Molecular cloning of two different cDNAs for maize acetyl CoA carboxylase

Acetyl CoA carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.2) in plants is a chloroplast-localized, biotin-containing enzyme that catalyses the carboxylation of acetyl CoA to malonyl CoA, the first committed step of the fatty acid biosynthesis pathway. Acetyl CoA carboxylase is the target site for the monocotyledon-specific aryloxyphenoxypropionate and cyclohexanedione groups of herbicides. We have purified a herbicide-sensitive acetyl CoA carboxylase from maize leaves to homogeneity (specific activity 7 mumol min-1 mg-1), separating it during the purification from a minor herbicide-resistant acetyl CoA carboxylase. The purified enzyme is a dimer of 230 kDa subunits. Antibodies raised to the purified acetyl CoA carboxylase detected three cross-reacting clones in a maize leaf cDNA expression library, each having an insert of 4-4.5 kb. Restriction analysis and sequencing showed that the cDNAs were derived from two different transcripts. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences with those of chicken and yeast acetyl CoA carboxylases confirmed that both types encoded acetyl CoA carboxylase, corresponding to the C-terminal half of the enzyme. The overall identity of the maize and chicken sequences was 37% (58% similarity) but for some shorter regions was much higher. Analysis of six other acetyl CoA carboxylase clones recovered from the maize cDNA library showed four belonged to one type and two to the other. The nucleotide sequence similarity between the two types of cDNA was approximately 95% in the coding region but considerably less in the 3'-untranslated region. Northern blot analysis of maize RNA showed a single band of 8.2-8.5 kb for acetyl CoA carboxylase mRNA. Southern blot hybridisations indicated that there are probably no more than two genes in maize for acetyl CoA carboxylase. The possible significance of two different cDNAs for acetyl CoA carboxylase is discussed.

Cloning and characterization of the gene that encodes acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase in the alga Cyclotella cryptica

The gene that encodes acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase; EC 6.4.1.2) in the eukaryotic alga Cyclotella cryptica has been isolated and cloned, representing the first time that a full-length gene for this enzyme has been isolated from a photosynthetic organism. The gene contains a 447-base pair intron that is located near the putative translation initiation codon and a 73-base pair intron that is located slightly upstream from the region that encodes the biotin binding site of the enzyme. The gene encodes a polypeptide that is predicted to be composed of 2089 amino acids and to have a molecular mass of 230 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence exhibits strong similarity to the sequences of animal and yeast ACCases in the biotin carboxylase and carboxyltransferase domains. There is less sequence similarity in the biotin carboxyl carrier protein domain, although the highly conserved Met-Lys-Met of the biotin binding site is present. The amino terminus of the predicted ACCase sequence has characteristics of a signal sequence, suggesting that the enzyme is imported into chloroplasts via the endoplasmic reticulum, as has been shown to be the case for certain nuclear-encoded proteins that are transported into the chloroplasts of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Southern blot analyses suggest that a single copy of this gene is present in C. cryptica.

Analytical and micropreparative peptide mapping by high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry of proteins purified by gel electrophoresis

We report the use of microbore reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography connected on-line to an electrospray mass spectrometer for the separation/detection of peptides derived by proteolytic digestion of proteins separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A small fraction (typically 10% of the total) of the peptides eluting from the column was diverted through a flow-splitting device into the ion source of the mass spectrometer, whereas the majority of the peptide samples was collected for further analyses. We demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining reproducible peptide maps from submicrogram amounts of protein applied to the gel and good correlation of the signal detected by the mass spectrometer with peptide detection by UV absorbance. Furthermore, independently verifiable peptide masses were determined from subpicomole amounts of peptides directed into the mass spectrometer. The method was used to analyze the 265-kDa and the 280-kDa isoforms of the enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase isolated from rat liver. The results provide compelling evidence that the two enzyme isoforms are translation products of different genes and suggest that these approaches may be of general utility in the definitive comparison of protein isoforms. We furthermore illustrate that knowledge of peptide masses as determined by this technique provides a major advantage for error-free data interpretation in chemical high-sensitivity peptide sequence analysis.

