Mitochondrial acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Research Articles

Increased fatty acid oxidation enzyme activity in the hearts of mice fed a high fat diet does not correlate with improved cardiac contractile function

Changes in the acetylation status of mitochondrial proteins have been linked to the development of metabolic dysfunction in a number of tissues. Increased lysine acetylation has been reported in the hearts of obese mice, and is associated with changes in fuel metabolism, redox status, and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. In this study, we examined whether diet-induced changes in the acetylation of mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenases affected fatty acid oxidation enzyme activity and contractile function in the obese mouse heart. Exposure to a long-term high fat diet in wildtype mice led to the hyperacetylation of short- and long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenases SCAD and LCAD, which correlated with their increased enzymatic activity in vitro. Cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of the mitochondrial acetyltransferase-related protein GCN5L1 prevented both the hyperacetylation and increased activity of these enzymes under the same conditions of dietary excess. Despite the potential for increased cardiac fatty acid oxidation activity, wildtype mice did not display any increase in cardiac contractility following exposure to a high fat diet. We conclude that the potential energetic benefits of elevated fatty acid oxidation activity are not sufficient to counter the various deleterious effects of a high fat diet on cardiac function.

Role of mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenases in the metabolism of dicarboxylic fatty acids

Dicarboxylic fatty acids, taken as a nutritional supplement or produced endogenously via omega oxidation of monocarboxylic fatty acids, may have therapeutic potential for rare inborn errors of metabolism as well as common metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Breakdown of dicarboxylic acids yields acetyl-CoA and succinyl-CoA as products, the latter of which is anaplerotic for the TCA cycle. However, little is known about the metabolic pathways responsible for degradation of dicarboxylic acids. Here, we demonstrated with whole-cell fatty acid oxidation assays that both mitochondria and peroxisomes contribute to dicarboxylic acid degradation. Several mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenases were tested for activity against dicarboxylyl-CoAs. Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) exhibited activity with both six and 12 carbon dicarboxylyl-CoAs, and the capacity for dehydrogenation of these substrates was significantly reduced in MCAD knockout mouse liver. However, when dicarboxylic acids were fed to normal mice, the expression of MCAD did not change, while expression of peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation enzymes was greatly upregulated. In conclusion, mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, and in particular MCAD, contributes to dicarboxylic acid degradation, but feeding dicarboxylic acids induces only the peroxisomal pathway.

Tissue-Specific Strategies of the Very-Long Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase-Deficient (VLCAD−/−) Mouse to Compensate a Defective Fatty Acid β-Oxidation

Very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD)-deficiency is the most common long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorder presenting with heterogeneous phenotypes. Similar to many patients with VLCADD, VLCAD-deficient mice (VLCAD−/−) remain asymptomatic over a long period of time. In order to identify the involved compensatory mechanisms, wild-type and VLCAD−/− mice were fed one year either with a normal diet or with a diet in which medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) replaced long-chain triglycerides, as approved intervention in VLCADD. The expression of the mitochondrial long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCAD) and medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) was quantified at mRNA and protein level in heart, liver and skeletal muscle. The oxidation capacity of the different tissues was measured by LC-MS/MS using acyl-CoA substrates with a chain length of 8 to 20 carbons. Moreover, in white skeletal muscle the role of glycolysis and concomitant muscle fibre adaptation was investigated. In one year old VLCAD−/− mice MCAD and LCAD play an important role in order to compensate deficiency of VLCAD especially in the heart and in the liver. However, the white gastrocnemius muscle develops alternative compensatory mechanism based on a different substrate selection and increased glucose oxidation. Finally, the application of an MCT diet over one year has no effects on LCAD or MCAD expression. MCT results in the VLCAD−/− mice only in a very modest improvement of medium-chain acyl-CoA oxidation capacity restricted to cardiac tissue. In conclusion, VLCAD−/− mice develop tissue-specific strategies to compensate deficiency of VLCAD either by induction of other mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenases or by enhancement of glucose oxidation. In the muscle, there is evidence of a muscle fibre type adaptation with a predominance of glycolytic muscle fibres. Dietary modification as represented by an MCT-diet does not improve these strategies long-term.

