Liver phosphorylase kinase: characterization of two interconvertible forms and partial purification of phosphorylase kinase a

Krüppel-like factor 15 integrated autophagy and gluconeogenesis to maintain glucose homeostasis under 20-hydroxyecdysone regulation

The regulation of glycometabolism homeostasis is vital to maintain health and development of animal and humans; however, the molecular mechanisms by which organisms regulate the glucose metabolism homeostasis from a feeding state switching to a non-feeding state are not fully understood. Using the holometabolous lepidopteran insect Helicoverpa armigera, cotton bollworm, as a model, we revealed that the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) upregulated the expression of transcription factor Krüppel-like factor (identified as Klf15) to promote macroautophagy/autophagy, apoptosis and gluconeogenesis during metamorphosis. 20E via its nuclear receptor EcR upregulated Klf15 transcription in the fat body during metamorphosis. Knockdown of Klf15 using RNA interference delayed pupation and repressed autophagy and apoptosis of larval fat body during metamorphosis. KLF15 promoted autophagic flux and transiting to apoptosis. KLF15 bound to the KLF binding site (KLF bs) in the promoter of Atg8 (autophagy-related gene 8/LC3) to upregulate Atg8 expression. Knockdown Atg8 reduced free fatty acids (FFAs), glycerol, free amino acids (FAAs) and glucose levels. However, knockdown of Klf15 accumulated FFAs, glycerol, and FAAs. Glycolysis was switched to gluconeogenesis, trehalose and glycogen synthesis were changed to degradation during metamorphosis, which were accompanied by the variation of the related genes expression. KLF15 upregulated phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (Pepck) expression by binding to KLF bs in the Pepck promoter for gluconeogenesis, which utilised FFAs, glycerol, and FAAs directly or indirectly to increase glucose in the hemolymph. Taken together, 20E via KLF15 integrated autophagy and gluconeogenesis by promoting autophagy-related and gluconeogenesis-related genes expression.

Glucose is the direct substrate for energy production in animal and humans. Autophagy and gluconeogenesis are known to help organisms maintaining energy substrates; however, the mechanism of integration of autophagy and gluconeogenesis is unclear. Holometabolous insects stop feeding during metamorphosis under steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) regulation, providing a good model for the study. Using lepidopteran insect Helicoverpa armigera, cotton bollworm, as a model, we revealed that Krüppel-like factor 15 (KLF15) integrated autophagy and gluconeogenesis to maintain glucose homeostasis under 20E regulation. 20E increased Klf15 expression, and KLF15 in turn promoted autophagy-related and gluconeogenesis-related genes expression during metamorphosis. Autophagy and apoptosis of the fat body provided substrates for gluconeogenesis. This work clarified the important functions and mechanisms of KLF15 in autophagy and glycometabolism reprogramming for glucose homeostasis after feeding stop during insect metamorphosis.

Regulation of hepatic glucose production and the role of gluconeogenesis in humans: is the rate of gluconeogenesis constant?

We have been interested in the metabolic effects of ingested fuels, both in normal subjects and in people with type 2 diabetes. Recently, we have become interested in the regulation of glucose production and the regulation of gluconeogenesis in particular. We are not aware of a recent comprehensive review of these topics. Therefore, we have reviewed the currently available literature. The pertinent papers obtained from a Medline search of the words gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis, hepatic glucose output, as well as papers from our personal files, form the basis of this review. In order to analyse the data, it also was necessary to review the relevant methodology used in determining gluconeogenesis. Pathway diagrams have been included with this review in order to illustrate and highlight key aspects of the methodologies. Current data support the hypothesis that the rate of glucose appearance changes but the rate of gluconeogenesis remains remarkably stable in widely varying metabolic conditions in people without diabetes. In people with diabetes, whether gluconeogenesis remains unchanged is at present uncertain. Available data are very limited. The mechanism by which gluconeogenesis remains relatively constant, even in the setting of excess substrates, is not known. One interesting speculation is that gluconeogenic substrates substitute for each other depending on availability. Thus, the overall rate is either unaffected or only modestly changed. This requires further confirmation.

