1. In uncoupled rat heart mitochondria, the kinetic parameters for oxoglutarate oxidation were very close to those found for oxoglutarate dehydrogenase activity in extracts of the mitochondria. In particular, Ca2+ greatly diminished the Km for oxoglutarate and the k0.5 value (concentration required for half-maximal effect) for this effect of Ca2+ was close to 1 microM. 2. In coupled rat heart mitochondria incubated with ADP, increases in the extramitochondrial concentration of Ca2+ greatly stimulated oxoglutarate oxidation at low concentrations of oxoglutarate, but not at saturating concentrations of oxoglutarate. The k0.5 value for the activation by extramitochondrial Ca2+ was about 20 nM. In the presence of either Mg2+ or Na+ this value was increased to about 90 nM, and in the presence of both to about 325 nM. 3. In coupled rat heart mitochondria incubated without ADP, increases in the extramitochondrial concentration of Ca2+ resulted in increases in the proportion of pyruvate dehydrogenase in its active non-phosphorylated form. The sensitivity to Ca2+ closely matched that found to affect oxoglutarate oxidation, and Mg2+ and Na+ gave similar effects. 4. Studies of others have indicated that the distribution of Ca2+ across the inner membrane of heart mitochondria is determined by a Ca2+-transporting system which is composed of a separate uptake component (inhibited by Mg2+ and Ruthenium Red) and an efflux component (stimulated by Na+). The present studies are entirely consistent with this view. They also indicate that the intramitochondrial concentration of Ca2+ within heart cells is probably about 2--3 times that in the cytoplasm, and thus the regulation of these intramitochondrial enzymes by Ca2+ is of likely physiological significance. It is suggested that the Ca2+-transporting system in heart mitochondria may be primarily concerned with the regulation of mitochondrial Ca2+ rather than cytoplasmic Ca2+; the possible role of Ca2+ as a mediator of the effects of hormones and neurotransmitters on mammalian mitochondrial oxidative metabolism is discussed.

We have investigated the signalling pathways involved in the stimulation of glycogen and fatty acid synthesis by insulin in rat fat cells using wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and rapamycin, which blocks activation of p70 ribosomal S6 protein kinase (p70S6K). Insulin produced a decrease in the activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3 which is likely to be important in the observed stimulation of glycogen synthase. Both of these actions were found to be sensitive to inhibition by wortmannin. Activation of three processes is involved in the stimulation of fatty acid synthesis from glucose by insulin, namely glucose uptake, acetyl-CoA carboxylase and pyruvate dehydrogenase. Whereas wortmannin largely abolished the effects of insulin on glucose utilization and acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity, it was without effect on the stimulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase. Although epidermal growth factor stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase to a greater extent than insulin, it was unable to mimic the effect of insulin on glycogen synthase, glycogen synthase kinase-3, glucose utilization, acetyl-CoA carboxylase or pyruvate dehydrogenase. Rapamycin also failed to have any appreciable effect on stimulation of these parameters by insulin, although it did block the effect of insulin on p70S6K. We conclude that the activity of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase is required for the effects of insulin on glycogen synthesis, glucose uptake and acetyl-Co-AN carboxylase, but is not involved in signalling to pyruvate dehydrogenase. Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase or p70S6K, however, does not appear to be sufficient to bring about the stimulation of fatty acid or glycogen synthesis. Altogether is seems likely that at least four distinct signalling pathways are involved in the effects of insulin on rat fat cells.

No abstract

Protein kinase activity in high-speed supernatant fractions prepared from rat epididymal adipose tissue previously incubated in the absence or presence of insulin was investigated by following the incorporation of 32P from [gamma-32P]ATP into phosphoproteins separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electro-phoresis. Incorporation of 32P into several endogenous proteins in the supernatant fractions from insulin-treated tissue was significantly increased. These included acetyl-CoA carboxylase and ATP citrate lyase (which exhibit increased phosphorylation within fat-cells exposed to insulin), together with two unknown proteins of subunit Mr 78000 and 43000. The protein kinase activity increased by insulin was distinct from cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, was not dependent on Ca2+ and was not appreciably affected by dialysis or gel filtration. The rate of phosphorylation of added purified fat-cell acetyl-CoA carboxylase and ATP citrate lyase was also increased by 60-90% in high-speed-supernatant fractions prepared from insulin-treated tissue. No evidence for any persistent changes in phosphoprotein phosphatase activity was found. It is concluded that insulin action on acetyl-CoA carboxylase, ATP citrate lyase and other intracellular proteins exhibiting increased phosphorylation involves an increase in cyclic AMP-independent protein kinase activity in the cytoplasm. The possibility that the increase reflects translocation from the plasma membrane, perhaps after phosphorylation by the protein tyrosine kinase associated with insulin receptors, is discussed.

