Reconstitution of the Escherichia coli pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.

The binding of pyruvate dehydrogenase and dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (flavoprotein) to dihydrolipoyl transacetylase, the core enzyme of the E. coli pyruvate dehydrogenase complex [EC 1.2.4.1:pyruvate:lipoate oxidoreductase (decaryboxylating and acceptor-acetylating)], has been studied using sedimentation equilibrium analysis and radioactive enzymes in conjunction with gel filtration chromatography. The results show that the transacetylase, which consists of 24 apparently identical polypeptide chains organized into a cube-like structure, has the potential to bind 24 pyruvate dehydrogenase dimers in the absence of flavoprotein and 24 flavoprotein dimers in the absence of pyruvate dehydrogenase. The results of reconstitution experiments, utilizing binding and activity measurements, indicate that the transacetylase can accommodate a total of only about 12 pyruvate dehydrogenase dimers and six flavoprotein dimers and that this stoichiometry, which is the same as that of the native pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, produces maximum activity. It appears that steric hindrance between the relatively bulky pyruvate dehydrogenase and flavoprotein molecules prevents the transacetylase from binding 24 molecules of each ligand. A structural model for the native and reconstituted pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes is proposed in which the 12 pyruvate dehydrogenase dimers are distributed symmetrically on the 12 edges of the transacetylase cube and the six flavoprotein dimers are distributed in the six faces of the cube.     

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.     

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.     

Rapid intramolecular coupling of active sites in the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of Escherichia coli: Mechanism for rate enhancement in a multimeric structure

In the absence of CoA and presence of pyruvate, the lipoic acid residues covalently bound to the lipoate acetyltransferase core component (acetyl-CoA:dihydrolipoate S-acetyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.12) of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Escherichia coli become reductively acetylated. A study of a series of reassembled complexes varying only in their content of pyruvate decarboxylase [pyruvate:lipoate-oxidoreductase (decarboxylating and acceptor-acetylating) EC 1.2.4.1] showed that the initial direct reductive acetylation of lipoic acid residues can be followed by extensive intramolecular transacetylation reaction between lipoic acid residues on neighboring polypeptide chains of the lipoate acetyltransferase core [Bates, D. L., Danson, M. J., Hale, G., Hooper, E. A. & Perham, R. N. (1977) Nature (London) 268, 313-316]. Pulsed-quenched-flow measurements of the rates of the acetylation reactions in the various complexes now demonstrate that the intramolecular transacetylation reactions are not rate-determining in the normal reaction mechanism of the enzyme. There is therefore the potential for rapid multiple coupling of active sites in the lipoate acetyltransferase core. The rate constant for the overall complex reaction, measured by stopped-flow fluorimetry, is found to be approximately twice that for the reductive acetylation reaction measured by pulsed-quenched flow. This result could mean that CoA is an allosteric stimulator of the reductive acetylation part of the overall reaction or that there are two active sites on each chain of the lipoate acetyltransferase component working in parallel. A system of rapid functional connection of active sites in a multienzyme complex ensures that sequential reactions can be successfully coupled even under conditions of low substrate concentrations for the different steps. The substantial rate enhancement thus achieved offers a plausible explanation for the unusual complexity of the quaternary structure of the enzyme.     

A computer model analysis of the active-site coupling mechanism in the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Escherichia coli.

A computer modeling system developed to analyze experimental data for inactivation of the Escherichia coli alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDC) accompanying release of lipoyl moieties by lipoamidase and by trypsin [Hackert, M.L., Oliver, R.M. & Reed, L.J. (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80, 2226-2230] was used to analyze analogous data for the E. coli pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). The model studies indicate that the activity of PDC, as found for KGDC, is influenced by redundancies and random processes, which we describe as a multiple random coupling mechanism. In both complexes more than one lipoyl moiety services each pyruvate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.4.1) or alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.4.2) (E1) subunit, and an extensive lipoyl-lipoyl interaction network for exchange of electrons and possibly acyl groups must also be present. The best fit between computed and experimental data for PDC was obtained with a model that has four lipoyl domains with four or, more probably, eight lipoyl moieties servicing each E1 subunit. The lipoyl-lipoyl interaction network for PDC has lipoyl domain interactions similar to those found for KGDC plus the additional possibility of interaction of a lipoyl moiety and its paired mate on each dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.12) (E2) subunit. The two lipoyl moieties on an E2 subunit in PDC appear to be functionally indistinguishable, each servicing the acetyltransferase site of that E2 subunit and a dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (EC 1.6.4.3) (E3) subunit if the latter is bound to that particular E2 subunit. The observed difference between inactivation of PDC by lipoamidase and by trypsin appears to be due to dead-end competitive inhibition by lipoyl domains that have been modified by excision of lipoyl moieties by lipoamidase.     

