Metabolism Of Liver Mitochondria Research Articles

Mitochondrial microRNA profiles are altered in thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) during hibernation.

Thirteen-lined ground squirrels (TLGS) are obligate hibernators that cycle between torpor (low metabolic rate and body temperature) and interbout euthermia (IBE; typical euthermic body temperature and metabolism) from late autumn to spring. Many physiological changes occur throughout hibernation, including a reduction in liver mitochondrial metabolism during torpor, which is reversed during arousal to interbout euthermia. Nuclear-encoded microRNA (small post-transcriptional regulator molecules) differ in abundance throughout TLGS hibernation and have been shown to regulate mitochondrial gene expression in mammalian cell culture (where they are referred to as mitomiRs). This study characterized differences in mitomiR profiles from TLGS liver mitochondria isolated during summer, torpor, and IBE, and predicted their mitochondrial targets. Using small RNA sequencing, differentially abundant mitomiRs were identified between hibernation states and, using qPCR analysis we quantified expression of predicted mitochondrial mRNA targets. Most differences in mitomiR abundances were seasonal (i.e. between summer and winter) with only one mitomiR differentially abundant between IBE and torpor. Multiple factor analysis revealed three clusters divided by hibernation states, where clustering was predominantly driven by mitomiR abundances. Nine of these differentially abundant mitomiRs had predicted mitochondrial RNA targets, including subunits of electron transfer system complexes I and IV, 12S rRNA and two tRNAs. Overall, mitomiRs were predicted to suppress expression of their mitochondrial targets and may have some involvement in regulating protein translation in mitochondria. This study found differences in mitomiR abundances between seasons and hibernation states of TLGS and suggests potential mechanisms in regulating the mitochondrial electron transfer system.

PPARs and Mitochondrial Metabolism: From NAFLD to HCC.

Metabolic related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), are widespread threats which bring about a significant burden of deaths worldwide, mainly due to cardiovascular events and cancer. The pathogenesis of these diseases is extremely complex, multifactorial, and only partially understood. As the main metabolic organ, the liver is central to maintain whole body energetic homeostasis. At the cellular level, mitochondria are the metabolic hub connecting and integrating all the main biochemical, hormonal, and inflammatory signaling pathways to fulfill the energetic and biosynthetic demand of the cell. In the liver, mitochondria metabolism needs to cope with the energetic regulation of the whole body. The nuclear receptors PPARs orchestrate lipid and glucose metabolism and are involved in a variety of diseases, from metabolic disorders to cancer. In this review, focus is placed on the roles of PPARs in the regulation of liver mitochondrial metabolism in physiology and pathology, from NAFLD to HCC.

Regulation of hepatic cardiolipin metabolism by TNFα: Implication in cancer cachexia

Cardiolipin (CL) content accumulation leads to an increase in energy wasting in liver mitochondria in a rat model of cancer cachexia in which tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is highly expressed. In this study we investigated the mechanisms involved in liver mitochondria CL accumulation in cancer cachexia and examined if TNFα was involved in this process leading to mitochondrial bioenergetics alterations. We studied gene, protein expression and activity of the main enzymes involved in CL metabolism in liver mitochondria from a rat model of cancer cachexia and in HepaRG hepatocyte-like cells exposed to 20ng/ml of TNFα for 12h. Phosphatidylglycerolphosphate synthase (PGPS) gene expression was increased 2.3-fold (p<0.02) and cardiolipin synthase (CLS) activity decreased 44% (p<0.03) in cachectic rat livers compared to controls. CL remodeling enzymes monolysocardiolipin acyltransferase (MLCL AT-1) activity and tafazzin (TAZ) gene expression were increased 30% (p<0.01) and 50% (p<0.02), respectively, in cachectic rat livers compared to controls. Incubation of hepatocytes with TNFα increased CL content 15% (p<0.05), mitochondrial oxygen consumption 33% (p<0.05), PGPS gene expression 44% (p<0.05) and MLCL AT-1 activity 20% (p<0.05) compared to controls. These above findings strongly suggest that in cancer cachexia, TNFα induces a higher energy wasting in liver mitochondria by increasing CL content via upregulation of PGPS expression.

