Oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate

Pyruvate produced by glycolysis is a significant source of acetyl-CoA for the TCA cycle. Because, in eukaryotic ceils, glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm, whereas the TCA cycle reactions and ail subsequent steps of aerobic metabolism take place in the mitochondria, pyruvate must first enter the mitochondria to enter the TCA cycle. The oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA,... 

Figure 2. Mechanism of PDH. The three different subunits of the PDH complex in the mitochondrial matrix (E, pyruvate decarboxylase E2, dihydrolipoamide acyltrans-ferase Ej, dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase) catalyze the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA and CO2. E, decarboxylates pyruvate and transfers the acetyl-group to lipoamide. Lipoamide is linked to the group of a lysine residue to E2 to form a flexible chain which rotates between the active sites of E, E2, and E3. E2 then transfers the acetyl-group from lipoamide to CoASH leaving the lipoamide in the reduced form. This in turn is oxidized by E3, which is an NAD-dependent (low potential) flavoprotein, completing the catalytic cycle. PDH activity is controlled in two ways by product inhibition by NADH and acetyl-CoA formed from pyruvate (or by P-oxidation), and by inactivation by phosphorylation of Ej by a specific ATP-de-pendent protein kinase associated with the complex, or activation by dephosphorylation by a specific phosphoprotein phosphatase. The phosphatase is activated by increases in the concentration of Ca in the matrix. The combination of insulin with its cell surface receptor activates PDH by activating the phosphatase by an unknown mechanism.

Figure 17-5. Oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Lipoic acid is joined by an amide link to a lysine residue of the transacetylase component of the enzyme complex. It forms a long flexible arm, allowing the lipoic acid prosthetic group to rotate sequentially between the active sites of each of the enzymes of the complex. (NAD nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide FAD, flavin adenine dinucleotide TDP, thiamin diphosphate.)...

Grootveld et al. (1994) employed this technique to investigate radiolytic, damage to biomolecules present in human body fluids. 7-Radiolysis of healthy or rheumatoid human serum (5.00 kGy) in the presence of atmospheric O2 gave rise to reproducible elevations in the concentration of NMR-detectable acetate, which are predominantly ascribable to the prior oxidation of lactate to pyruvate by OH radical followed by oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate by radiolytically generated H2O2 and/or further OH radicals (Equations 1.7 and 1.8). 

However, at pH values closer to neutrality (i.e. at the mean salivary pH of 5.97), chlorite anion itself can effect the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetate and CO2 (Equation 1.12). 

Similarly, the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) can be activated directly by electrogenerated methyl viologen radical cations (MV +) as mediator. Thus, the naturally PDC-catalyzed oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvic acid in the... 

SOME STEPS IN THE TRICARBOXYLIC ACID CYCLE Oxidative Decarboxylation of Pyruvate The Intracellular Function of Vitamin Bj... 

A The main entry point for the TCA cycle is through generation of acetyl CoA by oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate. 

Shuttling of Acetyl Groups across the Mitochondrial Inner Membrane The acetyl group of acetyl-CoA, produced by the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate in the... 

Oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate by pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is an important pathway in tissues with a high oxidative capacity, such as cardiac muscle (Figure 8.24). Pyruvate dehydrogenase irreversibly converts pyruvate, the end product of glycolysis, into acetyl CoA, a major fuel for the tricarboxylic acid cycle (see p. 107) and the building block for fatty acid synthesis (see p. 181). 

The oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate and a-ketoglutaraie I which plays a key role in energy metabolism of most cells, is parn ularly important in tissues of the nervous system. In thiaminel deficiency, the activity of these two dehydrogenase reactions <1 decreased, resulting in a decreased production of ATP and, fxsi I... 

It is an acyl-CoA of the type mentioned in Section 1 and can also be formed from acetate, ATP, and coenzyme A. Although the human diet contains some acetic acid, the two major sources of acetyl-CoA in our bodies are the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate (Eq. 10-6) and the breakdown of fatty acid chains. Let us consider the latter process before examining the further metabolism of acetyl-CoA. 

The oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to form acetyl-CoA or acetyl phosphate plays a central role in the metabolism of our bodies and of most other... 

The reductive carboxylation of acetyl-CoA to pyruvate (Eq. 17-47) occurs only in a few types of bacteria. For most species, from microorganisms to animals, the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA is irreversible. This fact has many important consequences. For example, carbohydrate... 

A number of naturally occurring compounds with a disulfide unit have shown interesting biological activity [28, 29]. Nereistoxin, charatoxin, asparagusic acid, a plant growth inhibitor, and lipoic acid, a key co-factor in the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate, are examples taken in the 1,2-dithiolan series. 

There are two 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase multienzyme complexes in E. coli. One is specific for pyruvate, the other for 2-oxoglutarate. Each complex is about the size of a ribosome, about 300 A across. The pyruvate dehydrogenase is composed of three types of polypeptide chains El, the pyruvate decarboxylase (an a2 dimer of Mr — 2 X 100 000) E2, lipoate acetyltransferase (Mr = 80 000) and E3, lipoamide dehydrogenase (an a2 dimer of Mr = 2 X 56 000). These catalyze the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate via reactions 1.6, 1.7, and 1.8. (The relevant chemistry of the reactions of thiamine pyrophosphate [TPP], hydroxyethylthiamine pyrophosphate [HETPPJ, and lipoic acid [lip-S2] is discussed in detail in Chapter 2, section C3.)... 

The TCA cycle begins with acetyl-CoA, which is obtained either by oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate available from glycolysis or by oxidative cleavage of fatty acids. 

PN Lowe, JA Hodgson, RN Perham. Dual role of single multi enzyme complex in the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate and branched-chain 2-oxo acids in Bacillus subtilis. Biochem J 215 133-140, 1983. 

Reactions of the Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Two of the steps in the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate (steps 0 and in Fig. 16-6) do not involve any of the three carbons of pyruvate yet are essential to the operation of the PDH complex. Explain. 

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