acidosis and intermittent weakness. The rate of oxidation of pyruvate by intact skeletal muscle and liver mitochondrial fractions was impaired and pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) activity was low. The amounts of immunoreactive dihydrolipoyl transacetylase and dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase in liver and skeletal muscle mitochondrial fractions from the patient were normal. However, there were markedly lower concentrations of both the and subunits of the E1 component of PDC.     

Mechanism of action of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex from Escherichia coli

The extent of cooperativity among the polypeptide chain components in the overall reaction catalyzed by the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex from Escherichia coli has been studied. Selective inactivation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase component with thiamin thiazolone pyrophosphate demonstrates that no cooperativity between this component and the overall catalytic reaction occurs: the amount of overall complex activity is directly proportional to the fraction of active pyruvate dehydrogenase component. The transacetylase component has two lipoic acid residues on each of its polypeptide chains that can be modified by N-[(3)H]ethylmaleimide in the presence of pyruvate and thiamin pyrophosphate. The kinetics of the loss of overall complex activity due to modification of the lipoyl residues on the transacetylase component by maleimide reagents shows that not all lipoic acids are coupled into the overall catalytic reaction and that acyl-group and electron pair transfer involving two or more lipoic acids per catalytic cycle must occur. Finally, full complex activity is found when only half the normal flavin content is present. The results indicate that extensive communication among lipoic acids in acyl-group and electron pair transfer must exist in the normal catalytic mechanism. These results are consistent with the average distances between catalytic sites measured by energy transfer experiments.     

Principles of quasi-equivalence and Euclidean geometry govern the assembly of cubic and dodecahedral cores of pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes

The pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex (M_r of 5–10 million) is assembled around a structural core formed of multiple copies of dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase (E2p), which exhibits the shape of either a cube or a dodecahedron, depending on the source. The crystal structures of the 60-meric dihydrolipoyl acyltransferase cores of Bacillus stearothermophilus and Enterococcus faecalis pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes were determined and revealed a remarkably hollow dodecahedron with an outer diameter of ≈237 Å, 12 large openings of ≈52 Å diameter across the fivefold axes, and an inner cavity with a diameter of ≈118 Å. Comparison of cubic and dodecahedral E2p assemblies shows that combining the principles of quasi-equivalence formulated by Caspar and Klug [Caspar, D. L. & Klug, A. (1962) Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 27, 1–4] with strict Euclidean geometric considerations results in predictions of the major features of the E2p dodecahedron matching the observed features almost exactly.     

Molecular Structure of the Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex from Escherichia coli K-12

The pyruvate dehydrogenase core complex from E. coli K-12, defined as the multienzyme complex that can be obtained with a unique polypeptide chain composition, has a molecular weight of 3.75 x 10(6). All results obtained agree with the following numerology. The core complex consists of 48 polypeptide chains. There are 16 chains (molecular weight = 100,000) of the pyruvate dehydrogenase component, 16 chains (molecular weight = 80,000) of the dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase component, and 16 chains (molecular weight = 56,000) of the dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase component. Usually, but not always, pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is produced in vivo containing at least 2-3 mol more of dimers of the pyruvate dehydrogenase component than the stoichiometric ratio with respect to the core complex. This "excess" component is bound differently than are the eight dimers in the core complex.     

The effect of insulin on pyruvate dehydrogenase interconversion in heart muscle of alloxan-diabetic rats

Summary Evidence is presented for regulation by insulin of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) interconversion in rat heart muscle in vivo and in vitro. In the alloxan diabetic rat the active (dephospho) enzyme amounted only to 12% of total PDH and was restored to 42% by insulin. Antilipolytic treatment of the diabetic animals was ineffective, indicating that the action of insulin was independent of a lowering of plasma non-esterified fatty acid concentration. On perfusion of isolated hearts from diabetic rats in the presence of glucose the proportion of pyruvate dehydrogenase in the active form remained low but was fully restored upon addition of insulin (2 mU/ml) to the medium. No effect of insulin was obtained in the absence of glucose. The correlation between the rate of pyruvate decarboxylation in the perfused heart and of pyruvate dehydrogenase activity, in vitro, suggests that in the diabetic heart the entry of pyruvate into the citric acid cycle is largely controlled by covalent modification of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex rather than by feedback inhibition. The possible role of insulin therein is discussed.     

