Daniel S. Lark

Inhibiting myosin-ATPase reveals a dynamic range of mitochondrial respiratory control in skeletal muscle

Assessment of mitochondrial ADP-stimulated respiratory kinetics in PmFBs (permeabilized fibre bundles) is increasingly used in clinical diagnostic and basic research settings. However, estimates of the Km for ADP vary considerably (~20-300 μM) and tend to overestimate respiration at rest. Noting that PmFBs spontaneously contract during respiration experiments, we systematically determined the impact of contraction, temperature and oxygenation on ADP-stimulated respiratory kinetics. BLEB (blebbistatin), a myosin II ATPase inhibitor, blocked contraction under all conditions and yielded high Km values for ADP of >~250 and ~80 μM in red and white rat PmFBs respectively. In the absence of BLEB, PmFBs contracted and the Km for ADP decreased ~2-10-fold in a temperature-dependent manner. PmFBs were sensitive to hyperoxia (increased Km) in the absence of BLEB (contracted) at 30 °C but not 37 °C. In PmFBs from humans, contraction elicited high sensitivity to ADP (Km<100 μM), whereas blocking contraction (+BLEB) and including a phosphocreatine/creatine ratio of 2:1 to mimic the resting energetic state yielded a Km for ADP of ~1560 μM, consistent with estimates of in vivo resting respiratory rates of <1% maximum. These results demonstrate that the sensitivity of muscle to ADP varies over a wide range in relation to contractile state and cellular energy charge, providing evidence that enzymatic coupling of energy transfer within skeletal muscle becomes more efficient in the working state.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase constitute an energy-consuming redox circuit

Cellular proteins rely on reversible redox reactions to establish and maintain biological structure and function. How redox catabolic (NAD+/NADH) and anabolic (NADP+/NADPH) processes integrate during metabolism to maintain cellular redox homoeostasis, however, is unknown. The present work identifies a continuously cycling mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm)-dependent redox circuit between the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) and nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT). PDHC is shown to produce H2O2 in relation to reducing pressure within the complex. The H2O2 produced, however, is effectively masked by a continuously cycling redox circuit that links, via glutathione/thioredoxin, to NNT, which catalyses the regeneration of NADPH from NADH at the expense of ΔΨm. The net effect is an automatic fine-tuning of NNT-mediated energy expenditure to metabolic balance at the level of PDHC. In mitochondria, genetic or pharmacological disruptions in the PDHC-NNT redox circuit negate counterbalance changes in energy expenditure. At the whole animal level, mice lacking functional NNT (C57BL/6J) are characterized by lower energy-expenditure rates, consistent with their well-known susceptibility to diet-induced obesity. These findings suggest the integration of redox sensing of metabolic balance with compensatory changes in energy expenditure provides a potential mechanism by which cellular redox homoeostasis is maintained and body weight is defended during periods of positive and negative energy balance.

Mitochondrial creatine kinase activity and phosphate shuttling are acutely regulated by exercise in human skeletal muscle.

•  ATP transfer from mitochondria to the cytoplasm occurs mainly through phosphate transfer to creatine by mitochondrial creatine kinase (miCK) but also by transport and/or diffusion of ADP and ATP through specific mitochondrial transport protein complexes. •  Determining the effect of exercise on phosphate shuttling may require contractile signals in situ and varying creatine concentrations to alter miCK activity. •  Mitochondrial respiratory sensitivity to ADP was assessed in permeabilized muscle fibre bundles (PmFBs) before and after 2 h cycling exercise in human skeletal muscle. •  In relaxed PmFBs, ADP sensitivity decreased post‐exercise when miCK phosphate shuttling was low (no creatine) with no change in net ADP sensitivity in the presence of creatine, whereas in contracting fibres post‐exercise ADP sensitivity was higher with creatine. •  This shows miCK activity is increased post‐exercise, especially during contraction in PmFBs, and suggests exercise regulates phosphate shuttling, which would improve maintenance of energy homeostasis during contraction.

Targeted Metabolomics Connects Thioredoxin-interacting Protein (TXNIP) to Mitochondrial Fuel Selection and Regulation of Specific Oxidoreductase Enzymes in Skeletal Muscle