Wheat acetyl-CoA carboxylase

The acetyl-CoA carboxylase present in both wheat germ and total wheat leaf protein contains ca. 220 kDa subunits. It is the major biotin-dependent carboxylase present in wheat chloroplasts. Active acetyl-CoA carboxylase purified from wheat germ is a homodimer with an apparent molecular mass of ca. 500 kDa. The enzyme from wheat germ or from wheat chloroplasts is sensitive to the herbicide haloxyfop at micromolar levels. The incorporation of 14C-acetate into fatty acids in freshly cut wheat seedling leaves provides a convenient in vivo assay for both acetyl-CoA carboxylase and haloxyfop.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase from yeast is an essential enzyme and is regulated by factors that control phospholipid metabolism

We have isolated a 1.2-kilobase pair cDNA fragment in a screening for yeast genes regulated at the level of transcription by soluble lipid precursors, inositol and choline. Sequence analysis and comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence to protein databases unveiled 68% similarity of a 374-amino acid peptide fragment to published C termini of chicken and rat acetyl-CoA carboxylase and almost 100% identity to the product of the FAS3 gene from yeast. Several lines of evidence confirm that the cloned gene represents the yeast structural gene ACC1 encoding acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Overexpression of the ACC1 gene from a high copy number plasmid resulted in overexpression of a 250-kDa biotin-enzyme and enzymatic activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Disruption of one ACC1 allele in a diploid wild-type strain resulted in 50% reduction of ACC1-specific mRNA and acetyl-CoA carboxylase specific activity and a marked decrease of biotin associated with a 250-kDa protein, compared to wild-type. After sporulation of diploid disruptants, spores containing the disrupted acc1 allele failed to enter vegetative growth, despite fatty acid supplementation, suggesting that acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity is essential for a process other than de novo fatty acid synthesis and that only a single functional copy of the ACC1 gene exists. ACC1 transcription was repressed 3-fold by lipid precursors, inositol and choline, and was also controlled by regulatory factors Ino2p, Ino4p, and Opi1p, providing evidence that the key step of fatty acid synthesis is regulated in conjunction with phospholipid synthesis at the level of gene expression. The 5'-untranslated region of the ACC1 gene contains a sequence reminiscent of an inositol/choline-responsive element identified in genes encoding phospholipid biosynthetic enzymes.

The genes encoding the two carboxyltransferase subunits of Escherichia coli acetyl-CoA carboxylase

We report characterization of the component proteins and molecular cloning of the genes encoding the two subunits of the carboxyltransferase component of the Escherichia coli acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Peptide mapping of the purified enzyme component indicates that the carboxyltransferase component is a complex of two nonidentical subunits, a 35-kDa alpha subunit and a 33-kDa beta subunit. The alpha subunit gene encodes a protein of 319 residues and is located immediately downstream of the polC gene (min 4.3 of the E. coli genetic map). The deduced amino acid composition, molecular mass, and amino acid sequence match those determined for the purified alpha subunit. Six sequenced internal peptides also match the deduced sequence. The amino-terminal sequence of the beta subunit was found within a previously identified open reading frame of unknown function called dedB and usg (min 50 of the E. coli genetic map) which encodes a protein of 304 residues. Comparative peptide mapping also indicates that the dedB/usg gene encodes the beta subunit. Moreover, the deduced molecular mass and amino acid composition of the dedB/usg-encoded protein closely match those determined for the beta subunit. The deduced amino acid sequences of alpha and beta subunits show marked sequence similarities to the COOH-terminal half and the NH2-terminal halves, respectively, of the rat propionyl-CoA carboxylase, a biotin-dependent carboxylase that catalyzes a similar carboxyltransferase reaction reaction. Several conserved regions which may function as CoA-binding sites are noted.