Metabolic engineering of β-oxidation in Penicillium chrysogenum for improved semi-synthetic cephalosporin biosynthesis

Industrial production of semi-synthetic cephalosporins by Penicillium chrysogenum requires supplementation of the growth media with the side-chain precursor adipic acid. In glucose-limited chemostat cultures of P. chrysogenum, up to 88% of the consumed adipic acid was not recovered in cephalosporin-related products, but used as an additional carbon and energy source for growth. This low efficiency of side-chain precursor incorporation provides an economic incentive for studying and engineering the metabolism of adipic acid in P. chrysogenum. Chemostat-based transcriptome analysis in the presence and absence of adipic acid confirmed that adipic acid metabolism in this fungus occurs via β-oxidation. A set of 52 adipate-responsive genes included six putative genes for acyl-CoA oxidases and dehydrogenases, enzymes responsible for the first step of β-oxidation. Subcellular localization of the differentially expressed acyl-CoA oxidases and dehydrogenases revealed that the oxidases were exclusively targeted to peroxisomes, while the dehydrogenases were found either in peroxisomes or in mitochondria. Deletion of the genes encoding the peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase Pc20g01800 and the mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenase Pc20g07920 resulted in a 1.6- and 3.7-fold increase in the production of the semi-synthetic cephalosporin intermediate adipoyl-6-APA, respectively. The deletion strains also showed reduced adipate consumption compared to the reference strain, indicating that engineering of the first step of β-oxidation successfully redirected a larger fraction of adipic acid towards cephalosporin biosynthesis.

Cofactors and metabolites as potential stabilizers of mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenases

Protein misfolding is a hallmark of a number of metabolic diseases, in which fatty acid oxidation defects are included. The latter result from genetic deficiencies in transport proteins and enzymes of the mitochondrial β-oxidation, and milder disease conditions frequently result from conformational destabilization and decreased enzymatic function of the affected proteins. Small molecules which have the ability to raise the functional levels of the affected protein above a certain disease threshold are thus valuable tools for effective drug design. In this work we have investigated the effect of mitochondrial cofactors and metabolites as potential stabilizers in two β-oxidation acyl-CoA dehydrogenases: short chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and the medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase as well as glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase, which is involved in lysine and tryptophan metabolism. We found that near physiological concentrations (low micromolar) of FAD resulted in a spectacular enhancement of the thermal stabilities of these enzymes and prevented enzymatic activity loss during a 1 h incubation at 40 °C. A clear effect of the respective substrate, which was additive to that of the FAD effect, was also observed for short- and medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase but not for glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase. In conclusion, riboflavin may be beneficial during feverish crises in patients with short- and medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase as well as in glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiencies, and treatment with substrate analogs to butyryl- and octanoyl-CoAs could theoretically enhance enzyme activity for some enzyme proteins with inherited folding difficulties.

Exome sequencing identifies ACAD9 mutations as a cause of complex I deficiency

An isolated defect of respiratory chain complex I activity is a frequent biochemical abnormality in mitochondrial disorders. Despite intensive investigation in recent years, in most instances, the molecular basis underpinning complex I defects remains unknown. We report whole-exome sequencing of a single individual with severe, isolated complex I deficiency. This analysis, followed by filtering with a prioritization of mitochondrial proteins, led us to identify compound heterozygous mutations in ACAD9, which encodes a poorly understood member of the mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenase protein family. We demonstrated the pathogenic role of the ACAD9 variants by the correction of the complex I defect on expression of the wildtype ACAD9 protein in fibroblasts derived from affected individuals. ACAD9 screening of 120 additional complex I-defective index cases led us to identify two additional unrelated cases and a total of five pathogenic ACAD9 alleles.

