The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex: cloning of the rat somatic E1 alpha subunit and its coordinate expression with the mRNAs for the E1 beta, E2, and E3 catalytic subunits in developing rat brain.

Abstract

We report the isolation of cDNA clones encoding the somatic form of the E1 alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of rat. The deduced amino acid sequence has 99.5, 98, and 97% identity, respectively, with the orthologous proteins of mouse, human, and pig and 98.5% identity with a rat E1 alpha sequence reported previously. The cDNAs isolated in this and earlier studies predict different E1 alpha subunit mRNA sizes and amino acid sequences. These differences have been investigated by PCR, northern blot hybridization, and RNase protection. We have used our E1 alpha cDNA, in conjunction with cDNA probes to the E1 beta, E2, and E3 catalytic subunits of rat pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and also to rat citrate synthase, to perform RNase protection assays of developing rat whole brain RNA. The results show a 2.5-fold increase in the concentration of each of the subunit mRNAs and a 1.2-fold increase in citrate synthase mRNA from late foetal stage to 5 days post partum. Thereafter, the mRNA levels remained constant. These data indicate that the respective six- and threefold increases in the amounts of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and citrate synthase found to occur in rat brain between birth and adulthood are mediated principally by translational and/or posttranslational mechanisms.