Liver parenchyma heterogeneity in the response to extracellular NAD+

The perfused rat liver responds intensely to NAD+ infusion (20-100 microM). Increases in portal perfusion pressure and glycogenolysis and transient inhibition of oxygen consumption are some of the effects that were observed. The aim of the present work was to investigate the distribution of the response to extracellular NAD+ along the hepatic acinus. The bivascularly perfused rat liver was used. Various combinations of perfusion directions (antegrade and retrograde) and infusion routes (portal vein, hepatic vein and hepatic artery) were used in order to supply NAD+ to different regions of the liver parenchyma, also taking advantage of the fact that its extracellular transformation generates steep concentration gradients. Oxygen uptake was stimulated by NAD+ in retrograde perfusion (irrespective of the infusion route) and transiently inhibited in antegrade perfusion. This indicates that the signal causing oxygen uptake inhibition is generated in the periportal area. The signal responsible for oxygen uptake stimulation is homogenously distributed. Stimulation of glucose release was more intense when NAD+ was infused into the portal vein or into the hepatic artery, indicating that stimulation of glycogenolysis predominates in the periportal area. The increases in perfusion pressure were more pronounced when the periportal area was supplied with NAD+ suggesting that the vasoconstrictive elements responding to NAD+ predominate in this region. The response to extracellular NAD+ is thus unequally distributed in the liver. As a paracrine agent, NAD+ is likely to be released locally. It can be concluded that its effects will be different depending on the area where it is released.

Activation of the liver glycogen phosphorylase by Ca(2+)oscillations: a theoretical study

Cytosolic calcium plays a crucial role as a second messenger in cellular signalling. Various cell types, including hepatocytes, display Ca(2+)oscillations when stimulated by an extracellular signal. However, the biological relevance of this temporal organization remains unclear. In this paper, we investigate theoretically the effect of Ca(2+)oscillations on a particular example of cell regulation: the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle controlling the activation of glycogen phosphorylase in hepatocytes. By modelling periodic sinusoidal variations in the intracellular Ca(2+)concentration, we show that Ca(2+)oscillations reduce the threshold for the activation of the enzyme. Furthermore, as the activation of a given enzyme depends on the kinetics of its phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle, specificity can be encoded by the oscillation frequency. Finally, using a model for signal-induced Ca(2+)oscillations based on Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+)release, we show that realistic Ca(2+)oscillations can potentiate the response to a hormonal stimulation. These results indicate that Ca(2+)oscillations in hepatocytes could contribute to increase the efficiency and specificity of cellular signalling, as shown experimentally for gene expression in lymphocytes (Dolmetsch et al., 1998).

The association of phosphorylase kinase with membranes of rat liver smooth endoplasmic reticulum

Upon fractionation of a post mitochondrial supernatant from rat liver, phosphorylase kinase activity was largely recovered in the cytosol and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) fraction. The presence of phosphorylase kinase in SER vesicles was not due to an interaction of the enzyme with glycogen particles, since previous elimination of SER glycogen either by 48 h animal starvation or by treatment of the membrane fraction with alpha-amylase did not significantly alter phosphorylase kinase activity content. Washing of the initial pellet of SER fraction (crude SER) by dilution and recentrifugation, released in the supernatant an amount of phosphorylase kinase activity, which is dependent on: i) the degree of dilution, ii) the number of washes, iii) the ionic strength of the washing solution and iii) the presence or absence of Ca2+. Crude SER-associated phosphorylase kinase was marginally affected by increased concentrations of antibody against rabbit skeletal muscle holoenzyme which nevertheless drastically inhibited cytosolic enzyme activity, while it showed a higher resistance to partial proteolysis and a different Western blotting profile with anti-phosphorylase kinase when compared with the soluble kinase. A small but significant fraction of SER phosphorylase kinase was strongly associated with the microsomal fraction being partly extractable only in presence of detergents. This membrane-bound enzyme form exhibited an alkaline pH optimum, in contrast to the neutral pH optima of both soluble and weakly associated phosphorylase kinase.

