An NADH-linked luciferase assay for glycogen: the preparation of glycogen-free, viable human eccrine sweat glands

Lipogenesis in the human sebaceous gland: glycogen and glycerophosphate are substrates for the synthesis of sebum lipids

The lipid class compositions of freshly isolated and overnight maintained human sebaceous glands were determined using high performance thin layer chromatography and were found to be broadly similar. The lipid classes identified in freshly isolated glands were broadly similar to those generated from various radiolabeled precursors in vitro, although lower amounts of wax/sterol esters and cholesterol were observed in vitro. We determined the glycogen content of sebaceous glands and showed that during their incubation with several radiolabeled substrates, with the exception of [U-14C]glucose, significant glycogen breakdown occurred, thus providing acetyl-CoA and NADPH that could affect the pattern of lipids synthesized. We examined glycogen-depleted glands and found that their rates and pattern of lipogenesis resemble that of nondepleted glands, except that the squalene/triacylglycerides ratio for acetate and glutamine doubled from 1.6:1 to 3.4:1 and from 0.7:1 to 1.4:1, respectively. We have shown that exogenous glycerol reduces the squalene/triacylglycerides ratio from acetate from 3.4:1 to 1.7:1, suggesting that glycogen-derived glycerophosphate is important in triacylglycerides synthesis from acetate. Moreover, glands express a glycerokinase activity that may fully account for the rate of triacylglycerides synthesis seen in vitro. We conclude that glycerophosphate generation may be as important as NADPH generation in explaining the directing effects of different substrates within the sebaceous gland.

Human hair growth in vitro: a model for the study of hair follicle biology

The factors that regulate hair follicle growth are still poorly understood. In vitro models may be useful in elucidating some aspects of hair follicle biology. We have developed an in vitro human hair growth model that enables us to maintain isolated human hair follicles for up to 10 days, during which time they continue to grow at an in vivo rate producing a keratinised hair fibre. We have shown that epidermal growth factor (EGF) in our system mimics the in vivo depilatory action of EGF in sheep, and suggest that this occurs as a result of EGF stimulating outer root sheath (ORS) cell proliferation which results in the disruption of normal mechanisms of cell-cell interaction in the hair follicle. We identify transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) as a possible negative regulator of hair follicle growth and show that physiological levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) can support the same rates of hair follicle growth as supraphysiological levels of insulin. Furthermore, in the absence of insulin hair follicles show premature entry into a catagen-like state. This is prevented by physiological levels of IGF-I. Finally we demonstrate that the hair follicle is an aerobic glycolytic, glutaminolytic tissue and discuss the possible implications of this metabolism.

Metabolism of freshly isolated human hair follicles capable of hair elongation: a glutaminolytic, aerobic glycolytic tissue

The metabolism of the human hair follicle was investigated in vitro under conditions that maintained glycogen and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content and the growth rate of the follicle at values observed in vivo. We have shown that only 10% of the total glucose utilized was oxidized to CO2 and 40% of this was oxidized via the pentose phosphate shunt. Although fatty acids and ketone bodies were oxidized by the hair follicle, they are poor energetic substitutes for glucose. Nor will fatty acids or ketone bodies sustain hair growth in vitro. Glutamine, however, was shown, both biochemically and by comparing growth rates, to be an important fuel with 23% of uptake being oxidized, generating a possible 2.16 +/- 0.32 nmoles ATP/follicle/h (mean +/- SEM) (glucose metabolism generates 4.54 +/- 0.61 nmoles ATP/follicle/h). Sixty-four percent of the glutamine taken up was calculated to be metabolized to lactate, showing that the hair follicle engages in both glycolysis and glutaminolysis. The glucose-fatty acid cycle appears to be unimportant in the hair follicle but our data indicates that a glucose-glutamine cycle does operate.

Metabolic studies on isolated hair follicles: hair follicles engage in aerobic glycolysis and do not demonstrate the glucose fatty acid cycle

The matrix cells of the hair follicle have one of the highest rates of cell division in the mammalian body, but their fuel metabolism is poorly understood, due mainly to the difficulty in obtaining viable intact follicles from the skin. We have previously shown that viable and intact rat hair follicles can be isolated by shearing, and in this study we now report on their fuel metabolism. In this study we have shown that the hair follicle exhibits aerobic glycolysis, in that of the total glucose utilized by the hair follicle, only 10% is oxidized to CO2. We have also shown that, in the absence of glucose, the hair follicle is capable of utilizing other fuels such as palmitate and beta-hydroxybutyrate. However, neither palmitate or beta-hydroxybutyrate had any effect on the rate of glucose utilization or on [U-14C] glucose oxidation, showing that glucose sparing via the glucose fatty acid cycle does not operate in the hair follicle. Measurements of glucose flux through the pentose phosphate pathway accounted for only 3% of the total glucose utilized by the hair follicle, although this value represented 32% of the total glucose oxidized. Both palmitate and beta-hydroxybutyrate inhibited glucose flux through the pentose phosphate pathway.