Cloning of the yeast FAS3 gene and primary structure of yeast acetyl-CoA carboxylase

We have isolated and determined the nucleotide sequence of the yeast FAS3 gene, which encodes acetyl-CoA carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.2). The sequence has an open reading frame of 6711 bases coding for a protein of 2237 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 250,593. The presence of the unique biotin-binding site, Met-Lys-Met, and the known CNBr peptide and COOH-terminal sequences confirmed the nucleotide-derived amino acid sequence. The yeast, chicken, and rat carboxylases have an overall sequence identity of 34%, suggesting that the eukaryotic carboxylase evolved from a single ancestral gene. The amino acid sequences of yeast fatty acid synthase subunits are least homologous with the animal synthase sequences, whereas carboxylase sequences are highly conserved. The sequences of the ATP, HCO3-, and CoA binding sites of the carboxylases are also well conserved (approximately 50% identical). The sequences surrounding the biotin binding site are poorly conserved, suggesting that this sequence may not be critical as long as the biotin is available for carboxylase reactions. On the basis of this sequence identity, we have defined the putative biotin carboxylase and transcarboxylase domains.

Coenzyme A esters of 2-aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicides and 2-arylpropionate antiinflammatory drugs are potent and stereoselective inhibitors of rat liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase

The CoA esters of diclofop, haloxyfop and fluazifop are up to 425-fold more potent than the corresponding unconjugated herbicides as inhibitors of rat liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.2); the most potent inhibitor is (R)-fluazifopyl-CoA2 (Ki = 0.03 microM). The binding site is stereoselective for (R)-diclofop, the herbicidally active enantiomer, and for (R)-diclofopyl-CoA. The CoA esters of the antiinflammatory drugs ibuprofen and fenoprofen also strongly inhibit this carboxylase. (S)-Ibuprofenyl-CoA (Ki = 0.7 microM), the CoA ester of the enantiomer with antiinflammatory activity, is 15-fold more potent as an inhibitor than (R)-ibuprofenyl-CoA. These results suggest that some of the biological effects of these herbicides and antiinflammatory drugs in animals may be due to the inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase by their acyl-CoA derivatives.

Diurnal rhythm of phosphorylation of rat liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase by the AMP-activated protein kinase, demonstrated using freeze-clamping. Effects of high fat diets

1. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase was purified to homogeneity, in the presence of protein phosphatase inhibitors, from rat liver sampled without freeze-clamping. The enzyme was in a highly phosphorylated state (4.8 mol/subunit) of low specific activity, and could be dramatically reactivated by treatment with protein phosphatase-2A. Amino acid sequencing and fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry showed that the enzyme was phosphorylated in Ser79, Ser1200 and Ser1215, the three sites known to be phosphorylated in cell-free assays by the AMP-activated protein kinase. 2. The inactive enzyme could also be completely reactivated using a limited treatment with trypsin, which removes the N-terminal segment containing Ser79 and reduces the phosphate content to 3.5 mol/subunit. These results strengthen previous findings that it is phosphorylation at Ser79 by the AMP-activated protein kinase that is responsible for the inactivation, and not the phosphorylation of the 220-kDa core fragment (which contains Ser1200 and Ser1215). 3. Analysis of the phosphorylation state of Ser79 in acetyl-CoA carboxylase from rat liver showed that phosphorylation occurs post mortem if freeze-clamping is not used. The higher phosphorylation observed in extracts made without freeze-clamping correlates with a large increase in AMP and decrease in ATP (presumably caused by hypoxia during removal of the liver), and with increased activity of the AMP-activated protein kinase. These results provide a rational explanation for the post mortem phosphorylation events, and re-emphasize the point that rapid cooling of cells and tissues is essential when measuring the expressed activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (as well as 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase). 4. Using the freeze-clamping procedure, the ratio of 'expressed' activity (measured in the presence of protein phosphatase inhibitors) to 'total' activity (measured after complete dephosphorylation) of rat liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase showed a marked diurnal rhythm, changing from 50% in the active form in the middle of the dark period to less than 10% active in the middle of the light period. The very low activity in the light period was associated with a high level of phosphorylation in Ser79. This diurnal rhythm is very similar to that previously described for the phosphorylation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, another substrate for the AMP-activated protein kinase. Neither the activity of the AMP-activated protein kinase nor the content of AMP, ADP or ATP changed between the dark or light periods.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Purification, characterization, and ontogeny of acetyl-CoA carboxylase isozyme of chick embryo brain

