Human skeletal muscle pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase activity increases after a low-carbohydrate diet

1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (6) ◽  
pp. E980-E986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra J. Peters ◽  
Timothy A. St. Amand ◽  
Richard A. Howlett ◽  
George J. F. Heigenhauser ◽  
Lawrence L. Spriet

To characterize human skeletal muscle enzymatic adaptation to a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, and high-protein diet (LCD), subjects consumed a eucaloric diet consisting of 5% of the total energy intake from carbohydrate, 63% from fat, and 33% from protein for 6 days compared with their normal diet (52% carbohydrate, 33% fat, and 14% protein). Biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis before and after 3 and 6 days on a LCD. Intact mitochondria were extracted from fresh muscle and analyzed for pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) kinase, total PDH, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase I activities and mitochondrial ATP production rate (using carbohydrate and fat substrates). β-Hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase, active PDH (PDHa), and citrate synthase activities were also measured on whole muscle homogenates. PDH kinase (PDHK) was calculated as the absolute value of the apparent first-order rate constant of the inactivation of PDH in the presence of 0.3 mM Mg2+-ATP. PDHK increased dramatically from 0.10 ± 0.02 min−1 to 0.35 ± 0.09 min−1 at 3 days and 0.49 ± 0.06 min−1 after 6 days. Resting PDHa activity decreased from 0.63 ± 0.17 to 0.17 ± 0.04 mmol ⋅ min−1 ⋅ kg−1after 6 days on the diet, whereas total PDH activity did not change. Activities for all other enzymes were unaltered by the LCD. In summary, severe deficiency of dietary carbohydrate combined with a twofold increase in dietary fat and protein caused a rapid three- to fivefold increase in PDHK activity in human skeletal muscle. The increased PDHK activity downregulated the amount of PDH in its active form at rest and decreased carbohydrate metabolism. However, an increase in the activities of enzymes involved in fatty acid oxidation did not occur.

2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (6) ◽  
pp. E1151-E1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra J. Peters ◽  
Robert A. Harris ◽  
Pengfei Wu ◽  
Tanya L. Pehleman ◽  
George J. F. Heigenhauser ◽  
...  

The increase in skeletal muscle pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) activity was measured in skeletal muscle of six healthy males after a eucaloric high-fat/low-carbohydrate (HF/LC; 5% carbohydrate, 73% fat, and 22% protein of total energy intake) diet compared with a standardized prediet (50% carbohdyrate, 30% fat, and 21% protein). Biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle after 3 days on the prediet ( day 0) and after 1, 2, and 3 days of the HF/LC diet. Intact mitchondria were extracted from fresh muscle and analyzed for PDK activity and Western blotting of PDK2 and PDK4 protein. A second biopsy was taken at each time point and frozen for Northern blot analysis of PDK2 and PDK4 mRNAs. PDK activity increased in a linear fashion over the 3-day HF/LC diet and was significantly higher than control by 1 day. PDK activity was 0.09 ± 0.03, 0.18 ± 0.05, 0.30 ± 0.07, and 0.37 ± 0.09 min−1 at 0, 1, 2, and 3 days, respectively. PDK4 protein and mRNA increased maximally by day 1, and PDK2 protein and mRNA were unaffected by the HF/LC diet. Resting respiratory exchange ratios decreased after 1 day of the HF/LC diet (from 0.79 ± 0.02 to 0.72 ± 0.02) and remained depressed throughout the 3-day dietary intervention (0.68 ± 0.01). The immediate shift to fat utilization was accompanied by increased blood glycerol, β-hydroxybutyrate, and plasma free fatty acid concentrations. These results suggest that the continuing increase in PDK activity over the 3-day HF/LC diet is not due to increasing PDK protein beyond 1 day. This could be due to the contribution of another isoform to the total PDK activity or to a continual increase in PDK4 or PDK2 specific activity.


2011 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo K. Love ◽  
Paul J. LeBlanc ◽  
J. Greig Inglis ◽  
Nicolette S. Bradley ◽  
Jon Choptiany ◽  
...  

Pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) is a mitochondrial enzyme responsible for regulating the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA for use in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. PDH is regulated through phosphorylation and inactivation by PDH kinase (PDK) and dephosphorylation and activation by PDH phosphatase (PDP). The effect of endurance training on PDK in humans has been investigated; however, to date no study has examined the effect of endurance training on PDP in humans. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine differences in PDP activity and PDP1 protein content in human skeletal muscle across a range of muscle aerobic capacities. This association is important as higher PDP activity and protein content will allow for increased activation of PDH, and carbohydrate oxidation. The main findings of this study were that 1) PDP activity ( r2 = 0.399, P = 0.001) and PDP1 protein expression ( r2 = 0.153, P = 0.039) were positively correlated with citrate synthase (CS) activity as a marker for muscle aerobic capacity; 2) E1α ( r2 = 0.310, P = 0.002) and PDK2 protein ( r2 = 0.229, P =0.012) are positively correlated with muscle CS activity; and 3) although it is the most abundant isoform, PDP1 protein content only explained ∼18% of the variance in PDP activity ( r2 = 0.184, P = 0.033). In addition, PDP1 in combination with E1α explained ∼38% of the variance in PDP activity ( r2 = 0.383, P = 0.005), suggesting that there may be alternative regulatory mechanisms of this enzyme other than protein content. These data suggest that with higher muscle aerobic capacity (CS activity) there is a greater capacity for carbohydrate oxidation (E1α), in concert with higher potential for PDH activation (PDP activity).


1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (3) ◽  
pp. E458-E468 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. T. Putman ◽  
N. L. Jones ◽  
L. C. Lands ◽  
T. M. Bragg ◽  
M. G. Hollidge-Horvat ◽  
...  

The regulation of the active form of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHa) and related metabolic events were examined in human skeletal muscle during repeated bouts of maximum exercise. Seven subjects completed three consecutive 30-s bouts of maximum isokinetic cycling, separated by 4 min of recovery. Biopsies of the vastus lateralis were taken before and immediately after each bout. PDHa increased from 0.45 +/- 0.15 to 2.96 +/- 0.38, 1.10 +/- 0.11 to 2.91 +/- 0.11, and 1.28 +/- 0.18 to 2.82 +/- 0.32 mmol.min-1.kg wet wt-1 during bouts 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Glycolytic flux was 13-fold greater than PDHa in bouts 1 and 2 and 4-fold greater during bout 3. This discrepancy between the rate of pyruvate production and oxidation resulted in substantial lactate accumulation to 89.5 +/- 11.6 in bout 1, 130.8 +/- 13.8 in bout 2, and 106.6 +/- 10.1 mmol/kg dry wt in bout 3. These events coincided with an increase in the mitochondrial oxidation state, as reflected by a fall in mitochondrial NADH/NAD, indicating that muscle lactate production during exercise was not an O2-dependent process in our subjects. During exercise the primary factor regulating PDHa transformation was probably intracellular Ca2+. In contrast, the primary regulatory factors causing greater PDHa during recovery were lower ATP/ADP and NADH/NAD and increased concentrations of pyruvate and H+. Greater PDHa during recovery facilitated continued oxidation of the lactate load between exercise bouts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (4) ◽  
pp. R513-R520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander L. Pendleton ◽  
Laurel R. Humphreys ◽  
Melissa A. Davis ◽  
Leticia E. Camacho ◽  
Miranda J. Anderson ◽  
...  

Fetal sheep with placental insufficiency-induced intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) have lower fractional rates of glucose oxidation and greater gluconeogenesis, indicating lactate shuttling between skeletal muscle and liver. Suppression of pyruvate dehydrogenase ( PDH) activity was proposed because of greater pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) 4 and PDK1 mRNA concentrations in IUGR muscle. Although PDK1 and PDK4 inhibit PDH activity to reduce pyruvate metabolism, PDH protein concentrations and activity have not been examined in skeletal muscle from IUGR fetuses. Therefore, we evaluated the protein concentrations and activity of PDH and the kinases and phosphatases that regulate PDH phosphorylation status in the semitendinosus muscle from placenta insufficiency-induced IUGR sheep fetuses and control fetuses. Immunoblots were performed for PDH, phosphorylated PDH (E1α), PDK1, PDK4, and pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1 and 2 (PDP1 and PDP2, respectively). Additionally, the PDH, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and citrate synthase (CS) enzymatic activities were measured. Phosphorylated PDH concentrations were 28% lower (P < 0.01) and PDH activity was 67% greater (P < 0.01) in IUGR fetal muscle compared with control. PDK1, PDK4, PDP1, PDP2, and PDH concentrations were not different between groups. CS and LDH activities were also unaffected. Contrary to the previous speculation, PDH activity was greater in skeletal muscle from IUGR fetuses, which parallels lower phosphorylated PDH. Therefore, greater expression of PDK1 and PDK4 mRNA did not translate to greater PDK1 or PDK4 protein concentrations or inhibition of PDH as proposed. Instead, these findings show greater PDH activity in IUGR fetal muscle, which indicates that alternative regulatory mechanisms are responsible for lower pyruvate catabolism.


