LONG-CHAIN-ACYL-COA SYNTHETASE AND VERY-LONG-CHAIN-ACYL-COA SYNTHETASE ACTIVITIES IN PEROXISOMES AND MICROSOMES FROM RAT-LIVER - AN ENZYMOLOGICAL STUDY

We have investigated the palmitic acid (C-16:0) and cerotic acid (C26:0) activating activities in rat-liver microsomes and peroxisomes. The activation of the two fatty acids showed similar dependencies on ATP and coenzyme A, reflected in about equal apparent K(m) values both in microsomes and peroxisomes. In microsomes and peroxisomes similar apparent K(m) values for palmitic acid were found (15-mu-M and 22.8-mu-M, respectively), whereas apparent K(m) values for cerotic acid were 8.4-mu-M and 1.0-mu-M in microsomes and peroxisomes, respectively. The activation of cerotic acid was found to be inhibited to a progressively greater extent by increasing concentrations of 1-pyrenedecanoic acid (P10) as compared to the activation of palmitic acid, both in microsomes and peroxisomes. The inhibition by P10 of palmitic acid activation and cerotic acid activation was non-competitive in both organelles. From the observation that P10 activation is not affected by palmitic acid and cerotic acid, we conclude that P10 is activated by a distinct enzyme. Furthermore, our results are in accordance with earlier suggestions that activation of cerotic acid is brought about by an enzyme distinct from the palmitoyl-CoA synthetase.