Biochemistry, Department of
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
2004
Citation
J Physiol 562.2 (2005) pp 307–318
Abstract
5-Hydroxydecanoate (5-HD) blocks pharmacological and ischaemic preconditioning, and
has been postulated to be a specific inhibitor of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP)
channels. However, recent work has shown that 5-HD is activated to 5-hydroxydecanoyl-CoA
(5-HD-CoA), which is a substrate for the first step of β-oxidation. We have now
analysed the complete β-oxidation of 5-HD-CoA using specially synthesised (and purified)
substrates and enzymes, as well as isolated rat liver and heart mitochondria, and compared
it with the metabolism of the physiological substrate decanoyl-CoA. At the second step of
β-oxidation, catalysed by enoyl-CoA hydratase, enzyme kinetics were similar using either
decenoyl-CoA or 5-hydroxydecenoyl-CoA as substrate. The last two steps were investigated
using l-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HAD) coupled to 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase. Vmax
for the metabolite of 5-HD (3,5-dihydroxydecanoyl-CoA) was fivefold slower than for the
corresponding metabolite of decanoate (L-3-hydroxydecanoyl-CoA). The slower kinetics were
not due to accumulation of D-3-hydroxyoctanoyl-CoA since this enantiomer did not inhibit
HAD. Molecular modelling of HAD complexed with 3,5-dihydroxydecanoyl-CoA suggested
that the 5-hydroxyl group could decrease HAD turnover rate by interacting with critical
side chains. Consistent with the kinetic data, 5-hydroxydecanoyl-CoA alone acted as a
weak substrate in isolated mitochondria, whereas addition of 100 μM 5-HD-CoA inhibited
the metabolism of decanoyl-CoA or lauryl-carnitine. In conclusion, 5-HD is activated,
transported into mitochondria and metabolised via β-oxidation, albeit with rate-limiting
kinetics at the penultimate step. This creates a bottleneck for β-oxidation of fatty acids. The
complex metabolic effects of 5-HD invalidate the use of 5-HD as a blocker of mitochondrial
KATP channels in studies of preconditioning.
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Copyright The Physiological Society 2004