2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 1391-1394
Author(s):  
Martin J. MacInnis ◽  
Lauren E. Skelly ◽  
F. Elizabeth Godkin ◽  
Brian J. Martin ◽  
Thomas R. Tripp ◽  
...  

The legs of 9 men (age 21 ± 2 years, 45 ± 4 mL/(kg·min)) were randomly assigned to complete 6 sessions of high-intensity exercise training, involving either one or four 5-min bouts of counterweighted, single-leg cycling. Needle biopsies from vastus lateralis revealed that citrate synthase maximal activity increased after training in the 4-bout group (p = 0.035) but not the 1-bout group (p = 0.10), with a significant difference between groups post-training (13%, p = 0.021). Novelty Short-term training using brief intense exercise requires multiple bouts per session to increase mitochondrial content in human skeletal muscle.


1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (3) ◽  
pp. E541-E544 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Odland ◽  
G. J. Heigenhauser ◽  
G. D. Lopaschuk ◽  
L. L. Spriet

Previous literature has indicated that contraction-induced decreases in malonyl-CoA are instrumental in the regulation of fatty acid oxidation during prolonged submaximal exercise. This study was designed to measure malonyl-CoA in human vastus lateralis muscle at rest and during submaximal exercise. Eight males and one female cycled for 70 min (10 min at 40% and 60 min at 65% maximal O2 uptake). Needle biopsies were obtained at rest and at 10 min, 20 min, and 70 min of exercise. Malonyl-CoA content in preexercise biopsy samples determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was 1.53 +/- 0.18 micromol/kg dry mass (dm). Malonyl-CoA content did not change significantly during exercise (1.39 +/- 0.21 at 10 min, 1.46 +/- 0.14 at 20 min, and 1.22 +/- 0.15 micromol/kg dm at 70 min). In contrast, malonyl-CoA content determined by HPLC in perfused rat red gastrocnemius muscle decreased significantly during 20 min of stimulation at 0.7 Hz [3.44 +/- 0.54 to 1.64 +/- 0.23 nmol/g dm, (n=9)]. We conclude that human skeletal muscle malonyl-CoA content 1) is less than reported in rat skeletal muscle at rest, 2) does not decrease with prolonged submaximal exercise, and 3) is not predictive of increased fatty acid oxidation during exercise.


2004 ◽  
Vol 557 (2) ◽  
pp. 559-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. LeBlanc ◽  
Sandra J. Peters ◽  
Rebecca J. Tunstall ◽  
David Cameron-Smith ◽  
George J. F. Heigenhauser

2005 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 350-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin A. Turvey ◽  
George J. F. Heigenhauser ◽  
Michelle Parolin ◽  
Sandra J. Peters

We tested the hypothesis that a high-fat diet (75% fat; 5% carbohydrates; 20% protein), for which 15% of the fat content was substituted with n-3 fatty acids, would not exhibit the diet-induced increase in pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) activity, which is normally observed in human skeletal muscle. The fat content was the same in both the regular high-fat diet (HF) and in the n-3-substituted diet (N3). PDK activity increased after both high-fat diets, but the increase was attenuated after the N3 diet (0.051 ± 0.007 and 0.218 ± 0.047 min−1 for pre- and post-HF, respectively; vs. 0.073 ± 0.016 and 0.133 ± 0.032 min−1 for pre- and post-N3, respectively). However, the active form of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHa) activity decreased to a similar extent in both conditions (0.93 ± 0.17 and 0.43 ± 0.09 mmol/kg wet wt pre- and post-HF; vs. 0.87 ± 0.19 and 0.39 ± 0.05 mmol/kg wet wt pre- and post-N3, respectively). This suggested that the difference in PDK activity did not affect PDHa activation in the basal state, and it was regulated by intramitochondrial effectors, primarily muscle pyruvate concentration. Muscle glycogen content was consistent throughout the study, before and after both diet conditions, whereas muscle glucose-6-phosphate, glycerol-3-phosphate, lactate, and pyruvate were decreased after the high-fat diets. Plasma triglycerides decreased after both high-fat diets but decreased to a greater extent after the N3, whereas plasma free fatty acids increased after both diets, but to a lesser extent after the N3. In summary, PDK activity is decreased after a high-fat diet that is rich in n-3 fatty acids, although PDHa activity was unaltered. In addition, our data demonstrated that the hypolipidemic effect of n-3 fatty acids occurs earlier (3 days) than previously reported and is evident even when the diet has 75% of its total energy derived from fat.