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase catalyzes the first committed step in the synthesis of fatty acids. Because fatty acids are required during myelination in the developing brain, it was proposed that the level of acetyl-CoA carboxylase may be highest in embryonic brain. The presence of acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity was detected in chick embryo brain. Its activity varied with age, showing a peak in the 17-18-day-old embryo and decreasing thereafter. The enzyme, affinity-purified from 18-day-old chick embryo brain, appeared as a major protein band on polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (Mr 265,000), indistinguishable from the 265 kDa isozyme of liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase. It had significant activity (Sp act = 1.1 mumol/min per mg protein) in the absence of citrate. There was a maximum stimulation of only 25% in the presence of citrate. Dephosphorylation using [acetyl-CoA carboxylase] phosphatase 2 did not result in activation of the enzyme. Palmitoyl-CoA (0.1 mM) and malonyl-CoA (1 mM) inhibited the activity to 95% and 71%, respectively. Palmitoylcarnitine, however, did not show significant inhibition. The enzyme was inhibited (greater than 95%) by avidin; however, avidin did not show significant inhibition in the presence of excess biotin. The enzyme was also inhibited (greater than 90%) by antibodies against liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase. An immunoblot or avidin-blot detected only one protein band (Mr 265,000) in preparations from chick embryo brain or adult liver. These observations suggest that acetyl-CoA carboxylase is present in embryonic brain and that the enzyme appears to be similar to the 265 kDa isozyme of liver.

Evidence that AMP triggers phosphorylation as well as direct allosteric activation of rat liver AMP-activated protein kinase. A sensitive mechanism to protect the cell against ATP depletion

1. In freshly isolated rat hepatocytes, the activity of the AMP-activated protein kinase is high, but decreases by 5-10-fold during incubation of the cells for 60 min. The expressed activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase is initially very low, then rises in a reciprocal manner to the AMP-activated protein kinase activity. For both enzymes, treatment of partially purified preparations under dephosphorylating conditions abolishes the difference in activity between freshly isolated and preincubated cells. Thus, both the high activity of the AMP-activated protein kinase and the low activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in freshly isolated cells can be explained by phosphorylation. 2. Immediately after isolation, the hepatocytes have AMP/ATP ratios that are unphysiologically high (approximately 1:1.5). During incubation of the cells for 60 min, AMP levels fall and ATP levels rise so that the ratio becomes about 1:15, close to previous estimates of the ratio in freeze-clamped liver. The fall in AMP/ATP ratio precedes the decrease in AMP-activated protein kinase activity. 3. In cells which have been incubated for 60 min, treatment with 20 mM fructose, which causes a large but transient increase in the AMP/ATP ratio, also causes concomitant activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase and inactivation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. 4. In all cases described above, the increases in activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase were blocked by treatment with the cell-permeable protein phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid. However, the decreases in activity of the AMP-activated protein kinase were not blocked by this inhibitor. This is consistent with the finding that okadaic-acid-insensitive protein phosphatase 2C is the most effective at dephosphorylating the kinase in cell-free assays. 5. The results above suggested that AMP either promotes phosphorylation, or inhibits dephosphorylation, of the kinase. Studies in a partially purified cell-free system suggested that the former hypothesis was correct; reactivation of dephosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase by kinase kinase was completely dependent on the presence of AMP. 6. Our results, obtained in both intact cells and a cell-free system, suggest that rises in the AMP/ATP ratio promote phosphorylation of the AMP-activated protein kinase by the kinase kinase, as well as causing direct allosteric activation. This represents a very sensitive system for switching off lipid biosynthetic pathways when ATP levels are limiting. The results with okadaic acid also suggest that protein phosphatase 2C is mainly responsible for dephosphorylation of the AMP-activated protein kinase in intact hepatocytes.