Antimitochondrial antibodies in primary biliary cirrhosis recognize both specific peptides and shared epitopes of the M2 family of antigens

Sera from patients with primary biliary cirrhosis exhibit variable autoantibody reactivity against mitochondria, the commonest antigen (designated M2) including three structures of approximate M.W. 70, 50 and 40 kD. The nature of these antigens has only recently been established; the 70 and 50 kD are the transacetylase E2 and component X, respectively, of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and are distinct polypeptides. We have demonstrated, by immunoblotting, elution and rebinding of antibodies, unequivocal cross-reactivity between the major bands of the M2 antigen. In addition, cross-reactivity has been shown between antibodies binding to each of the three M2 bands of mitochondria and two major antigenic bands of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Conversely, antibodies eluted from these two bands of Escherichia coli were found to bind all three M2 bands of mitochondria. These results suggest that the antibodies of primary biliary cirrhosis contain both peptide-specific and cross-reacting antibodies, the latter recognizing a common "M2 epitope" that might include nonprotein components of the peptides. However, direct and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays failed to implicate the coenzyme of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, lipoic acid or its amide, as the common antigenic moiety.     

Fructose load test—anin vivo screening test designed to assess pyruvate dehydrogenase activity and interconversion

Anin vivo screening test is described, which is designed to assess the activity and interconversion of the human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Oral fructose was administered to six healthy subjects following (a) an overnight fast and (b) an oral glucose load. The rise in blood pyruvate and lactate levels following fructose was almost twice as great in the fasted state compared to the fed (post-glucose) state. It is proposed that this difference is due to the conversion of pyruvate dehydrogenase to its active form, following feeding.     

Activation of the plant plasma membrane H+-ATPase by phosphorylation and binding of 14-3-3 proteins converts a dimer into a hexamer

Plant plasma membrane H+-ATPases (PMAs) can be activated by phosphorylation of their penultimate residue (a Thr) and the subsequent binding of regulatory 14-3-3 proteins. Although 14-3-3 proteins usually exist as dimers and can bind two targets, the in vivo effects of their binding on the quaternary structure of H+-ATPases have never been examined. To address this question, we used a Nicotiana tabacum cell line expressing the Nicotiana plumbaginifolia PMA2 isoform with a 6-His tag. The purified PMA2 was mainly nonphosphorylated and 14-3-3-free, and it was shown by blue native gel electrophoresis and chemical cross-linking to exist as a dimer. Fusicoccin treatment of the cells resulted in a dramatic increase in Thr phosphorylation, 14-3-3 binding, and in vivo and in vitro ATPase activity, as well as in the conversion of the dimer into a larger, possibly hexameric, complex. PMA2 phosphorylation and 14-3-3 binding were observed also when cells in stationary growth phase were metabolically activated by transfer to fresh medium. When expressed in yeast, PMA2 was also phosphorylated and formed a complex with 14-3-3 proteins without requiring fusicoccin; no complex was observed when phosphorylation was prevented by mutagenesis. Single-particle analysis by cryoelectron microscopy showed that the PMA2-14-3-3 complex is a wheel-like structure with a 6-fold symmetry, suggesting that the activated complex consists of six H+-ATPase molecules and six 14-3-3 molecules.     