Western diet induces nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and impairs liver mitochondrial metabolism in adult mice

The aim of this study was to investigate the liver mitochondrial metabolism of obese adult mice fed with Western diet (high fat diet rich in saturated fat). 21 days old male mice were divided in two groups: fed with control diet (CD) or Western diet (HFD), for 112 days. At 133 days of life the animals were sacrificed for evaluation of biometric parameters, fasting glucose, liver histology, liver mitochondrial function and proteins involved in the signaling cascade of ghrelin and insulin by Western Blotting (GHSR 1a, IRβ, PI3K, pAKT/AKT, CPT1, UCP2 and α‐tubulin). Animals subjected to HFD showed increased body weight (p &lt;0.0001), visceral fat (p &lt;0.0001), liver weight (p &lt;0.0001) and hyperglycemia (p &lt;0.0133) compared to CD group. The liver of HFD group presented damaged parenchymal cells with accumulation of lipid droplets and alterations in protein content compared to CD: reduced level of GHSR1a (p &lt;0.0282) and pAKT/AKT ratio (p &lt;0.0053), increased content of PI3K (p &lt;0.0149), IRβ (p &lt;0.0539), CPT1 (p &lt;0.0417) and decreased content of UCP2 (p &lt;0.0196). Through High resolution respirometry we observed a reduction in carbohydrate oxidation (p &lt;0.0481) and increased fatty acid oxidation (p &lt;0.0008) in the liver of HFD group. We concluded that Western diet alters energetic metabolism and impairs ghrelin signaling which favors the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Supported by FAPERJ and CNPq.

Extensive tissue-related and allele-related mtDNA heteroplasmy suggests positive selection for somatic mutations

Heteroplasmy in human mtDNA may play a role in cancer, other diseases, and aging, but patterns of heteroplasmy variation across different tissues have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we analyzed complete mtDNA genome sequences at ∼3,500× average coverage from each of 12 tissues obtained at autopsy from each of 152 individuals. We identified 4,577 heteroplasmies (with an alternative allele frequency of at least 0.5%) at 393 positions across the mtDNA genome. Surprisingly, different nucleotide positions (nps) exhibit high frequencies of heteroplasmy in different tissues, and, moreover, heteroplasmy is strongly dependent on the specific consensus allele at an np. All of these tissue-related and allele-related heteroplasmies show a significant age-related accumulation, suggesting positive selection for specific alleles at specific positions in specific tissues. We also find a highly significant excess of liver-specific heteroplasmies involving nonsynonymous changes, most of which are predicted to have an impact on protein function. This apparent positive selection for reduced mitochondrial function in the liver may reflect selection to decrease damaging byproducts of liver mitochondrial metabolism (i.e., "survival of the slowest"). Overall, our results provide compelling evidence for positive selection acting on some somatic mtDNA mutations.

Prospective evaluation of potential toxicity of repeated doses of Thymus vulgaris L. extracts in rats by means of clinical chemistry, histopathology and NMR‐based metabonomic approach

In the field of natural extracts, research generally focuses on the study of their biological activities for food, cosmetic, or pharmacological purposes. The evaluation of their adverse effects is often overlooked. In this study, the extracts of Thymus vulgaris L. were obtained by two different extraction methods. Intraperitoneal injections of both extracts were given daily for four days to male Wistar Han rats, at two different doses for each extract. The evaluation of the potential toxic effects included histopathological examination of liver, kidney, and lung tissues, as well as serum biochemistry of liver and kidney parameters, and (1)H-NMR-based metabonomic profiles of urine. The results showed that no histopathological changes were observed in the liver and kidney in rats treated with both extracts of thyme. Serum biochemical investigations revealed significant increases in blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and uric acid in animals treated with polyphenolic extract at both doses. In these latter groups, metabonomic analysis revealed alterations in a number of urine metabolites involved in the energy metabolism in liver mitochondria. Indeed, the results showed alterations of glycolysis, Krebs cycle, and β-oxidative pathways as evidenced by increases in lactate and ketone bodies, and decreases in citrate, α-ketoglutarate, creatinine, hippurate, dimethylglycine, and dimethyalanine. In conclusion, this work showed that i.p. injection of repeated doses of thyme extracts causes some disturbances of intermediary metabolism in rats. The metabonomic study revealed interesting data which could be further used to determine the cellular pathways affected by such treatments.