2005 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya L. Pehleman ◽  
Sandra J. Peters ◽  
George J. F. Heigenhauser ◽  
Lawrence L. Spriet

Whole body glucose disposal and skeletal muscle hexokinase, glycogen synthase (GS), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), and PDH kinase (PDK) activities were measured in aerobically trained men after a standardized control diet (Con; 51% carbohydrate, 29% fat, and 20% protein of total energy intake) and a 56-h eucaloric, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet (HF/LC; 5% carbohydrate, 73% fat, and 22% protein). An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT; 1 g/kg) was administered after the Con and HF/LC diets with vastus lateralis muscle biopsies sampled pre-OGTT and 75 min after ingestion of the oral glucose load. The 90-min area under the blood glucose and plasma insulin concentration vs. time curves increased by 2-fold and 1.25-fold, respectively, after the HF/LC diet. The pre-OGTT fraction of GS in its active form and the maximal activity of hexokinase were not affected by the HF/LC diet. However, the HF/LC diet increased PDK activity (0.19 ± 0.05 vs. 0.08 ± 0.02 min−1) and decreased PDH activation (0.38 ± 0.08 vs. 0.79 ± 0.10 mmol acetyl-CoA·kg wet muscle−1·min−1) before the OGTT vs. Con. During the OGTT, GS and PDH activation increased by the same magnitude in both diets, such that PDH activation remained lower during the HF/LC OGTT (0.60 ± 0.11 vs. 1.04 ± 0.09 mmol acetyl-CoA·kg−1·min−1). These data demonstrate that the decreased glucose disposal during the OGTT after the 56-h HF/LC diet was in part related to decreased oxidative carbohydrate disposal in skeletal muscle and not to decreased glycogen storage. The rapid increase in PDK activity during the HF/LC diet appeared to account for the reduced potential for oxidative carbohydrate disposal.


2013 ◽  
Vol 304 (6) ◽  
pp. R450-R458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Bartlett ◽  
Jari Louhelainen ◽  
Zafar Iqbal ◽  
Andrew J. Cochran ◽  
Martin J. Gibala ◽  
...  

The mechanisms that regulate the enhanced skeletal muscle oxidative capacity observed when training with reduced carbohydrate (CHO) availability are currently unknown. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that reduced CHO availability enhances p53 signaling and expression of genes associated with regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and substrate utilization in human skeletal muscle. In a repeated-measures design, muscle biopsies (vastus lateralis) were obtained from eight active males before and after performing an acute bout of high-intensity interval running with either high (HIGH) or low CHO availability (LOW). Resting muscle glycogen (HIGH, 467 ± 19; LOW, 103 ± 9 mmol/kg dry wt) was greater in HIGH compared with LOW ( P < 0.05). Phosphorylation (P-) of ACCSer79 (HIGH, 1.4 ± 0.4; LOW, 2.9 ± 0.9) and p53Ser15 (HIGH, 0.9 ± 0.4; LOW, 2.6 ± 0.8) was higher in LOW immediately postexercise and 3 h postexercise, respectively ( P < 0.05). Before and 3 h postexercise, mRNA content of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4, mitochondrial transcription factor A, cytochrome- c oxidase IV, and PGC-1α were greater in LOW compared with HIGH ( P < 0.05), whereas carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 showed a trend toward significance ( P = 0.09). However, only PGC-1α expression was increased by exercise ( P < 0.05), where three-fold increases occurred independently of CHO availability. We conclude that the exercise-induced increase in p53 phosphorylation is enhanced in conditions of reduced CHO availability, which may be related to upstream signaling through AMPK. Given the emergence of p53 as a molecular regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis, such nutritional modulation of contraction-induced p53 activation has implications for both athletic and clinical populations.


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