1. Most of the cyclic-nucleotide-independent acetyl-CoA carboxylase kinase activity in an extract of rat epididymal adipose tissue was evaluated from a Mono Q column by 0.175 M-NaCl at pH 7.4. The activity of the kinase in this fraction (fraction 1) was increased after exposure of intact tissue to insulin. 2. Incubation of purified adipose-tissue acetyl-CoA carboxylase with [gamma-32P]ATP and samples of fraction 1 led to the incorporation of up to 0.4 mol of 32P/mol of enzyme subunit. Most of the phosphorylation was on serine residues within a single tryptic peptide. This peptide, on the basis of two-dimensional t.l.c. analysis, h.p.l.c. and Superose 12 chromatography, appeared to be the same as the acetyl-CoA carboxylase peptide ('I'-peptide) which exhibits increased phosphorylation in insulin-treated tissue. 3. Phosphorylation of purified acetyl-CoA carboxylase by the kinase in fraction 1 was found to be associated with a parallel 4-fold increase in activity. However, increases in both phosphorylation and activity were much diminished if fraction 1 was treated by Centricon centrifugation to remove low-Mr components. Among these components was a potent inhibitor of acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity which appeared to be necessary for the kinase in fraction 1 to be fully active. 4. The inhibitor remains to be identified, but inhibition requires MgATP, although the inhibitor itself does not cause any phosphorylation of the carboxylase. No effects of insulin were observed on the activity of the inhibitor. 5. It is concluded that the kinase probably plays an important role in the mechanism whereby insulin brings about the well-established increases in phosphorylation and activation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in adipose tissue.

Superose 6 chromatography was used to separate rapidly the polymeric and dimeric forms of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. With preparations of acetyl-CoA carboxylase purified by Sepharose-avidin chromatography, it is shown that citrate promotes polymerization and that the extent of polymerization is diminished, but not eliminated, after phosphorylation by cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase. After exposure of rat epididymal adipose tissue to insulin, evidence was obtained for a marked increase in polymerization. The polymeric form, which was active in the absence of citrate, exhibited increased phosphorylation, particularly on a tryptic peptide designated the I-peptide in an earlier study [Brownsey & Denton (1982) Biochem. J. 202, 77-86]. In contrast, in tissue exposed to the beta-agonist isoprenaline, most of the phosphorylated acetyl-CoA carboxylase appeared to be in the dimeric form if chromatography was carried out in the absence of citrate, whereas in the presence of citrate the degree of polymerization was diminished.

1. Previous studies showed that the activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase within intact rat heart mitochondria of pyruvate is much diminished in mitochondria from starved or diabetic animals [see Kerbey, Randle, Cooper, Whitehouse, Pask & Denton (1976) Biochem. J. 154, 327-348]. In the present study, diminished responses to added Ca2+ and ADP were also found in these mitochondria. 2. Starvation or diabetes did not affect the mitochondrial respiratory control ratio of the ATP content. Moreover, starvation and diabetes did not alter the response of the intramitochondrial Ca2+-sensitive enzyme, 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase, to changes in the extramitochondrial concentration of Ca2+ and 2-oxoglutarate, thus indicating that there were no appreciable changes in the distribution of Ca2+ and H+ across the mitochondrial inner membrane. 3. Pyruvate, Ca2+ and ADP were found to have synergistic effects on pyruvate dehydrogenase activity, particularly in mitochondria from starved and diabetic rats. 4. The results suggest that the effects of diabetes and starvation on pyruvate dehydrogenase are not brought about by changes in the distribution of these effectors across the mitochondrial inner membrane or by changes in the intrinsic sensitivity of the kinase or phosphatase of the pyruvate dehydrogenase system to pyruvate, Ca2+ or ADP; rather it is probably that there is an increase in the maximum activity of kinase relative to that of the phosphatase. 6. The results also lend further support to the hypothesis that adrenaline may bring about the activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase in the rat heart by an increase in the intramitochondrial concentration of Ca2+.

Rat epididymal fat-pad extracts have previously been shown to contain an insulin-stimulated acetyl-CoA carboxylase kinase, which is co-eluted from Mono Q ion-exchange chromatography with a potent inhibitor of acetyl-CoA carboxylase [Borthwick, Edgell & Denton (1990) Biochem. J. 270, 795-801]. A variety of tests, including reactivity with thiol reagents, identify this inhibitor as CoA. Inhibition requires the presence of MgATP, but is independent of any phosphorylation of the enzyme. The effect is complete in about 5 min and is associated with depolymerization of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Half-maximal inhibition is observed at about 40 nM-CoA. The inhibitory effects of CoA can be partially reversed by incubation with citrate and more fully overcome by treatment of the enzyme with the insulin-stimulated acetyl-CoA carboxylase kinase.