Alterations of hepatic acetyl-CoA carboxylase by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

The effect of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) activity and synthesis was examined. Male Wistar rats received a single i.p. injection of TCDD (53 micrograms/kg), and nine days later body weight, liver weight, hepatic lipid, ACC activity and mass were determined and compared to pair-fed controls. Body weights of TCDD-treated animals decreased, while liver weights increased resulting in an increase in liver to body weight ratios. ACC activity was decreased by 65%, however sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western analysis using a biotin specific probe revealed that ACC protein levels were not appreciably changed. In addition, there was a large increase in exogenous lipid material in TCDD-treated livers as determined by osmium tetroxide staining. These data suggest that the decrease in ACC activity may be due to direct inhibition of the enzyme by negative allosteric interactions with free fatty acids released from adipose tissue that subsequently accumulate in liver.

Endogenous biotinylated proteins in Dictyostelium discoideum

Biotin-dependent enzymes are involved in carboxylation, decarboxylation and transcarboxylation reactions. Here, we have used sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and electroblotting followed by probing with avidin to identify biotin-containing polypeptides in Dictyostelium discoideum. Twenty biotinyl polypeptides were visualized, with a 23 kDa protein appearing transiently. Based upon the molecular mobility of the biotinyl polypeptides, D. discoideum may contain the biotin-dependent enzymes acetyl CoA carboxylase, proprionyl CoA carboxylase, pyruvate carboxylase, and 3-methylcrotonyl CoA carboxylase.

Yeast acetyl-CoA carboxylase: in vitro phosphorylation by mammalian and yeast protein kinases

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) is regulated in mammalian tissues, in part, by multisite enzyme phosphorylation. Yeast ACC (Y-ACC) has been highly purified from S. cerevisiae by monomeric avidin-Sepharose chromatography, revealing an enzyme subunit species of molecular mass 265,000 Da. Unlike mammalian enzyme, Y-ACC is citrate-independent, and reacts weakly or not at all with a panel of anti-rat liver ACC antibodies. Like rat ACC, Y-ACC is rapidly phosphorylated and inactivated by two mammalian carboxylase kinases, the cAMP-dependent protein kinase and 5'-AMP-stimulated kinase. It is also phosphorylated by rat liver casein kinase II, but without any change in catalytic activity. Three major yeast protein kinases active on ACC have been fractionated; all co-elute with kinases active on casein, but each appears to be a distinct catalytic species. Like the mammalian casein kinases, however, phosphorylation of ACC by these yeast kinases does not alter yeast ACC activity. Taken together, these data indicate that Y-ACC possesses at least two classes of phosphorylation sites, one or more of which acutely regulates enzyme activity. Alterations in Y-ACC phosphorylation in yeast, as in mammalian tissues, could be an important modulator of the rates of fatty acid synthesis.

Acute hormonal control of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. The roles of insulin, glucagon, and epinephrine

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase, purified from rapidly freeze-clamped livers of rats maintained on a normal laboratory diet and given 0-5 units of insulin shortly before death, gives a major protein band (Mr 265,000) on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The carboxylase from untreated rats has relatively low activity (0.8 unit/mg protein when assayed in the absence of citrate) and high phosphate content (8.5 mol of Pi/mol of subunit), while the enzyme from livers of rats that received 5 units of insulin has higher activity (2.0 units/mg protein) and lower phosphate content (7.0 mol of Pi/mol of subunit). Addition of citrate activates both preparations with half-maximal activation (K0.5) at 1.0 and 0.6 mM citrate, respectively. The enzyme from rats that did not receive insulin is mainly in the octameric state (Mr approximately 2 x 10(6)), while that from rats that received insulin is mainly in the polymeric state (Mr approximately 10 x 10(6)). Thus, short-term administration of insulin results in activation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, lowering of its citrate requirement, and dephosphorylation and polymerization of the protein. The insulin-induced changes in the carboxylase are probably due to dephosphorylation of the protein since similar changes are observed when the enzyme from rats that did not receive insulin is dephosphorylated by the Mn2(+)-dependent [acetyl-CoA carboxylase]-phosphatase 2. The effect of glucagon or epinephrine administration on acetyl-CoA carboxylase was also investigated. The carboxylase from fasted/refed rats has a relatively high specific activity (3.4 units/mg protein in the absence of citrate), lower phosphate content (4.9 mol of Pi/mol of subunit), and is present mainly in the polymeric state (Mr approximately 10 x 10(6)). Addition of citrate activates the enzyme with K0.5 = 0.2 mM citrate. Glucagon or epinephrine injection of fasted/refed rats yielded carboxylase with lower specific activity (1.4 or 1.9 units/mg, respectively, in the absence of citrate), higher phosphate content (6.4 or 6.7 mol of Pi/mol of subunit, respectively), and mainly in the octameric state (Mr approximately 2 x 10(6)). Treatment of these preparations with [acetyl-CoA carboxylase]-phosphatase 2 reactivated the enzyme (specific activity approximately 8 units/mg protein in the absence of citrate) and polymerized the protein (Mr approximately 10 x 10(6]. These observations indicate that insulin and glucagon, by altering the phosphorylation state of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase, play antagonistic roles in the acetyl-control of its activity and therefore in the regulation of fatty acid synthesis.