Tissue Specific Phosphorylation of Mitochondrial Proteins Isolated from Rat Liver, Heart Muscle, and Skeletal Muscle

Phosphorylation of mitochondrial proteins in a variety of biological processes is increasingly being recognized and may contribute to the differences in function and energy demands observed in mitochondria from different tissues such as liver, heart, and skeletal muscle. Here, we used a combination of TiO2 phosphopeptide-enrichment, HILIC fractionation, and LC-MS/MS on isolated mitochondria to investigate the tissue-specific mitochondrial phosphoproteomes of rat liver, heart, and skeletal muscle. In total, we identified 899 phosphorylation sites in 354 different mitochondrial proteins including 479 potential novel sites. Most phosphorylation sites were detected in liver mitochondria (594), followed by heart (448) and skeletal muscle (336), and more phosphorylation sites were exclusively identified in liver mitochondria than in heart and skeletal muscle. Bioinformatics analysis pointed out enrichment for phosphoproteins involved in amino acid and fatty acid metabolism in liver mitochondria, whereas heart and skeletal muscle were enriched for phosphoproteins involved in energy metabolism, in particular, tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Multiple tissue-specific phosphorylation sites were identified in tissue-specific enzymes such as those encoded by HMGCS2, BDH1, PCK2, CPS1, and OTC in liver mitochondria, and CKMT2 and CPT1B in heart and skeletal muscle. Kinase prediction showed an important role for PKA and PKC in all tissues but also for proline-directed kinases in liver mitochondria. In conclusion, we provide a comprehensive map of mitochondrial phosphorylation sites, which covers approximately one-third of the mitochondrial proteome and can be targeted for the investigation of tissue-specific regulation of mitochondrial biological processes.

Changes in metabolic profiles of urine from rats following chronic exposure to anticholinesterase pesticides

Previous studies have demonstrated that the anticholinesterase pesticides chlorpyrifos and carbaryl are neurotoxic to mammals. However, the toxicity of these pesticides to other organs and their potential interactive effects remain unclear. Our goal in this study was to assess the toxicities of ingestion of chlorpyrifos and carbaryl both separately, and in combination to non-nervous systems, especially the effect on urinary metabolic profiles, in rats. Chlorpyrifos, carbaryl and a mixture of these pesticides, were administered orally to Wistar rats for 90 consecutive days. Histopathological examination of liver and kidney and metabonomic analysis based on the urinary 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were used to investigate the toxic effects. The results showed that no histopathological changes were observed in the liver or kidney tissues, but metabonomic analysis revealed alternations in a number of urinary metabolites involving in the energy metabolism in liver mitochondria. Treatment of rats with chlorpyrifos alone led to an increase in creatine, glycine, dimethylglycine, dimethylamine, glutamine, succinate, alanine, lactate, and glucose. The categories of main differential urinary metabolites in carbaryl-treated rats were similar to those in chlorpyrifos-treated rats, whereas the changes were of varying degree. A combination of a low dose of chlorpyrifos and carbaryl resulted in an increase in the levels of main urinary metabolites compared to the controls, and the increase in signal intensity of the main metabolites was lower than that in the rats exposed to chlorpyrifos or carbaryl alone. All above results suggest that chronic exposure to chlorpyrifos and carbaryl alone, or in combination could cause disturbance of metabolic function in liver mitochondria and renal failure. Overall, we have shown that urine metabonomic analysis is non-invasive, sensitive, and relatively fast for assessing the individual or mutual effects following exposure to pesticides.

Mitochondrial Abnormalities in Patients with HIV-HCV Co-infection as Compared to Patients with HCV Mono-infection

Introduction: Mitochondrial dysfunction is a classic complication of HIV infection and its treatment and has also been reported in hepatitis C virus (HCV)–infected patients. Little is known about interactions between both viruses on mitochondrial metabolism. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of HCV-infected patients who underwent liver biopsy as part of their routine care. Mitochondrial function was assessed by (a) liver morphological (histology) and functional (spectro-photometry) studies, and (b) serum lactate kinetics, oxygen uptake, and anaerobic threshold measurement during standardized incremental exercise. Three predefined groups of patients were compared. Results: Thirty-eight HCV-infected patients were included: 13 not HIV infected (group 1), 7 with HIV co-infection and low nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) exposure (none over the last 2 years; group 2), and 18 with HIV co-infection and high NRTI exposure (group 3). On liver biopsies, respiratory chain complex IV activity was impaired, at 5 (2–7) nmol/min/mg substrates in group 1, 5 (3–8) in group 2, and 8 (2–13) in group 3 (normal values, 20–56). Maximal power output was diminished and anaerobic threshold occurred earlier in HIV-infected patients, regardless of NRTI exposure. Conclusion: HCV has deleterious effects on liver mitochondrial metabolism, notably on respiratory chain complex IV. No significant interaction with HIV was observed.