In vitro probe acylcarnitine profiling assay using cultured fibroblasts and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry predicts severity of patients with glutaric aciduria type 2

Glutaric aciduria type 2 (multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, MAD) is a multiple defect of mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenases due to a deficiency of electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) or ETF dehydrogenase. The clinical spectrum are relatively wide from the neonatal onset, severe form (MAD-S) to the late-onset, milder form (MAD-M). In the present study, we determined whether the in vitro probe acylcarnitine assay using cultured fibroblasts and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) can evaluate their clinical severity or not. Incubation of cells from MAD-S patients with palmitic acid showed large increase in palmitoylcarnitine (C16), whereas the downstream acylcarnitines; C14, C12, C10 or C8 as well as C2, were extremely low. In contrast, accumulation of C16 was smaller while the amount of downstream metabolites was higher in fibroblasts from MAD-M compared to MAD-S. The ratio of C16/C14, C16/C12, or C16/C10, in the culture medium was significantly higher in MAD-S compared with that in MAD-M. Loading octanoic acid or myristic acid led to a significant elevation in C8 or C12, respectively in MAD-S, while their effects were less pronounced in MAD-M. In conclusion, it is possible to distinguish MAD-S and MAD-M by in vitro probe acylcarnitine profiling assay with various fatty acids as substrates. This strategy may be applicable for other metabolic disorders.

Concerted Action of Leptin in Regulation of Fatty Acid Oxidation in Skeletal Muscle and Liver

Central action of leptin on food intake and energy expenditure is integrated with leptin's peripheral action modulating the fatty acid and glucose metabolism and preventing the accumulation of lipids in nonadipose tissues. However, exact mechanism(s) of the leptin's action in the peripheral tissues has not yet been fully elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the effect of a single intravenous injection of leptin on palmitoyl-CoA and palmitoyl-carnitine oxidation rate in liver and skeletal muscle followed by measurements of the carnitine-palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT1) activity and activities of ss-oxidation enzymes in mitochondria (acyl-CoA dehydrogenase) and in peroxisomes (acyl-CoA oxidase) of rats. Animals were euthanized and tissues and serum harvested 15 min, 1 hour, 3 hours and 6 hours after leptin administration. Intravenous leptin injection increased mitochondrial palmitoyl-CoA oxidation rate in both liver (95%; P<0.025) and skeletal muscle (2.7-fold; P<0.05). This was paralleled by lowering hepatic (-156%; P<0.001) and skeletal muscle (-191%; P<0.001) triglyceride content. Leptin-induced elevation of palmitoyl-CoA oxidation rate in liver was paralleled by increased CPT1 activity (52%; P<0.05) and ss-oxidation capacity (52%; P<0.05). Lack of the leptin's effect on the CPT1-activity in muscle (20%; p=0.09) suggests the existence of an alternative pathway for increasing the palmitoyl-CoA-oxidation rate bypassing the CPT1 regulatory step. Interestingly, leptin stimulated the overall ss-oxidation capacity in muscle by 69% (P=0.027). This may indicate to an involvement of mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenases as well as of peroxisomal fat catabolism. Taken together, we showed that leptin acutely increases palmitoyl-CoA oxidation rate in liver and in skeletal muscle, which was associated with tissue specific effect on the CPT1 activity as well as on the downstream enzymes of fatty acid oxidation pathways in rat mitochondria and peroxisomes. Tangible evidence for the leptin-induced increase of fatty acid catabolism was provided by a lowered skeletal muscle and hepatic lipid deposition.

Controlling Electron Transfer in Acyl-CoA Oxidases and Dehydrogenases: A STRUCTURAL VIEW

Plants produce a unique peroxisomal short chain-specific acyl-CoA oxidase (ACX4) for beta-oxidation of lipids. The short chain-specific oxidase has little resemblance to other peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidases but has an approximately 30% sequence identity to mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenases. Two biochemical features have been linked to structural properties by comparing the structures of short chain-specific Arabidopsis thaliana ACX4 with and without a substrate analogue bound in the active site to known acyl-CoA oxidases and dehydrogenase structures: (i) a solvent-accessible acyl binding pocket is not required for oxygen reactivity, and (ii) the oligomeric state plays a role in substrate pocket architecture but is not linked to oxygen reactivity. The structures indicate that the acyl-CoA oxidases may encapsulate the electrons for transfer to molecular oxygen by blocking the dehydrogenase substrate interaction site with structural extensions. A small binding pocket observed adjoining the flavin adenine dinucleotide N5 and C4a atoms could increase the number of productive encounters between flavin adenine dinucleotide and O2.