Background: Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) is a redox sensor that opposes glucose uptake and glycolytic metabolism. Results: TXNIP-deficient skeletal muscles lose capacity for ketone and branched chain amino acid oxidation due to deficits in specific mitochondrial dehydrogenases. Conclusion: TXNIP permits muscle use of alternative respiratory fuels during glucose deprivation. Significance: Dysregulation of TXNIP might contribute to aberrant fuel selection in the context of metabolic disease. Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) is an α-arrestin family member involved in redox sensing and metabolic control. Growing evidence links TXNIP to mitochondrial function, but the molecular nature of this relationship has remained poorly defined. Herein, we employed targeted metabolomics and comprehensive bioenergetic analyses to evaluate oxidative metabolism and respiratory kinetics in mouse models of total body (TKO) and skeletal muscle-specific (TXNIPSKM−/−) Txnip deficiency. Compared with littermate controls, both TKO and TXNIPSKM−/− mice had reduced exercise tolerance in association with muscle-specific impairments in substrate oxidation. Oxidative insufficiencies in TXNIP null muscles were not due to perturbations in mitochondrial mass, the electron transport chain, or emission of reactive oxygen species. Instead, metabolic profiling analyses led to the discovery that TXNIP deficiency causes marked deficits in enzymes required for catabolism of branched chain amino acids, ketones, and lactate, along with more modest reductions in enzymes of β-oxidation and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The decrements in enzyme activity were accompanied by comparable deficits in protein abundance without changes in mRNA expression, implying dysregulation of protein synthesis or stability. Considering that TXNIP expression increases in response to starvation, diabetes, and exercise, these findings point to a novel role for TXNIP in coordinating mitochondrial fuel switching in response to nutrient availability.

Targeted overexpression of mitochondrial catalase protects against cancer chemotherapy-induced skeletal muscle dysfunction

The loss of strength in combination with constant fatigue is a burden on cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Doxorubicin, a standard chemotherapy drug used in the clinic, causes skeletal muscle dysfunction and increases mitochondrial H2O2 We hypothesized that the combined effect of cancer and chemotherapy in an immunocompetent breast cancer mouse model (E0771) would compromise skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiratory function, leading to an increase in H2O2-emitting potential and impaired muscle function. Here, we demonstrate that cancer chemotherapy decreases mitochondrial respiratory capacity supported with complex I (pyruvate/glutamate/malate) and complex II (succinate) substrates. Mitochondrial H2O2-emitting potential was altered in skeletal muscle, and global protein oxidation was elevated with cancer chemotherapy. Muscle contractile function was impaired following exposure to cancer chemotherapy. Genetically engineering the overexpression of catalase in mitochondria of muscle attenuated mitochondrial H2O2 emission and protein oxidation, preserving mitochondrial and whole muscle function despite cancer chemotherapy. These findings suggest mitochondrial oxidants as a mediator of cancer chemotherapy-induced skeletal muscle dysfunction.

Enhanced Mitochondrial Superoxide Scavenging Does Not Improve Muscle Insulin Action in the High Fat-Fed Mouse

Improving mitochondrial oxidant scavenging may be a viable strategy for the treatment of insulin resistance and diabetes. Mice overexpressing the mitochondrial matrix isoform of superoxide dismutase (sod2tg mice) and/or transgenically expressing catalase within the mitochondrial matrix (mcattg mice) have increased scavenging of O2˙ˉ and H2O2, respectively. Furthermore, muscle insulin action is partially preserved in high fat (HF)-fed mcattg mice. The goal of the current study was to test the hypothesis that increased O2˙ˉ scavenging alone or in combination with increased H2O2 scavenging (mtAO mice) enhances in vivo muscle insulin action in the HF-fed mouse. Insulin action was examined in conscious, unrestrained and unstressed wild type (WT), sod2tg, mcattg and mtAO mice using hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps (insulin clamps) combined with radioactive glucose tracers following sixteen weeks of normal chow or HF (60% calories from fat) feeding. Glucose infusion rates, whole body glucose disappearance, and muscle glucose uptake during the insulin clamp were similar in chow- and HF-fed WT and sod2tg mice. Consistent with our previous work, HF-fed mcattg mice had improved muscle insulin action, however, an additive effect was not seen in mtAO mice. Insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation in muscle from clamped mice was consistent with glucose flux measurements. These results demonstrate that increased O2˙ˉ scavenging does not improve muscle insulin action in the HF-fed mouse alone or when coupled to increased H2O2 scavenging.

Direct Real-Time Quantification of Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation Efficiency in Permeabilized Skeletal Muscle Myofibers

Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) efficiency, defined as the ATP-to-O ratio, is a critical feature of mitochondrial function that has been implicated in health, aging, and disease. To date, however, the methods to measure ATP/O have primarily relied on indirect approaches or entail parallel rather than simultaneous determination of ATP synthesis and O2 consumption rates. The purpose of this project was to develop and validate an approach to determine the ATP/O ratio in permeabilized fiber bundles (PmFBs) from simultaneous measures of ATP synthesis (JATP) and O2 consumption (JO2 ) rates in real time using a custom-designed apparatus. JO2 was measured via a polarigraphic oxygen sensor and JATP via fluorescence using an enzyme-linked assay system (hexokinase II, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) linked to NADPH production. Within the dynamic linear range of the assay system, ADP-stimulated increases in steady-state JATP mirrored increases in steady-state JO2 (r(2) = 0.91, P < 0.0001, n = 57 data points). ATP/O ratio was less than one under low rates of respiration (15 μM ADP) but increased to more than two at moderate (200 μM ADP) and maximal (2,000 μM ADP) rates of respiration with an interassay coefficient of variation of 24.03, 16.72, and 11.99%, respectively. Absolute and relative (to mechanistic) ATP/O ratios were lower in PmFBs (2.09 ± 0.251, 84%) compared with isolated mitochondria (2.44 ± 0.124, 98%). ATP/O ratios in PmFBs were not affected by the activity of adenylate kinase or creatine kinase. These findings validate an enzyme-linked respiratory clamp system for measuring OXPHOS efficiency in PmFBs and provide evidence that OXPHOS efficiency increases as energy demand increases.