Mitochondrial metabolism during fasting-induced daily torpor in mice

During fasting, mice ( Mus musculus) undergo daily bouts of torpor, considerably reducing body temperature ( T b) and metabolic rate (MR). We examined females of different laboratory strains (Balb/c, C57/6N, and CD1) to determine whether liver mitochondrial metabolism is actively reduced during torpor. In all strains, we found that state 3 (phosphorylating) respiration rate measured at 37 °C was reduced up to 35% during torpor for at least one of the substrates (glutamate and succinate) used to fuel respiration. The extent of this suppression varied and was correlated with T b at sampling. This suggests that, at the biochemical level, the transition to and from a hypometabolic torpid state is gradual. In fasted non-torpid animals, T b and MR still fluctuated greatly: T b dropped by as much as 4 °C and MR was reduced up to 25% compared to fed controls. Changes in T b and MR in fasted, non-torpid animals were correlated with changes in mitochondrial state 3 respiration rate measured at 37 °C. This suggests that fasting mice may conserve energy even when not torpid by occasionally reducing T b and mitochondrial oxidative capacity to reduce MR. Furthermore, proton conductance was higher in torpid compared to non-torpid animals when measured at 15 °C (the lower limit of torpid T b). This pattern is similar to that reported previously for daily torpor in Phodopus sungorus.

Stimulation of oxidative energy metabolism in liver mitochondria from old and young rats by treatment with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). A comparative study

Effects of treatment with DHEA (0.2 or 1.0 mg/kg body weight for 7 days) on oxidative energy metabolism of rat liver mitochondria from old (18-24 month old) and young (8-10 weeks old) male albino rats belonging to Charles-Foster strain were examined. Treatment with 1.0 mg DHEA resulted in increased body weights of the young rats without change in the liver weight. In the old animals the liver weight increased progressively with increasing dose of DHEA without affecting body weight. The state 3 respiration rates in liver mitochondria from old animals were, in general, lower than those in the young rats. The state 3 and state 4 respiration rates increased following DHEA treatment in dose-dependent manner bringing them close to values for young animals or beyond that with the effect being more pronounced at 1.0 mg dose. Treatment with DHEA also stimulated state 3 and state 4 respiration rates in young rats in dose-dependent manner. Contents of cytochrome aa(3), b and c + c(1) increased significantly in old animals in dose-dependent manner. In the young rats the lower dose (0.2 mg) of DHEA was more effective in bringing about a maximum increase in the contents of the cytochromes; the effect declined at the higher dose (1.0 mg). DHEA treatment also stimulated the mitochondrial ATPase activity in the old as well as in the young rats. The dehydrogenases activities were considerably low in the old rats compared to the values for the young animals. Treatment with DHEA stimulated dehydrogenases activities in old rats in dose-dependent manner bringing them close to values for the young animals or beyond. Treatment with lower dose (0.2 mg) of DHEA maximally stimulated dehydrogenases activities in young animals.

Effect of Dexamethasone Treatment on Oxidative Energy Metabolism in Rat Liver Mitochondria During Postnatal Developmental Periods

Dexamethasone — a potent synthetic glucocorticoid — has multiple therapeutic applications and, used in all age groups, as well as for antenatal and perinatal treatments. However, side‐effects of dexamethasone treatment, including those on development, are becoming increasingly apparent. Since developmental processes are energy‐dependent, we examined the effects of chronic dexamethasone treatment on oxidative energy metabolism in liver mitochondria from rats belonging to different developmental age groups. Dexamethasone treatment adversely affected the state 3 respiration rates in 2‐ and 3‐week groups and in the adults with glutamate as the substrates, whereas for pyruvate + malate, the adverse effects were seen for the 3 week rats and the adult groups. Oxidation of succinate was severely impaired in all the age groups rats. For ascorbate + TMPD as the substrate, elevated respiration was noted for the 5‐week group and the impaired oxidation was observed in adults. Dexamethasone treatment also resulted in site‐specific uncoupling with the effect being seen predominantly in the 3‐ and 5‐week and adult animals. The activity of dehydrogenases decreased in a manner comparable to the respiration rates. The mitochondrial cytochromes decreased in an age‐dependent manner. The ATPase activity also decreased significantly. The results thus emphasize the adverse effects of dexamethasone treatment on mitochondrial energy metabolism especially in critical age groups.