Inhibition of very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase during cardiac ischemia

The heart utilizes primarily fatty acids for energy production. During ischemia, however, diminished oxygen supply necessitates a switch from β-oxidation of fatty acids to glucose utilization and glycolysis. Molecular mechanisms responsible for these alterations in metabolism are not fully understood. Mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenase catalyzes the first committed step in the β-oxidation of fatty acids. In the current study, an in vivo rat model of myocardial ischemia was utilized to determine whether specific acyl-CoA dehydrogenases exhibit ischemia-induced alterations in activity, identify mechanisms responsible for changes in enzyme function, and assess the effects on mitochondrial respiration. Very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) activity declined 34% during 30 min of ischemia. Loss in activity appeared specific to VLCAD as medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase activity remained constant. Loss in VLCAD activity during ischemia was not due to loss in protein content. In addition, activity was restored in the presence of the detergent Triton X-100, suggesting that changes in the interaction between the protein and inner mitochondrial membrane are responsible for ischemia-induced loss in activity. Palmitoyl-carnitine supported ADP-dependent state 3 respiration declined as a result of ischemia. When octanoyl-carnitine was utilized state 3 respiration remained unchanged. State 4 respiration increased during ischemia, an increase that appears specific to fatty acid utilization. Thus, VLCAD represents a likely site for the modulation of substrate utilization during myocardial ischemia. However, the dramatic increase in mitochondrial state 4 respiration would be predicted to accentuate the imbalance between energy production and utilization.

Acyl-CoA Oxidase 1 from Arabidopsis thaliana. Structure of a Key Enzyme in Plant Lipid Metabolism

The peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase family plays an essential role in lipid metabolism by catalyzing the conversion of acyl-CoA into trans-2-enoyl-CoA during fatty acid beta-oxidation. Here, we report the X-ray structure of the FAD-containing Arabidopsis thaliana acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACX1), the first three-dimensional structure of a plant acyl-CoA oxidase. Like other acyl-CoA oxidases, the enzyme is a dimer and it has a fold resembling that of mammalian acyl-CoA oxidase. A comparative analysis including mammalian acyl-CoA oxidase and the related tetrameric mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenases reveals a substrate-binding architecture that explains the observed preference for long-chained, mono-unsaturated substrates in ACX1. Two anions are found at the ACX1 dimer interface and for the first time the presence of a disulfide bridge in a peroxisomal protein has been observed. The functional differences between the peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidases and the mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenases are attributed to structural differences in the FAD environments.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors as regulators of lipid metabolism; tissue differential expression in adipose tissues during cold acclimatization and hibernation of jerboa ( Jaculus orientalis)

Brown (BAT) and white (WAT) adipose tissues play a key role in the body energy balance orchestrated by the central nervous system. Hibernators have developed a seasonal obesity to respond to inhospitable environment. Jerboa is one of the deep hibernator originated from sub-desert highlands. Thus, this animal represents an excellent model to study cold adaptation mechanism. We report that the adipogenic factor PPARγ exhibits a differential expression between BAT and WAT at mRNA level. A specific induction was only seen in WAT of pre-hibernating jerboa. Interestingly, PPAR β/δ is specifically induced in BAT and brain of pre-hibernating jerboa, highlighting for the first time the possible key role of this ubiquitous isoform in the cold adaptation of this true hibernator. Inductions of PPARγ 2 in WAT and PPAR β/δ in BAT are blunted by a hypolipemic drug, the ciprofibrate. These changes may be correlated with hibernation arrest and death of treated jerboa. Mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase activities in brown and white adipose tissues are decreased up to 85% during cold acclimatization (without food privation). These enzyme activities are subject to a strong induction in BAT and in WAT (3.4–7.5 fold) during the hibernation period. The BAT thermogenesis marker is also largely induced (~4 fold of UCP1 mRNA level) during pre-hibernation period. Unexpectedly, treatment with ciprofibrate deeply affects lipolysis in BAT by increasing acyl-CoA dehydrogenase activity (3.4 fold) and acyl-CoA oxidase at both activity and mRNA levels (2.8 and 3.8 fold, respectively) and enhances strongly UCP1 mRNA level (9.5 fold) during pre-hibernation.