Integrin-Linked Kinase in Muscle is Necessary for the Development of Insulin Resistance in Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Diet-induced muscle insulin resistance is associated with expansion of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, such as collagens, and the expression of collagen-binding integrin, α2β1. Integrins transduce signals from ECM via their cytoplasmic domains, which bind to intracellular integrin-binding proteins. The integrin-linked kinase (ILK)-PINCH-parvin (IPP) complex interacts with the cytoplasmic domain of β-integrin subunits and is critical for integrin signaling. In this study we defined the role of ILK, a key component of the IPP complex, in diet-induced muscle insulin resistance. Wild-type (ILKlox/lox) and muscle-specific ILK-deficient (ILKlox/loxHSAcre) mice were fed chow or a high-fat (HF) diet for 16 weeks. Body weight was not different between ILKlox/lox and ILKlox/loxHSAcre mice. However, HF-fed ILKlox/loxHSAcre mice had improved muscle insulin sensitivity relative to HF-fed ILKlox/lox mice, as shown by increased rates of glucose infusion, glucose disappearance, and muscle glucose uptake during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Improved muscle insulin action in the HF-fed ILKlox/loxHSAcre mice was associated with increased insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of Akt and increased muscle capillarization. These results suggest that ILK expression in muscle is a critical component of diet-induced insulin resistance, which possibly acts by impairing insulin signaling and insulin perfusion through capillaries.

Protein Kinase A Governs Oxidative Phosphorylation Kinetics and Oxidant Emitting Potential at Complex I

The mitochondrial electron transport system (ETS) is responsible for setting and maintaining both the energy and redox charges throughout the cell. Reversible phosphorylation of mitochondrial proteins, particularly via the soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC)/cyclic AMP (cAMP)/Protein kinase A (PKA) axis, has recently been revealed as a potential mechanism regulating the ETS. However, the governance of cAMP/PKA signaling and its implications on ETS function are incompletely understood. In contrast to prior reports using exogenous bicarbonate, we provide evidence that endogenous CO2 produced by increased tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux is insufficient to increase mitochondrial cAMP levels, and that exogenous addition of membrane permeant 8Br-cAMP does not enhance mitochondrial respiratory capacity. We also report important non-specific effects of commonly used inhibitors of sAC which preclude their use in studies of mitochondrial function. In isolated liver mitochondria, inhibition of PKA reduced complex I-, but not complex II-supported respiratory capacity. In permeabilized myofibers, inhibition of PKA lowered both the Km and Vmax for complex I-supported respiration as well as succinate-supported H2O2 emitting potential. In summary, the data provided here improve our understanding of how mitochondrial cAMP production is regulated, illustrate a need for better tools to examine the impact of sAC activity on mitochondrial biology, and suggest that cAMP/PKA signaling contributes to the governance of electron flow through complex I of the ETS.

Reduced Nonexercise Activity Attenuates Negative Energy Balance in Mice Engaged in Voluntary Exercise

Exercise alone is often ineffective for treating obesity despite the associated increase in metabolic requirements. Decreased nonexercise physical activity has been implicated in this resistance to weight loss, but the mechanisms responsible are unclear. We quantified the metabolic cost of nonexercise activity, or “off-wheel” activity (OWA), and voluntary wheel running (VWR) and examined whether changes in OWA during VWR altered energy balance in chow-fed C57BL/6J mice (n = 12). Energy expenditure (EE), energy intake, and behavior (VWR and OWA) were continuously monitored for 4 days with locked running wheels followed by 9 days with unlocked running wheels. Unlocking the running wheels increased EE as a function of VWR distance. The metabolic cost of exercise (kcal/m traveled) decreased with increasing VWR speed. Unlocking the wheel led to a negative energy balance but also decreased OWA, which was predicted to mitigate the expected change in energy balance by ∼45%. A novel behavioral circuit involved repeated bouts of VWR, and roaming was discovered and represented novel predictors of VWR behavior. The integrated analysis described here reveals that the weight loss effects of voluntary exercise can be countered by a reduction in nonexercise activity.