Lecture 42 Flashcards
Energy Metabolism III: Degradation of Fatty Acids
energy production
- fatty acids activated and carried into the mitochondria (long chain FAs)
- once in mitochondria, enzymes perform β-oxidation to breakdown FAs into acetyl CoA
- medium chain fatty acids can be carried in the bloodstream by albumin
pg 1119
fatty acid chain length and saturation (review)
- short chain: 1-4 carbons
- medium chain: 6-12 carbons
- long chain: 14-20 carbons
- very long chain: 22+ carbons
- saturated have 0 double bonds, unsaturated have 1+ double bonds
pg 1120
fatty acids degradation: overview
- long chain fatty acids are activated in the cytosol to fatty acyl CoA
- fatty acyl CoA is then transported into the mitochondria to be converted to fatty acyl carnitine and then undergo β-oxidation
- acetyl CoA end product goes to the TCA cycle
pg 1121
fatty acid activation
- ATP + fatty acid uses fatty acyl CoA synthetase to become fatty acyl AMP (enzyme bound) and pyrophosphate
- fatty acyl AMP uses fatty acyl CoA synthetase again to become fatty acyl CoA
- pyrophosphate uses inorganic pyrophosphatase to release energy and 2 inorganic phosphate
- part of CoA is derived from pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
pg 1122
fatty acid transport into mitochondria
- fatty acid bound to albumin enters the cytosol where the FA is converted to fatty acyl CoA by acyl CoA synthetase (needs ATP)
- fatty acyl CoA transported into the mitochondria by carnitine: palmitoyl-transferase I (CPT I) which breaks it into CoA and fatty acylcarnitine (carnitine is a carrier used in reaction)
- CPT II converts CoA and fatty acylcarnitine back to fatty acyl CoA and carnitine inside the inner mitochondrial membrane
pg 1123
L-carnitine
- amino acid derivative
- obtained from the diet (meat)
- can be synthesized endogenously from L-lysine and methionine in liver and kidney but NOT from skeletal and cardiac muscle cells
- highly efficient renal reabsorption (deficiencies in L-carnitine are very rare)
- body carnitine stored in skeletal and heart muscle due to high-affinity uptake systems
- carnitine enters cells via carnitine transporters: OCTN2 (organic cation transporter novel 2) is expressed in heart, muscle and kidney; liver has a different, low-affinity, high-capacity carnitine transporter
pg 1124
carnitine transporter deficiency
- mutations in the OCTN2 gene
- lead to primary carnitine deficiency
- result in decreased ability of muscle tissues to use LCFA as a fuel, lipid accumulation with muscle weakness
- extremely low plasma carnitine levels
- carnitine is excreted in the urine
- individuals are at risk for heart failure, liver problems, coma, and sudden death
- triggered by fasting, illness and stress
- treatment is by supplementation with carnitine at very high doses
pg 1125
CPT-II deficiency
- affects cardiac and skeletal muscle
- autosomal recessive (rare)
- elevated C16- and C18:1-acylcarnitines and low carnitine
- 3 forms: lethal neonatal, severe infantile, and mild myopathic (majority of cases in adulthood presents with exercise intolerance and attacks of rhabdomyolsis -> breaking down of SKM cells - dark urine due to myoglobin)
pg 1126
long-chain fatty acids degradation
fatty acyl CoA goes through the β-oxidation spiral until only molecules of acetyl CoA remain
β-oxidation
spiral pathway, repeats several times depending on FA length; continues until chain broken into 2 acetyl-CoA; attacks the β-carbon on fatty acyl CoA
- dehydrogenation #1: acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (chain length specific), e- transfer to FAD, production of double bond at β-carbon; produces 1.5 ATP
- hydration: break double bond and add -OH group
- dehydrogenation #2: NAD+ electron acceptance; produces 2.5 ATP
- formation of acetyl CoA: β-keto thiolase cleaves bond and releases acetyl CoA
pg 1128
β-oxidation energy yield
large amount of energy from long chain fatty acids as compared to glucose (roughly 129 ATP from a 16 C FA)
pg 1129
energy yield comparison
- reducing potential of a FA much higher than a carb bc carbs already have a lot of oxygen
- oxidation of 1 glucose: 36-38 ATP; oxidation of 1 16C FA: 129 ATP
pg 1130
regulation of LCFA degradation
- done by acetyl CoA carboxylase-2 (ACC-2) which converts acetyl CoA to malonyl CoA
- malonyl CoA prevents fatty acids from entering mitchondria by inhibiting CPT I
- malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCoADC) converts malonyl CoA back to acetyl CoA
- AMPK (AMP kinase) inhibits ACC-2 and activates MCoADC; is activated by AMP which comes from reverse reaction of 2 ADP back to AMP+ATP (from adenylate kinase/myokinase)
- accumulation of citrate in the mitochondria signals high energy -> it goes to the cytosol and is converted to acetyl CoA
pg 1131
summary of LCFA degradation
- major dietary fat: palmitate (C16), stearate (C18), oleate (C18:1) and linoleate (C18:2)
- plasma transport: as part of ChyM of bond to albumin
- cellular metabolism: activated in the cytosol, enter the mitochondria via CPTI/CPTII transport (site for regulation!), undergo β-oxidation in the mitochondria producing acetyl CoA, energy yield for 1 molecule palmitoyl-CoA generates 130 ATP
pg 1132
CPT-I deficiency
- affects the liver (extremely rare)
- leads to inability to use LCFA for fuel and greatly impairs that tissue’s ability to synthesize glucose during a fast
- symptoms: appear during early childhood -> hypoketotic hypoglycemia; hepatomegaly, liver malfunction, elevated blood carnitine; risk for NS damage, liver failure, seizures, coma, sudden death; can be triggered by periods of fasting or by viral infections
pg 1132