Affinity labelling of rat liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase by a 2',3'-dialdehyde derivative of ATP

The interaction of rat liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase with a 2',3'-dialdehyde derivative of ATP (oATP) has been studied. The degree of the enzyme inactivation has been found to depend on the oATP concentration and the incubation time. ATP was proved to be the only substrate which protected the inactivation. Acetyl-CoA did not effect inactivation, while HCO3- accelerated the process. Ki values for oATP in the absence and presence of HCO3- were 0.35 +/- 0.04 and 0.5 +/- 0.06 mM, and those of the modification constant (kmod) were 0.11 and 0.26 min-1 respectively. oATP completely inhibited the [14C]ADP in equilibrium ATP exchange and did not effect the [14C]acetyl-CoA in equilibrium malonyl-CoA exchange. Incorporation of approximately 1 equivalent of [3H]oATP per acetyl-CoA carboxylase subunit has been shown. No recovery of the modified enzyme activity has been observed in Tris or beta-mercaptoethanol containing buffers, and treatment with NaB3H4 has not led to 3H incorporation. The modification elimination of the ATP triphosphate chain. The results indicated the affinity modification of acetyl-CoA carboxylase by oATP. It was shown that the reagent apparently interacted selectively with the epsilon-amino group of lysine in the ATP-binding site to form a morpholine-like structure.

Formation of malonyl coenzyme A in rat heart. Identification and purification of an isozyme of A carboxylase from rat heart

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase is thought to be absent in the heart since the latter is highly catabolic and nonlipogenic. It has been suggested that the high level of malonyl-CoA that is found in the heart is derived from mitochondrial propionyl-CoA carboxylase, which also uses acetyl-CoA. In the present study, acetyl-CoA carboxylase was identified and purified from homogenates of rat heart. The isolated enzyme had little activity in the absence of citrate (specific activity, less than 0.1 units/mg); however, citrate stimulated its activity (specific activity, 1.8 units/mg in the presence of 10 mM citrate). Avidin inhibited greater than 95% of activity, and addition of biotin reversed this inhibition. Further, malonyl-CoA (1 mM) and palmitoyl-CoA (100 microM) inhibited greater than 90% of carboxylase activity. Similar to acetyl-CoA carboxylase of lipogenic tissues, the heart enzyme could be activated greater than 6-fold by preincubation with liver (acetyl-CoA carboxylase)-phosphatase 2. The activation was accompanied by a decrease in the K0.5 for citrate to 0.68 mM. These observations suggest that the activity in preparations from heart is due to authentic acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the preparation from heart showed the presence of one major protein band (Mr 280,000) and a minor band (Mr 265,000) while that from liver gave a major protein band (Mr 265,000). A Western blot probed with avidin-peroxidase suggested that both the 280- and 265-kDa species contained biotin. Antibodies to liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase, which inhibited greater than 95% of liver carboxylase activity, inhibited only 35% of heart enzyme activity. In an immunoblot (using antibodies to liver enzyme) the 265-kDa species, and not the major 280-kDa species, in the heart preparation was specifically stained. These observations suggest the presence of two isoenzymes of acetyl-CoA carboxylase that are immunologically distinct, the 265-kDa species being predominant in the liver and the 280-kDa species being predominant in the heart.