Effects of ammonium chloride-induced acidosis on oxidative metabolism in liver mitochondria of chicks

1. The present studies were undertaken to characterise oxidative metabolism with diverse substrates in hepatic mitochondria of acidotic chicks. Metabolic acidosis was experimentally induced by replacement of drinking water with ammonium chloride solution (15 g/l) for 5 d. 2. State 3 oxidation rates in liver mitochondria were significantly reduced in acidotic chicks only for pyruvate and glutamate as substrates requiring complex I, III and IV of the electron transport chain, while they were not changed for either succinate-requiring complexes II, III and IV , ascorbate+TMPD-requiring complex IV , or alpha-ketoglutarate requiring complexes I, III and IV . 3. It can be concluded that the impairment of oxidation rate was substrate-specific in liver mitochondria of acidotic animals and not associated with functional damage of the respiratory chain in mitochondria. Possible reasons for the reductions in oxidation rate with pyruvate and glutamate are discussed.

Diminished energy metabolism and enhanced apoptosis in livers of B6C3F1 mice treated with the antihepatocarcinogen rotenone.

Rotenone decreases the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma and lowers rates of hepatocellular proliferation. In an effort to delineate mechanisms involved, the in vivo effect of rotenone on liver mitochondrial metabolism, apoptotic machinery as well as elements of the hepatic signal transduction pathways were investigated. Mitochondria from livers of male B6C3F1 mice fed a standard diet containing 600 ppm rotenone for 7 days were uncoupled or inhibited when succinate or glutamate plus malate were used as the substrate, respectively. These livers also showed a significant increase in apoptosis compared with control livers. Furthermore, rotenone increased the expression of c-myc mRNA to 5-fold of control values within 3 days, an effect which was still observed (3-fold) after 7 days. Levels of p53 mRNA were also increased 3-fold after 1 day, but declined to control levels by 7 days. Rotenone also caused a transient, yet marked increase in liver particulate glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) protein expression, while it did not alter the expression of the cytosolic form of the enzyme. Conversely, mRNA of the proto-oncogene H-ras showed a decline of 35% after 3 days of rotenone treatment, and remained diminished for the duration of the experiment. These data suggest that rotenone may act as an anticancer agent by diminishing mitochondrial bioenergetics which prevents basal hepatocyte proliferation and lowers the threshold for liver cells with DNA damage to undergo apoptosis.

Hepatic damage during acute pancreatitis in the rat

We studied the alterations in the metabolism of liver mitochondria in rats with acute pancreatitis. Male Wistar rats were allocated to a control group (group I) and to five other groups corresponding to 2, 4, 12, 24 and 48 h after the induction of acute pancreatitis by the injection of 5% sodium taurocholate into the pancreatic duct. Sham-operated animals were submitted to the same surgical steps except for the induction of acute pancreatitis. Mitochondrial oxidation and phosphorylation were measured polarographically by determining oxygen consumption without ADP (basal respiration, state 4) and in the presence of ADP (activated respiration, state 3). Serum amylase, transaminases (ALT and AST) and protein were also determined. Ascitic fluid, contents of amylase, trypsin and total protein were also determined and arterial blood pressure was measured in all groups. In ascitic fluid, trypsin and amylase increased reaching a maximum at 2 and 4 h, respectively. Serum amylase increased at 2 h reaching a maximum at 4 h. Serum transaminase levels increased at 12 and 24 h. After 2 h (and also 4 h) there was an increase in state 4 respiration (45.65 +/- 1.79 vs 28.96 +/- 1.50) and a decrease in respiration control rate (3.53 +/- 0.09 vs 4.45 +/- 0.08) and in the ADP/O ratio (1.77 +/- 0.02 vs 1.91 +/- 0.01) compared to controls (P < 0.05). These results indicate a disruption of mitochondrial function, which recovered after 12 h. In the 48-h groups there was mitochondrial damage similar to that occurring in ischemic lesion. Beat-to-beat analysis (30 min) showed that arterial blood pressure remained normal up to 24 h (111 +/- 3 mmHg) while a significant decrease occurred in the 48-h group (91 +/- 4 mmHg). These data suggest biphasic damage in mitochondrial function in acute pancreatitis: an initial uncoupled phase, possibly secondary to enzyme activity, followed by a temporary recovery and then a late and final dysfunction, associated with arterial hypotension, possibly related to ischemic damage.