Purification and characterization of native and proteolytic forms of rabbit liver phosphorylase kinase

1. Two forms of phosphorylase kinase having mol. wt of 1,260,000 (form I) and 205,000 (form II) have been identified by gel filtration chromatography of rabbit liver crude extracts. 2. Form I was the majority when the homogenization buffer was supplemented with a mixture of proteinase inhibitors. This form has been purified through a protocol including ultracentrifugation, gel filtration and affinity chromatography on Sepharose-heparin. 3. Form II was purified by a combination of chromatographic procedures including ion exchange, gel filtration and affinity chromatography on Sepharose-Blue Dextran and Sepharose-histone. 4. Upon electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate two subunits of 69,000 and 44,000 were identified for this low molecular weight enzyme. Thus, a tetrameric structure comprising two subunits of each kind can be proposed. 5. Treatment of form I with either trypsin or chymotrypsin gave an active fragment having a molecular weight similar to that of form II. On the contrary, other dissociating treatments with salts, thiols and detergents failed in producing forms of lower molecular weight. 6. The similarities between proteolyzed forms I and II were stressed by their behavior in front of antibodies raised against the muscle isoenzyme of phosphorylase kinase. 7. The study of the effect of magnesium and fluoride ions on the activity of both forms showed an inhibitory effect of magnesium when its concentration exceeded that of ATP. 8. The inhibition could nevertheless be reverted by including 50 mM NaF in the reaction mixture. 9. Form I and form II could be distinguished by their pH dependence in the presence of an excess of magnesium ions over ATP, whereas the affinity for both substrates was not significantly different.

Inability of glucagon to regulate glycogen metabolism in rat hepatocytes isolated after fasting and refeeding high-carbohydrate diets

Studies are described which demonstrate that the ability of glucagon, epinephrine, and dibutyryl-cAMP to stimulate glycogenolysis is impaired in rat hepatocytes isolated from animals starved for 24 h and then refed a sucrose-rich diet or refed standard rat chow. The impaired regulation of glycogenolysis by glucagon was observed within 24 h after refeeding and persisted for at least 3 days. The inability of glucagon to stimulate glycogen breakdown in the refed condition appeared to be due to a suppressed activation of glycogen phosphorylase and phosphorylase b kinase by the hormone. The capacity of glucagon to regulate pyruvate kinase and glycolysis was not altered by refeeding, suggesting that the defect lies beyond interaction of the hormone at its receptor. Prolonged incubation of hepatocytes from refed rats was accompanied by depletion of glycogen reserves and was accompanied by restoration of hormonal stimulation of glycogenolysis. Addition of glycogen to cell-free extracts was found to inhibit phosphorylase b kinase but not phosphorylase. The findings of this investigation are consistent with the interpretation that high levels of glycogen present of liver after refeeding may lead to a diminished activity of phosphorylase b kinase and its hormonal regulation.

Hormonal regulation of phosphorylase phosphatase activity in rat liver

The effect of glucagon and insulin on rat liver phosphorylase phosphatase activity in vivo was investigated. The activity of phosphatase was found to decrease following the administration of glucagon and increase with insulin in a reversible manner. No change was detected in the activity of heat-stable phosphatase inhibitors in the hormone-treated samples. Liver protein kinases (regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and/or Ca2+-dependent phosphorylase kinase) are suggested to regulate the activity of hepatic phosphorylase phosphatase (type 1 and 2A).

Control of glycogen phosphorylase interconversion by phorbol esters, diacylglycerols, Ca2+ and hormones in isolated rat hepatocytes

In isolated rat hepatocytes: phosphorylase activation by the ionophore A23187 was enhanced in the presence of tumour-promoting phorbol esters and 1,2- (but not 1,3-) diacylglycerols (dioleoyl- and oleoylacetyl-glycerol), with a similar dose-dependency; the activation of phosphorylase by phenylephrine (1 microM) (but not by vasopressin or glucagon) was inhibited both by tumour-promoting phorbol esters and diacylglycerols, but with a different dose-dependency: complete inhibition was achieved with concentrations of phorbol esters two orders of magnitude lower than those of diacylglycerol; binding of the alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist [3H]prazosin and its displacement by unlabelled prazosin was not significantly affected in the presence of the phorbol esters. The possible involvement of protein kinase C in the control of phosphorylase interconversion is discussed.