Isolation and identification of acetyl-CoA carboxylase from rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) liver

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase is the pivotal enzyme in the de novo synthesis of fatty acids and is the only carboxylase with a biotin-containing subunit greater than 200,000 daltons. The biotin moiety is covalently linked to the active site and has a high affinity (Kd = 10(-15) M) for the protein avidin. This relationship has been used in previous studies to identify acetyl-CoA carboxylase isolated from mammalian species. However, acetyl-CoA carboxylase has not been isolated and characterized in a poikilothermic species such as the rainbow trout. The present study describes the isolation and identification of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in the cytosol of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) liver. The enzyme was isolated using two distinct procedures--polyethylene glycol precipitation and avidin-Sepharose affinity chromatography. Identification of the isolated protein as acetyl-CoA carboxylase was made by the following: (1) sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; (2) avidin binding; (3) in vivo labeling with [14C]biotin; and (4) acetyl-CoA carboxylase-specific activity. The subunit molecular weight of the major protein was 230,000 daltons +/- 3.3%. This protein was shown to bind avidin (Mr = 16,600) prior to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicating the presence of biotin. In addition, protein isolated from fish that had previously received intraperitoneal injections of [14C]biotin, showed the majority of radioactivity associated with the 230,000 dalton protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Regulation of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase. I. Purification and properties of two forms of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase from rat liver

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase of animal tissues is known to be dependent on citrate for its activity. The observation that dephosphorylation abolishes its citrate dependence (Thampy, K. G., and Wakil, S. J. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 6318-6323) suggested that the citrate-independent form might exist in vivo. We have purified such a form from rapidly freeze-clamped livers of rats. Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis of the enzyme gave one protein band (Mr 250,000). The preparation has high specific activity (3.5 units/mg in the absence of citrate) and low phosphate content (5.0 mol of Pi/mol of subunit). The enzyme isolated from unfrozen liver or liver kept in ice-cold sucrose solution for 10 min and then freeze-clamped has low activity (0.3 unit/mg) and high phosphate content (7-8 mol of Pi/mol of subunit). Citrate activated such preparations with half-maximal activation at greater than 1.6 mM, well above physiological range. The low activity may be due to its high phosphate content because dephosphorylation by [acetyl-CoA carboxylase]-phosphatase 2 activates the enzyme and reduces its dependence on citrate. Since freeze-clamping the liver yields enzyme with lower phosphate content and higher activity, it is suggested that the carboxylase undergoes rapid phosphorylation and consequent inactivation after the excision of the liver. The carboxylase is made up of two polymeric forms of Mr greater than or equal to 10 million and 2 million based on gel filtration on Superose 6. The former, which predominates in preparations from freeze-clamped liver, has higher activity and lower phosphate content (5.3 units/mg and 4.0 mol of Pi/mol of subunit, respectively) than the latter (2.0 units/mg and 6.0 mol of Pi/mol of subunit, respectively). The latter, which predominates in preparations from unfrozen liver, is converted to the active polymer (Mr greater than or equal to 10 million) by dephosphorylation. Thus, the two polymeric forms are interconvertible by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation and may be important in the physiological regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase.

Studies on protein phosphorylation using subcellular fractions from insulin-treated white adipose tissue of rats

In these studies the incorporation of 32P into proteins within subcellular fractions, obtained from rat white adipose tissue upon incubation in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP, was investigated. A stable increase in the activity of protein serine(threonine) kinase in high-speed supernatant fractions was observed following treatment of intact tissue with insulin. Protein kinase activity associated with the plasma membrane fraction of cells was diminished in response to insulin, but the decrease was apparently insufficient to account for increases observed in corresponding supernatant fractions. A range of assay conditions was employed to characterize the insulin-stimulated protein serine(threonine) kinase in in supernatant fractions. The insulin-stimulated protein serine(threonine) kinase displays properties that indicate it is distinct from a number of well-characterized protein kinases, including those regulated by cAMP, calcium ions (in the presence or absence of calmodulin or mixtures of phosphatidylserine-diacylglycerol), polyamines, or heparin. There were no apparent effects of insulin on incorporation of 32P into added casein or histones II-S or III-S. The protein serine(threonine) kinase activity (or activities) described here displays properties that also appear to differ from the properties of previously described insulin-stimulated activities able to catalyze the phosphorylation of the ribosomal protein S6. The differences in properties may, in part, be explained by the use of different cell types, but may also indicate that treatment of cells with insulin leads to activation of more than one protein serine(threonine) kinase.