Glutamate-malate metabolism in liver mitochondria. A model constructed on the basis of mitochondrial levels of enzymes, specificity, dissociation constants, and stoichiometry of hetero-enzyme complexes.

The level of aspartate aminotransferase in liver mitochondria was found to be approximately 140 microM, or 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than its dissociation constant in complexes with the inner mitochondrial membrane and the high molecular weight enzymes (M(r) = 1.6 x 10(5) to 2.7 x 10(6)) carbamyl-phosphate synthase I, glutamate dehydrogenase, and the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. The total concentration of aminotransferase-binding sites on these structures in liver mitochondria was more than sufficient to accommodate all of the aminotransferase. Therefore, in liver mitochondria, the aminotransferase could be associated with the inner mitochondrial membrane and/or these high molecular weight enzymes. The aminotransferase in these hetero-enzyme complexes could be supplied with oxalacetate because binding of aminotransferase to the high molecular weight enzymes can enhance binding of malate dehydrogenase, and binding of both malate dehydrogenase and the aminotransferase facilitated binding of fumarase. The level of malate dehydrogenase was found to be so high (140 microM) in liver mitochondria, compared with that of citrate synthase (25 microM) and the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (0.3 microM), that there would also be a sufficient supply of oxalacetate to citrate synthase-pyruvate dehydrogenase.

Mechanisms involved in the hormonal regulation of mitochondrial function through changes in the matrix volume

The stimulation of liver mitochondrial metabolism by hormones that raise cytosolic [Ca 2+] can be explained, in part, by a 20–40% increase in mitochondrial volume which activates many enzymes associated with the inner membrane. The swelling is caused by a rise in mitochondrial [Ca 2+], inhibition of mitochondrial pyrophosphatase and a consequent increase in matrix [PP i]. PP i interaction with the adenine nucleotide carrier stimulates electrogenic transport of K + into the matrix. At higher [Ca 2+] nonspecific increases in permeability occur through a calcium-dependent interaction of peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase with the carrier. This can be blocked by cyclosporin A.

Stimulation of the respiration rate of rat liver mitochondria by sub-micromolar concentrations of extramitochondrial Ca2+.

1. The respiration rate of rat liver mitochondria was stimulated by up to 70% when the extramitochondrial Ca2+ concentration was raised from 103 to 820 nM. This occurred when pyruvate, 2-oxoglutarate, or threo-(Ds)-isocitrate was employed as substrate, but not when succinate was used. 2. Ruthenium Red prevented the stimulation of mitochondrial respiration by extramitochondrial Ca2+, showing that the effect required Ca2+ uptake into the mitochondrial matrix. 3. Starvation of rats for 48 h abolished the stimulation of mitochondrial respiration by extramitochondrial Ca2+ when pyruvate was used as substrate, but did not affect the stimulation of 2-oxoglutarate oxidation by extramitochondrial Ca2+. 4. Our findings are in accord with proposals that oxidative metabolism in liver mitochondria may be stimulated by Ca2+ activation of intramitochondrial dehydrogenases.

Changes in metabolism of liver mitochondria after carcinogen administration

Changes in metabolism of liver mitochondria after carcinogen administration

Glucagon stimulation of liver mitochondrial CO2 fixation utilizing pyruvate generated inside the mitochondria.

Glucagon administration to the intact rat has been shown to stimulate pyruvate metabolism in liver mitochondria, presumably by increasing pyruvate transport into the organelle. In this report, we used alanine in place of pyruvate to examine the possibility that glucagon might stimulate pyruvate carboxylation per se independent of its postulated action on pyruvate transport. In agreement with previous reports, injection of a low dose of glucagon (50 micrograms/kg of rat) increased respiration, ATP synthesis, pyruvate decarboxylation, and CO2 fixation in liver mitochondria subsequently isolated. When alanine was used as a substrate, CO2 fixation, but not decarboxylation, was increased in liver mitochondria isolated from glucagon-treated rats. Pyruvate accumulation under these conditions was significantly lower in the glucagon-treated rat preparation. When mitochondria were incubated in a HCO3- -deficient buffer, pyruvate accumulation was identical in both preparations. The addition of a pyruvate transport inhibitor, alpha-cyanohydroxycinnamate (0.5 mM), inhibited CO2 fixation with pyruvate by 70%, but had no effect when alanine was used. Our data therefore suggest that glucagon stimluates mitochondrial pyruvate carboxylation independent of its possible action on pyruvate transport.