Summary
Anaerobic incubation of intactAscaris suum mitochondria with pyruvate and propionate results in the formation of acetate, 2-methylvalerate, and 2-methylpentenoate and involves a rotenone sensitive, electron-transport associated phosphorylation. Malate inhibits 2-methylvalerate formation in these incubations, apparently by dissipating reducing power necessary for 2-methylvalerate formation. Indeed, malonate, an inhibitor of NADH-dependent fumarate reduction, dramatically stimulates 2-methylvalerate formation in incubations containing malate/propionate and malate/pyruvate/propionate but not pyruvate/propionate. In addition, malonate stimulates both 2-methylbutyrate and 2-methylvalerate formation in incubations with malate alone. The results of the present study suggest that branched-chain fatty acid synthesis inA. suum mitochondria is energy linked and that the inability of isolated, intact mitochondria to form branched-chain fatty acids from malate, their presumed physiological substrate, may result from an imbalance in the initial malate dismutation.
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Abbreviations
- BFA :
-
branched-chain fatty acid
- 2-MB :
-
2-methylbutyrate
- 2-MC :
-
2-methylcrotonate
- 2-MP :
-
2-methylpentenoate
- 2-MV :
-
2-methylvalerate
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Supported in part by NIH grant No. AI 18427
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Rioux, A., Komuniecki, R. 2-Methylvalerate formation in mitochondria ofAscaris suum and its relationship to anaerobic energy generation. J Comp Physiol B 154, 349–354 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00684441
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00684441