Evidence for a multiple random coupling mechanism in the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Escherichia coli: a computer model analysis.

A computer modeling system was used to analyze experimental data for inactivation of the Escherichia coli alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex accompanying release of lipoic acid residues by lipoamidase and by trypsin [Stepp, L. R., Bleile, D. M., McRorie, D. K., Pettit, F. H. & Reed, L. J. (1981) Biochemistry 20, 4555-4560]. The results provide insight into the active-site coupling mechanism in the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. The model studies indicate that the overall activity of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex is influenced by redundancies and random processes that we describe as a multiple random coupling mechanism. More than one lipoyl moiety services each E1 subunit (alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, EC 1.2.4.2), and an extensive lipoyl-lipoyl interaction network for exchange of electrons and possibly acyl groups must also be present. The best fit between computed and experimental data was obtained with a model that has two lipoyl moieties servicing each E1 subunit and a lipoyl-lipoyl interaction network that links all lipoyl moieties on the E2 cube (dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.61). The single lipoyl moiety on an E2 subunit is assumed to service the coenzyme A-dependent succinyltransferase site of that E2 subunit as well as an E3 subunit (dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase, EC 1.6.4.3) if the latter is bound to that particular E2 subunit.     

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.     

Reactivity of primary biliary cirrhosis sera with Escherichia coli dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2p): characterization of the main immunogenic region.

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by the presence of antimitochondrial autoantibodies in the serum. The major antigens recognized by the antibodies are the E2 components of the 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes, all of which possess covalently attached lipoic acid cofactors. A bacterial etiology has been proposed for the disease, and patients' antibodies are known to recognize the E2 subunits (E2p) of both mammalian and bacterial pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes. Immunoblotting and ELISA inhibition techniques using extracts of Escherichia coli deletion strains, genetically restructured E2 polypeptides, and isolated lipoyl domains demonstrate that (i) the E2o subunit of the E. coli 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex is recognized by patients' antibodies; (ii) the main immunogenic region of E2p lies within the lipoly domains; (iii) the presence of a lipoly residue within the domain is crucial for effective recognition by the antibodies; and (iv) octanoylated E2p, octanoylated E2o, and octanoylated lipoyl domain, produced by a mutant deficient in lipoate biosynthesis, are recognized by patients' antibodies but not as effectively as their lipoylated counterparts. These findings indicate that antibodies in PBC patients' sera bind to a unique peptide-cofactor conformation within the lipoyl domains of the E2 polypeptides and that this epitope is partially mimicked by substituting the lipoyl cofactor with an octanoyl group.     

Lipoic acid biosynthesis defects

Lipoate is a covalently bound cofactor essential for five redox reactions in humans: in four 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases and the glycine cleavage system (GCS). Two enzymes are from the energy metabolism, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and pyruvate dehydrogenase; and three are from the amino acid metabolism, branched-chain ketoacid dehydrogenase, 2-oxoadipate dehydrogenase, and the GCS. All these enzymes consist of multiple subunits and share a similar architecture. Lipoate synthesis in mitochondria involves mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis up to octanoyl-acyl-carrier protein; and three lipoate-specific steps, including octanoic acid transfer to glycine cleavage H protein by lipoyl(octanoyl) transferase 2 (putative) (LIPT2), lipoate synthesis by lipoic acid synthetase (LIAS), and lipoate transfer by lipoyltransferase 1 (LIPT1), which is necessary to lipoylate the E2 subunits of the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases. The reduced form dihydrolipoate is reactivated by dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (DLD). Mutations in LIAS have been identified that result in a variant form of nonketotic hyperglycinemia with early-onset convulsions combined with a defect in mitochondrial energy metabolism with encephalopathy and cardiomyopathy. LIPT1 deficiency spares the GCS, and resulted in a combined 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase deficiency and early death in one patient and in a less severely affected individual with a Leigh-like phenotype. As LIAS is an iron–sulphur-cluster-dependent enzyme, a number of recently identified defects in mitochondrial iron–sulphur cluster synthesis, including NFU1, BOLA3, IBA57, GLRX5 presented with deficiency of LIAS and a LIAS-like phenotype. As in DLD deficiency, a broader clinical spectrum can be anticipated for lipoate synthesis defects depending on which of the affected enzymes is most rate limiting.     