Inhibition of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity by a distinct population of autoantibodies recognizing dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase in primary biliary cirrhosis

Sera from patients with primary biliary cirrhosis contain autoantibodies that recognize mitochondrial proteins. Five of the target autoantigens have now been identified as enzymes of three related multienzyme complexes: the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, the branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex and the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. Each complex consists of component enzymes designated E1, E2 and E3. In this report, we confirm that primary biliary cirrhosis sera react with dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase, the E2 component of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. Seventy-three of 188 (39%) primary biliary cirrhosis sera reacted with alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex-E2 when immunoblotted against purified alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex; one of these sera also reacted with the E1 component. In addition, primary biliary cirrhosis sera possessing alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex-E2 reactivity specifically inhibited enzyme function of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. Enzyme activity was not affected by primary biliary cirrhosis sera that contained autoantibodies to pyruvate dehydrogenase complex-E2 and/or branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex-E2, which lacked alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex-E2 reactivity. Furthermore, affinity-purified primary biliary cirrhosis sera against alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex-E2 inhibited only alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex activity but did not alter enzyme activity of either pyruvate dehydrogenase complex or branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. Finally, alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex-E2 specific affinity-purified antisera did not react on immunoblot with any component enzymes of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex or branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

α-KETO ACID DEHYDROGENASE COMPLEXES, X. REGULATION OF THE ACTIVITY OF THE PYRUVATE DEHYDROGENASE COMPLEX FROM BEEF KIDNEY MITOCHONDRIA BY PHOSPHORYLATION AND DEPHOSPHORYLATION

This paper reports the discovery that the activity of the multienzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from beef kidney mitochondria is regulated by a phosphorylation-dephosphorylation reaction sequence. The site of this regulation is the pyruvate dehydrogenase component of the complex. Phosphorylation and concomitant inactivation of pyruvate dehydrogenase are catalyzed by an ATP-specific kinase (i.e., a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase), and dephosphorylation and concomitant reactivation are catalyzed by a phosphatase (i.e., a pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase). The kinase and the phosphatase appear to be regulatory subunits of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.     

Investigation of enzyme defects in children with lactic acidosis

Summary Screening for enzyme deficiencies was carried out in cultured skin fibroblasts and leukocytes of 19 patients with lactic acidosis and neurological problems. Pyruvate carboxylase deficiency was demonstrated in three cases. Reduced pyruvate oxidation was found in seven cultures; six showed no significant stimulation of the oxidation rate by methylene blue and in three a decreased pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity was confirmed. Methylene blue restored a near normal oxidation rate in the seventh culture which had decreased cytochromec oxidase activity.     

The remarkable structural and functional organization of the eukaryotic pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes

The three-dimensional reconstruction of the bovine kidney pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (M(r) approximately 7.8 x 10(6)) comprising about 22 molecules of pyruvate dehydrogenase (E(1)) and about 6 molecules of dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E(3)) with its binding protein associated with the 60-subunit dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E(2)) core provides considerable insight into the structural and functional organization of the largest multienzyme complex known. The structure shows that potentially 60 centers for acetyl-CoA synthesis are organized in sets of three at each of the 20 vertices of the pentagonal dodecahedral core. These centers consist of three E(1) molecules bound to one E(2) trimer adjacent to an E(3) molecule in each of 12 pentagonal openings. The E(1) components are anchored to the E(1)-binding domain of the E(2) subunits through an approximately 50-A-long linker. Three of these linkers emanate from the outside edges of the triangular base of the E(2) trimer and form a cage around its base that may shelter the lipoyl domains and the E(1) and E(2) active sites. The docking of the atomic structures of E(1) and the E(1) binding and lipoyl domains of E(2) in the electron microscopy map gives a good fit and indicates that the E(1) active site is approximately 95 A above the base of the trimer. We propose that the lipoyl domains and its tether (swinging arm) rotate about the E(1)-binding domain of E(2,) which is centrally located 45-50 A from the E(1), E(2), and E(3) active sites, and that the highly flexible breathing core augments the transfer of intermediates between active sites.     

Regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase activity by protein thiol-disulfide exchange.