Changes of peroxisomal fatty acid metabolism during cold acclimatization in hibernating jerboa ( Jaculus orientalis)

Jerboa ( Jaculus orientalis) is a deep hibernator originating from sub-desert highlands and represents an excellent model to help to understand the incidence of seasonal variations of food intake and of body as well as environmental temperatures on lipid metabolism. In jerboa, hibernation processes are characterized by changes in the size of mitochondria, the number of peroxisomes in liver and in the expression of enzymes linked to fatty acid metabolism. In liver and kidney, cold acclimatization shows an opposite effect on the activities of the mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (–50%) and the peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase (AOX) (+50%), while in brown and white adipose tissues, both activities are decreased down to 85%. These enzymes activities are subject to a strong induction in brown and in white adipose tissue (3.4- to 7.5-fold, respectively) during the hibernation period which is characterized by a low body temperature (around 10 °C) and by starvation. Expression level of AOX mRNA and protein are increased during both pre-hibernation and hibernation periods. Unexpectedly, treatment with ciprofibrate, a hypolipemic agent, deeply affects lipolysis in brown adipose tissue by increasing acyl-CoA dehydrogenase activity (3.4–fold), both AOX activity and mRNA levels (2.8- and 3.8-fold, respectively) during pre-hibernation. Therefore, during pre-hibernation acclimatization, there is a negative regulation of fatty acid degradation allowing to accumulate a lipid stock which is later degraded during the hibernation period (starvation) due to a positive regulation of enzymes providing the required energy for animal survival.

Anesthetic Considerations for a Patient with Compound Heterozygous Medium-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency

Anesthetic Considerations for a Patient with Compound Heterozygous Medium-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency

Three-Dimensional Structure of the Flavoenzyme Acyl-CoA Oxidase-II from Rat Liver, the Peroxisomal Counterpart of Mitochondrial Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase

Acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO) catalyzes the first and rate-determining step of the peroxisomal beta-oxidation of fatty acids. The crystal structure of ACO-II, which is one of two forms of rat liver ACO (ACO-I and ACO-II), has been solved and refined to an R-factor of 20.6% at 2.2-A resolution. The enzyme is a homodimer, and the polypeptide chain of the subunit is folded into the N-terminal alpha-domain, beta-domain, and C-terminal alpha-domain. The X-ray analysis showed that the overall folding of ACO-II less C-terminal 221 residues is similar to that of medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD). However, the N-terminal alpha- and beta-domains rotate by 13 with respect to the C-terminal alpha-domain compared with those in MCAD to give a long and large crevice that accommodates the cofactor FAD and the substrate acyl-CoA. FAD is bound to the crevice between the beta- and C-terminal domains with its adenosine diphosphate portion interacting extensively with the other subunit of the molecule. The flavin ring of FAD resides at the active site with its si-face attached to the beta-domain, and is surrounded by active-site residues in a mode similar to that found in MCAD. However, the residues have weak interactions with the flavin ring due to the loss of some of the important hydrogen bonds with the flavin ring found in MCAD. The catalytic residue Glu421 in the C-terminal alpha-domain seems to be too far away from the flavin ring to abstract the alpha-proton of the substrate acyl-CoA, suggesting that the C-terminal domain moves to close the active site upon substrate binding. The pyrimidine moiety of flavin is exposed to the solvent and can readily be attacked by molecular oxygen, while that in MCAD is protected from the solvent. The crevice for binding the fatty acyl chain is 28 A long and 6 A wide, large enough to accommodate the C23 acyl chain.

