FATTY-ACID SYNTHESIS FROM GLUTAMATE IN THE ADIPOSE-TISSUE OF NORMAL SUBJECTS AND OBESE PATIENTS - AN ENZYME STUDY

In the adipose tissue, besides fatty acid synthesis (FA-S) from glucose, which includes several mitochondrial steps, FA-S from glutamate has been demonstrated. FA-S from glutamate takes place in the cytosol through the backward pathway of Krebs cycle (BPKC) and is due to the sequential action of (1) alanine aminotransferase (ALT, EC 2.6.1.2), which in presence of pyruvate converts glutamate to oxoglutarate; (2) isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP) (ICDH, EC 1.1.1.42), which converts oxoglutarate to isocitrate; (3) aconitate hydratase (AGO, EC 4.2.1.3), which transforms isocitrate to citrate; and (4) ATP citrate-lyase (ATP-CL, EC 4.1.3.8), which splits citrate to yield the acetyl-CoA needed for FA-S. We studied the enzymes involved in BPKC in homogenates of human adipose tissue. In normal subjects, the cytosolic activity (mu mol/min/g protein) was: ALT = 10.3 +/- 1.1, ICDH = 29.5 +/- 2.8, ACO = 2.05 +/- 0.23, and ATP-CL = 1.2 +/- 0.2. Mitochondria contained less or no activity, values being 20, 9, 11, and 0% of total for ALT, ICDH, AGO, and ATP-CL, respectively. BPKC enzymes are more active than the enzymes limiting FA-S from glucose, i.e., phosphofructokinase (EC 2.7.1.11), pyruvate carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.1), and pyruvate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.4.1). In the obese patients, cytosolic ALT and ATP-CL were increased (12.9 +/- 0.7, P < 0.05, and 2.28 +/- 0.27, P < 0.01, respectively) compared to normal, while ICDH was not changed (AGO could not be studied). Similar changes were obtained by expressing enzyme activity per fat cell number. Besides the increased enzyme activity, the BPKC may be more active in the obese patients because of hyperinsulinemia, as insulin and glucose stimulate BPKC, perhaps by increasing the supply of pyruvate through stimulation of glycolysis. Thus BPKC may play a significant role in FA-S in human adipose tissue. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.