Endogenous kinase activity of highly purified pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from bovine kidney is markedly inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide and by certain disulfides. Inhibition by disulfides is highly specific and is reversed by thiols. 5,5'-Dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate) is the most potent inhibitor, showing significant inhibition at a concentration as low as 1 microM. Cystamine, oxidized glutathione, pantethine, lipoic acid, lipoamide, ergothionine, insulin, oxytocin, and vasopressin were ineffective. Hydrogen peroxide and t-butyl hydroperoxide were inactive. The data indicate pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (EC 2.7.1.99) contains a thiol group (or groups) that is involved in maintaining a conformation of the enzyme that facilitates phosphorylation and inactivation of its protein substrate, pyruvate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.4.1). These findings suggest that modulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase activity by thiol-disulfide exchange may be an important physiological mechanism for regulation of kinase activity and, hence, activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.     

Method for isolation of auxotrophs in the methanogenic archaebacteria: role of the acetyl-CoA pathway of autotrophic CO2 fixation in Methanococcus maripaludis

A procedure was developed for the enrichment of auxotrophs in the antibiotic-insensitive archaebacterium Methanococcus. After mutagenesis with ethyl methanesulfonate, growing cells were selectively killed upon exposure to the base analogs 6-azauracil and 8-azahypoxanthine for 48 hr. Using this method, eight independent acetate autotrophs of Methanococcus maripaludis were isolated. Six of the auxotrophs had an absolute growth requirement for acetate and contained 1-16% of the wild-type levels of CO dehydrogenase. Three of these six also contained 14-29% of the wild-type levels of pyruvate oxidoreductase and 12-30% of the wild-type levels of pyruvate synthase. Two spontaneous revertants of these latter auxotrophs regained the ability to grow normally in the absence of acetate and wild-type levels of CO dehydrogenase, acetyl-CoA synthase, pyruvate oxidoreductase, and pyruvate synthase. Likewise, a spontaneous revertant of an auxotroph with reduced levels of CO dehydrogenase and wild-type levels of pyruvate oxidoreductase regained the ability to grow normally in the absence of acetate and wild-type levels of CO dehydrogenase and acetyl-CoA synthase. Two additional auxotrophs grew poorly in the absence of acetate but contained wild-type levels of CO dehydrogenase and pyruvate oxidoreductase. These results provide direct genetic evidence for the Ljungdahl-Wood pathway [Ljungdahl, L. G. (1986) Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 40, 415-450; Wood, H. G., Ragsdale, S. W. & Pezacka, E. (1986) Trends Biochem. Sci. 11, 14-18] of autotrophic acetyl-CoA biosynthesis in the methanogenic archaebacteria. Moreover, it suggests that the acetyl-CoA and pyruvate synthases may share a common protein or coenzyme component, be linked genetically, or be regulated by a common system.     

The sites and topology of mitochondrial superoxide production

Mitochondrial superoxide production is an important source of reactive oxygen species in cells, and may cause or contribute to ageing and the diseases of ageing. Seven major sites of superoxide production in mammalian mitochondria are known and widely accepted. In descending order of maximum capacity they are the ubiquinone-binding sites in complex I (site IQ) and complex III (site IIIQo), glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, the flavin in complex I (site IF), the electron transferring flavoprotein:Q oxidoreductase (ETFQOR) of fatty acid beta-oxidation, and pyruvate and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenases. None of these sites is fully characterized and for some we only have sketchy information. The topology of the sites is important because it determines whether or not a site will produce superoxide in the mitochondrial matrix and be able to damage mitochondrial DNA. All sites produce superoxide in the matrix; site IIIQo and glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase also produce superoxide to the intermembrane space. The relative contribution of each site to mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation in the absence of electron transport inhibitors is unknown in isolated mitochondria, in cells or in vivo, and may vary considerably with species, tissue, substrate, energy demand and oxygen tension.