Purification and Characterization of a Novel Pumpkin Short-Chain Acyl-Coenzyme A Oxidase with Structural Similarity to Acyl-Coenzyme A Dehydrogenases

A novel pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) short-chain acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) oxidase (ACOX) was purified to homogeneity by hydrophobic-interaction, hydroxyapatite, affinity, and anion-exchange chromatography. The purified enzyme is a tetrameric protein, consisting of apparently identical 47-kD subunits. The protein structure of this oxidase differs from other plant and mammalian ACOXs, but is similar to the protein structure of mammalian mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (ACDH) and the recently identified plant mitochondrial ACDH. Subcellular organelle separation by sucrose density gradient centrifugation revealed that the enzyme is localized in glyoxysomes, whereas no immunoreactive bands of similar molecular weight were detected in mitochondrial fractions. The enzyme selectively catalyzes the oxidation of CoA esters of fatty acids with 4 to 10 carbon atoms, and exhibits the highest activity on C-6 fatty acids. Apparently, the enzyme has no activity on CoA esters of branched-chain or dicarboxylic fatty acids. The enzyme is slightly inhibited by high concentrations of substrate and it is not inhibited by Triton X-100 at concentrations up to 0.5% (v/v). The characteristics of this novel ACOX enzyme are discussed in relation to other ACOXs and ACDHs.

A Novel Acyl-CoA Oxidase That Can Oxidize Short-chain Acyl-CoA in Plant Peroxisomes

Short-chain acyl-CoA oxidases are beta-oxidation enzymes that are active on short-chain acyl-CoAs and that appear to be present in higher plant peroxisomes and absent in mammalian peroxisomes. Therefore, plant peroxisomes are capable of performing complete beta-oxidation of acyl-CoA chains, whereas mammalian peroxisomes can perform beta-oxidation of only those acyl-CoA chains that are larger than octanoyl-CoA (C8). In this report, we have shown that a novel acyl-CoA oxidase can oxidize short-chain acyl-CoA in plant peroxisomes. A peroxisomal short-chain acyl-CoA oxidase from Arabidopsis was purified following the expression of the Arabidopsis cDNA in a baculovirus expression system. The purified enzyme was active on butyryl-CoA (C4), hexanoyl-CoA (C6), and octanoyl-CoA (C8). Cell fractionation and immunocytochemical analysis revealed that the short-chain acyl-CoA oxidase is localized in peroxisomes. The expression pattern of the short-chain acyl-CoA oxidase was similar to that of peroxisomal 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, a marker enzyme of fatty acid beta-oxidation, during post-germinative growth. Although the molecular structure and amino acid sequence of the enzyme are similar to those of mammalian mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, the purified enzyme has no activity as acyl-CoA dehydrogenase. These results indicate that the short-chain acyl-CoA oxidases function in fatty acid beta-oxidation in plant peroxisomes, and that by the cooperative action of long- and short-chain acyl-CoA oxidases, plant peroxisomes are capable of performing the complete beta-oxidation of acyl-CoA.

Protein misfolding and degradation in genetic diseases.

Investigations of genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, phenylketonuria, mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiencies, and many others have shown that enhanced proteolytic degradation of mutant proteins is a common molecular pathological mechanism. Detailed studies of the fate of mutant proteins in some of these diseases have revealed that impaired or aberrant folding of mutant polypeptides typically results in prolonged interaction with molecular chaperones and degradation by intracellular proteases before the functional conformation is acquired. This appears to be the case for many missense mutations and short in-frame deletions or insertions that represent a major fraction of the mutations detected in genetic diseases. In some diseases, or under some circumstances, the degradation system is not efficient. Instead, aberrant folding leads to accumulation of protein aggregates that damage the cell. Mechanisms by which misfolded proteins are selected for degradation have first been delineated for the endoplasmatic reticulum; this process has been termed "protein quality control." Similar mechanisms appear to be operative in all cellular compartments in which proteins fold. Within the context of genetic diseases, we review knowledge on the molecular processes underlying protein quality control in the various subcellular compartments. The important impact of such systems for variability of the expression of genetic deficiencies is emphasised.