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)     

Structure of a bacterial enzyme regulated by phosphorylation, isocitrate dehydrogenase.

The structure of isocitrate dehydrogenase [threo-DS-isocitrate: NADP+ oxidoreductase (decarboxylating), EC 1.1.1.42] from Escherichia coli has been solved and refined at 2.5 A resolution and is topologically different from that of any other dehydrogenase. This enzyme, a dimer of identical 416-residue subunits, is inactivated by phosphorylation at Ser-113, which lies at the edge of an interdomain pocket that also contains many residues conserved between isocitrate dehydrogenase and isopropylmalate dehydrogenase. Isocitrate dehydrogenase contains an unusual clasp-like domain in which both polypeptide chains in the dimer interlock. Based on the structure of isocitrate dehydrogenase and conservation with isopropylmalate dehydrogenase, we suggest that the active site lies in an interdomain pocket close to the phosphorylation site.     

Isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase: demonstration in rat liver mitochondria by ion exchange chromatography and isoelectric focusing.

There has been ambiguity concerning the specificity of the enzymes that dehydrogenate short branched-chain acyl-CoAs. It previously had been assumed that isovaleryl-CoA is dehydrogenated by n-butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase [butyryl-CoA:(acceptor) oxidoreductase, EC 1.3.99.2]. To solve this problem, we fractionated five short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenases (isovaleryl-CoA, n-butyryl-CoA, isobutyryl-CoA, n-octanoyl-CoA, and glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenases) from rat liver mitochondria by isoelectric focusing and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase [isovaleryl-CoA:(acceptor) oxidoreductase, EC 1.3.99.10] peak was almost completely separated from the peaks of n-butyryl CoA- and n-octanoyl-CoA dehydrogenases by isoelectric focusing, and it was well separated from glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase [glutaryl-CoA:(acceptor) oxidoreductase (decarboxylating), EC 1.3.99.7] and n-octanoyl-CoA dehydrogenase by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase peak partly overlapped that of n-butyryl-CoA and isobutyryl-CoA dehydrogenases in the latter procedure. These results unequivocally demonstrate that isovaleryl-CoA is oxidized by a specific isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase. The other dehydrogenase peaks also demonstrated activity toward a single substrate, except that isobutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase activity could not be clearly resolved from n-butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase activity.     

Crystallization and Preliminary Structural Analysis of Dihydrolipoyl Transsuccinylase, the Core of the 2-Oxoglutarate Dehydrogenase Complex

Dihydrolipoyl transsuccinylase, one of the three enzymes comprising the Escherichia coli 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.4.2) complex, has been crystallized. Studies by x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy establish that the transsuccinylase has octahedral (432) symmetry, i.e., it consists of 24 subunits that are structurally identical.     

Stimulation of pancreatic islet metabolism and insulin release by a nonmetabolizable amino acid.

The leucine analog beta-2-aminobicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid (BCH) activates glutamate dehydrogenase [L-glutamate:NAD+ oxidoreductase (deaminating), EC 1.4.1.2] in pancreatic islet homogenates. In intact islets, BCH increased the islet content or output of NH4+, 2-ketoglutarate, malate, pyruvate, and alanine. BCH caused a dose-related increase in 14CO2 output from islets prelabeled with L-[U-14C]glutamine. BCH increased the islet content of ATP and stimulated both 45Ca net uptake and insulin release. The capacity of seven distinct amino acids to activate glutamate dehydrogenase tightly correlated with their ability to augment 14CO2 output from islets prelabeled with [U-14C]-glutamine and to stimulate insulin release in the presence of L-glutamine. The activation of glutamate dehydrogenase by BCH may thus account for the insulin-releasing capacity of the leucine analog.     