Phosphorylation state of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase. I. Linear inverse relationship to activity ratios at different citrate concentrations

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase and its associated kinase have been purified to homogeneity from rat liver and, together with the catalytic subunit of liver protein phosphatase, used to study the effect of phosphorylation on the carboxylase activity. Phosphatase increases the carboxylase activity, whereas the kinase decreases it. A linear inverse relationship (correlation coefficient = 0.98) exists between phosphate incorporated by the kinase and the specific activity. The kinetics of activation by citrate show an increased Ka and a decreased Vmax for carboxylase preparations with increasing levels of phosphate. On this basis an enzymic test was devised for phosphate incorporated by the kinase. Thus the ratio of activities at 0 and 2 mM citrate is inversely proportional to the phosphate incorporated (correlation coefficient = -0.95), with 0.8 mol of P incorporated per mol of subunit decreasing the activity ratio from 0.5 to 0. This activity ratio method has an inherent internal control which makes it suitable for determining the level of protein-bound phosphate affecting the carboxylase activity in crude tissue extracts, and hence it should be useful for physiological studies. Tryptic maps of carboxylase labeled with radioactive phosphate by the carboxylase kinase indicate that the slightly less than 1 mol of P/mol of subunit is distributed equally between two peptides, whereas cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylates these two sites and a third which may not affect activity.

[Properties and biosynthesis of acetyl-CoA-carboxylase from chicken liver with administration of nicotinic acid during stimulation of lipogenesis]

Acetyl-CoA-carboxylase is isolated and purified to a homogeneous state from the chicken liver with alimentary lipogenesis stimulation. Under the action of nicotinic acid in vivo the specific enzyme activity is shown to decrease considerably followed by some variations in its properties. According to the results obtained during ultracentrifugation and PAAG electrophoresis nicotinic acid causes partial enzyme deaggregation with simultaneous increase of its phosphorylation. The latter is accompanied by a rise in the content of phosphate labile to alkali on acetyl-CoA-carboxylase subunits. Nicotinic acid in vivo has practically no effect on acetyl-CoA-carboxylase synthesis and decay rate. Its inhibiting action is induced by stimulation of enzyme phosphorylation.

Evidence that glucagon-mediated inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in isolated adipocytes involves increased phosphorylation of the enzyme by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase

The kinetic parameters and phosphorylation state of acetyl-CoA carboxylase were analysed after purification of the enzyme by avidin--Sepharose chromatography from extracts of isolated adipocytes treated with glucagon or adrenaline. The results provide evidence that the mechanism of inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in adipocytes treated with glucagon [Zammit & Corstorphine (1982) Biochem. J. 208, 783-788] involves increased phosphorylation of the enzyme. Hormone treatment had effects on the kinetic parameters of the enzyme similar to those of phosphorylation of the enzyme in vitro by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Glucagon treatment of adipocytes led to increased phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in the same chymotryptic peptide as that containing the major site phosphorylated on the enzyme by purified cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in vitro [Munday & Hardie (1984) Eur. J. Biochem. 141, 617-627]. The dose--response curves for inhibition of enzyme activity and increased phosphorylation of the enzyme were very similar, with half-maximal effects occurring at concentrations of glucagon (0.5-1 nM) which are close to the physiological range. In general, the patterns of increased 32P-labelling of chymotryptic peptides induced by glucagon or adrenaline were similar, although there were quantitative differences between the effects of the two hormones on individual peptides. The results are discussed in terms of the possible roles of cyclic AMP-dependent and -independent protein kinases in the regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity and of lipogenesis in white adipose tissue.