Elimination reactions in the medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase: bioactivation of cytotoxic 4-thiaalkanoic acids.

A range of 4-thiaacyl-CoA derivatives has been synthesized to study the bioactivation of cytotoxic fatty acids by the mitochondrial medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and the peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase. Both enzymes catalyze alpha-proton abstraction from normal acyl-CoA substrates with elimination of a beta-hydride equivalent to the FAD prosthetic group. In competition with this oxidation reaction, 4-thiaacyl-CoA thioesters undergo dehydrogenase-catalyzed beta-elimination, providing that the corresponding thiolates are sufficiently good leaving groups and can be accommodated by the active site of the enzyme. Thus, the dehydrogenase catalyzes the elimination of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole and 4-nitrothiophenolate from 4-(2-benzothiazole)-4-thiabutanoyl-CoA and 4-(4-nitrophenyl)-4-thiabutanoyl-CoA, respectively. However, the 2,4-dinitrophenyl-analogue appears too bulky and the unsubstituted thiophenyl-derivative is insufficiently activated for significant elimination. Molecular modeling shows that steric interference from the flavin ring dictates a syn rather than an anti elimination. Acryloyl-CoA, the other product of 4-thiaacyl-CoA elimination reactions, is not a significant inactivator of the medium-chain dehydrogenase. In contrast, the irreversible inactivation observed during beta-elimination using 5,6-dichloro-4-thia-5-hexenoyl-CoA (DCTH-CoA), 5,6-dichloro-7,7,7-trifluoro-4-thia-5-heptenoyl-CoA (DCTFTH-CoA), and 6-chloro-5,5,6-trifluoro-4-thiahexanoyl-CoA (CTFTH-CoA) is caused by release of cytotoxic thiolate products within the active site of the dehydrogenase. The double bond between C5 and C6 found in the vinylic analogues DCTH- and DCTFTH-CoA is not essential for enzyme inactivation, although CTFTH-CoA is a weaker inhibitor of the dehydrogenase. Mechanism-based inactivation with CTFTH-CoA requires elimination, is unaffected by exogenous nucleophiles, and is strongly protected by octanoyl-CoA. The peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase efficiently oxidizes 4-thiaacyl-CoA analogues, but is only rapidly inactivated by DCTFTH-CoA. The variable ratio of elimination to oxidation observed for DCTH-, DCTFTH-, and CTFTH-CoA may influence the metabolism of the corresponding cytotoxic alkanoic acids in vivo.

Rat very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, a novel mitochondrial acyl-CoA dehydrogenase gene product, is a rate-limiting enzyme in long-chain fatty acid beta-oxidation system. cDNA and deduced amino acid sequence and distinct specificities of the cDNA-expressed protein.

cDNA encoding the precursor of rat very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) was cloned and sequenced. The longest cDNA insert had 2117 bases. This cDNA encodes the entire protein of 655 amino acids, including a 40-amino acid leader peptide and a 615-amino acid mature polypeptide. The identity of the VLCAD clone was confirmed by matching the amino acid sequence predicted from the cDNA to the NH2 terminus and seven internal proteolytic peptide sequences from purified rat liver VLCAD. The calculated molecular masses of the precursor protein, the mature protein, and the leader peptide are 70,961, 66,508, and 4,470 daltons, respectively. At the amino acid level, the significant homology to the other acyl-CoA dehydrogenases was found at the range from the 94th to the 473rd amino acid residue of the amino-terminal side. The catalytic residue and the residue lying near the dimethylbenzene side (si-side) of the flavin ring were speculated to be Glu-462 and Trp-249, respectively. The VLCAD cDNA was expressed in four kinds of hepatoma cells using a vaccinia virus expression system and was shown to encode the catalytically active enzyme. The cDNA expression in both rat hepatoma H4IIEC3 and McA-RH7777 enhanced about 3-fold mitochondrial beta-oxidation activity of long-chain fatty acids such as palmitic acid and stearic acid; hence, VLCAD is probably a rate-limiting enzyme in the long-chain fatty acid beta-oxidation system in these cell lines.