Formation and utilization of acetoin, an unusual product of pyruvate metabolism by Ehrlich and AS30-D tumor mitochondria

• Published in: The Journal of biological chemistry Vol. 262; no. 20; pp. 9535 - 9541
• Main Authors: Baggetto, L G, Lehninger, A L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 15.07.1987; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Subjects: Acetoin - metabolism; Animals; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Biological and medical sciences; Butanones - metabolism; Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor - metabolism; Cell physiology; Cell transformation and carcinogenesis. Action of oncogenes and antioncogenes; Chromatography, Gas; Citrates - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Kinetics; Life Sciences; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Mice; Mitochondria - metabolism; Molecular and cellular biology; Neoplasms, Experimental - metabolism; Pyruvates - metabolism; Rats; Spectrophotometry; Vertebrata; Mitochondria; Mammalia; Rat; Metabolite; Animal; Malignant transformation; Rodentia; Pyruvate; Tumor; Metabolism
• DOI: 10.1016/S0021-9258(18)47966-5
• ISSN: 0021-9258

[14C]Pyruvate was rapidly non-oxidatively decarboxylated by Ehrlich tumor mitochondria at a rate of 40 nmol/min/mg of protein in the presence or absence of ADP. A search for decarboxylation products led to significant amounts of acetoin formed when Ehrlich tumor mitochondria were incubated with 1 mM [14C] pyruvate in the presence of ATP. Added acetoin to aerobic tumor mitochondria was rapidly utilized in the presence of ATP at a rate of 65 nmol/min/mg of protein. Citrate has been found as a product of acetoin utilization and was exported from the tumor mitochondria. Acetoin has been found in the ascitic liquid of Ehrlich and AS30-D tumor-bearing animals. These unusual reactions were not observed in control rat liver mitochondria.