Phosphorylase kinase from chicken gizzard. Partial purification and characterization

Phosphorylase kinase was partially purified (530-970-fold) from chicken gizzard smooth muscle by a procedure involving ammonium sulfate fractionation, chromatography on 8-(6-aminohexyl)adenosine-5'-phosphate--Sepharose 4B and glycerol density gradient ultracentrifugation. The final and most efficient purification step takes advantage of the relatively high molecular mass of gizzard phosphorylase kinase, which was found to be similar to that of rabbit skeletal muscle enzyme. The gizzard kinase, further purified to near homogeneity by calmodulin-Sepharose 4 B affinity chromatography, showed one main protein band of 61 kDa, upon dodecyl sulfate acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Four minor protein bands of higher molecular mass were also present but no protein stain was seen at the position of the gamma subunit. The gizzard phosphorylase kinase showed a high pH 6.8/8.2 activity ratio of 0.53, it was stimulated by Ca2+, inhibited up to 80% by EGTA and it was activated about 1.9-fold by calmodulin. The km value for ATP was 0.45 mM, while the K0.5 for rabbit muscle phosphorylase b was extremely low, more than 200-fold lower than the Km of nonactivated skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase for its protein substrate. High concentrations of phosphorylase b were found to be inhibitory. At 10 mg/ml phosphorylase b, the maximum activity of the kinase was inhibited fivefold. No evidence has been obtained indicating autophosphorylation or the existence of active and inactive forms of gizzard phosphorylase kinase. Limited proteolysis of the smooth muscle kinase with trypsin was accompanied by a twofold activation at pH 6.8.

Ca2+-dependent stimulation of muscle and liver phosphorylase kinase by heparin

Heparin stimulates the activity of nonactivated and activated skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase in a Ca2+-dependent manner. The stimulatory effect of heparin on the activity of nonactivated phosphorylase kinase is also expressed in the presence of calmodulin and glycogen. Heparin acted in synergism with glycogen. Heparin increases the affinity of phosphorylase kinase to Ca2+ 5-12 fold depending upon the activation conditions. Ca2+ influences the stimulation of liver phosphorylase kinase by heparin in a similar way.

Altered liver glycogen metabolism in fed genetically obese mice

The cyclic AMP and glycogen concentrations and the activities of phosphorylase kinase, phosphorylase a and glycogen synthase a were not different in livers from lean or ob/ob mice despite increased plasma glucose and insulin in the obese group. The liver water content was decreased by 10% in the obese mice. In hepatocytes isolated from lean mice and incubated with increasing glucose concentrations (14-112 mM), a sequential inactivation of phosphorylase and activation of glycogen synthase was observed. In hepatocytes from obese mice the inactivation of phosphorylase was not followed by an activation of synthase. The inactivation of phosphorylase occurred more rapidly and was followed by an activation of synthase in hepatocytes isolated from both groups of mice when in the incubation medium Na+ was replaced by K+ or when Ca2+ was omitted and 2.5 mM-EGTA included. The inactivation of phosphorylase and activation of synthase were not different in broken-liver-cell preparations from lean and obese animals. The re-activation of phosphorylase in liver filtrates in the presence of 0.1 microM-cyclic AMP and MgATP was inhibited by about 70% by EGTA and stimulated by Ca2+ and was always greater in preparations from ob/ob mice. The apparent paradox between the impairment of glycogen metabolism in isolated liver preparations and the situation in vivo in obese mice is discussed.

Response of liver glycogen synthase and phosphorylase to in vivo glucose and glucose analogues

Glucose causes a rapid increase in the proportion (%) of glycogen synthase in the active (I) form and a rapid decrease in the proportion of phosphorylase in the active (a) form in both fed and fasted rats. The changes in synthase I and phosphorylase a are more rapid in fasted animals. With graded doses of glucose, the maximal decrease in phosphorylase a occurred at a dose that was considerably smaller than that required to maximally stimulate an increase in % synthase I. Thus, in the intact animal a dissociation between the effects of glucose on the synthase and phosphorylase systems was observed. Sorbitol, mannose, galactose, and arabinose all stimulated an increase in synthase I but did not significantly affect the proportion of phosphorylase in the a form. The % synthase I was not significantly affected by a number of other glucose homologues, pentoses, or three-carbon gluconeogenic substrates. The ketoses fructose and mannoheptulose both caused a striking increase in % phosphorylase a and a decrease in % synthase I, i.e., results opposite to those of glucose. The mechanism by which fructose induces these changes is not known, but the mannoheptulose effects may be accounted for by a rise in liver cAMP concentration.