Autoantibodies in primary biliary cirrhosis: analysis of reactivity against eukaryotic and prokaryotic 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes

Six components of the mammalian 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes have previously been identified as M2 autoantigens in primary biliary cirrhosis. In this report, we present data showing that both polypeptide-specific and cross-reacting antibodies are present in patients' sera. Antibodies reacting with E2 of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex cross-react with protein X but not with any other mammalian antigen. The main immunogenic region on protein X has been localized to within its single lipoyl domain. Polypeptide-specific antibodies bind to E1 alpha and E1 beta of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Antibodies reacting with the E2 polypeptides of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex and branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex show some cross-reactivity but do not recognize any of the antigens of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Antibodies against the E2 component of the mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex cross-react effectively with the corresponding protein from yeast but not with E2 from Escherichia coli. Antibody titer against mammalian antigens is significantly higher than against the bacterial antigens, arguing against a bacterial origin for primary biliary cirrhosis.     

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.     

Heterogeneous expression of protein and mRNA in pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency.

Deficiency of pyruvate dehydrogenase [pyruvate:lipoamide 2-oxidoreductase (decarboxylating and acceptor-acetylating), EC 1.2.4.1], the first component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, is associated with lactic acidosis and central nervous system dysfunction. Using both specific antibodies to pyruvate dehydrogenase and cDNAs coding for its two alpha and beta subunits, we characterized pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency in 11 patients. Three different patterns were found on immunologic and RNA blot analyses. (i) Seven patients had immunologically detectable crossreactive material for the alpha and beta proteins of pyruvate dehydrogenase. (ii) Two patients had no detectable crossreactive protein for either the alpha or beta subunit but had normal amounts of mRNA for both alpha and beta subunits. (iii) The remaining two patients also had no detectable crossreactive protein but had diminished amounts of mRNA for the alpha subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase only. These results indicate that loss of pyruvate dehydrogenase activity may be associated with either absent or catalytically inactive proteins, and in those cases in which this enzyme is absent, mRNA for one of the subunits may also be missing. When mRNA for one of the subunits is lacking, both protein subunits are absent, suggesting that a mutation affecting the expression of one of the subunit proteins causes the remaining uncomplexed subunit to be unstable. The results show that several different mutations account for the molecular heterogeneity of pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency.     

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.     

Role of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase in the autotrophic pathway used by acetogenic bacteria.

Anaerobic acetogenic bacteria utilize a pathway of autotrophic growth that differs from any previously described. One part of the pathway involves the reduction of CO2 to formate and its subsequent conversion to the methyl moiety of methyltetrahydrofolate. The second part involves the formation of a one-carbon intermediate from CO, CO2 and H2, or the carboxyl of pyruvate and combination of the intermediate with CoA and methyltetrahydrofolate mediated by a corrinoid enzyme to yield acetyl-CoA. Our studies have been concerned with this latter portion of the pathway and we have proposed that a one-carbon intermediate is formed via carbon monoxide dehydrogenase. It remained possible, however, that the function of the CO dehydrogenase is to reduce the cobalt of the corrinoid enzyme to Co+, which is required for it to act as a methyl acceptor, and that the dehydrogenase is not involved directly in the formation of a C1 intermediate. All the enzymes required for the synthesis of acetyl-CoA from CO and methyltetrahydrofolate or from methyltetrahydrofolate and the carboxyl of pyruvate have now been purified. With these purified enzymes, it has been possible to show that CO dehydrogenase is essential for acetyl-CoA synthesis with CO as the substrate under conditions in which the cobalt of the corrinoid is reduced by other means. In addition, using pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase, it has been shown that a 14C1-CO dehydrogenase complex is formed from [1-14C]pyruvate. Furthermore, [1-14C]acetyl-CoA was synthesized using the 14C1-CO dehydrogenase complex. Thus the evidence appears conclusive that CO dehydrogenase has a direct role in the formation of the carboxyl of acetyl-CoA.