J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 263, Issue 6, 2724-2731, 02, 1988
Beta-oxidation of the carboxyl side chain of prostaglandin E2 in rat liver peroxisomes and mitochondria
L Schepers, M Casteels, J Vamecq, G Parmentier, PP Van Veldhoven and GP Mannaerts
Afdeling Farmakologie, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.
Rat liver and kidney homogenates, fortified with the appropriate cofactors,
produced H2O2 when incubated with prostaglandin (PG) E2 or its CoA ester
(PGE2-CoA), indicating that PGE2-CoA served as substrate for acyl-CoA
oxidase, the first enzyme of peroxisomal beta-oxidation. PGE2-CoA oxidase
was stimulated to the same extent as palmitoyl-CoA oxidase by treatment of
rats with the peroxisome proliferator clofibrate. Subcellular fractionation
confirmed that both oxidase activities were located in peroxisomes. When
highly purified peroxisomes were incubated with [1-14C]PGE2, radioactive
oxidation products were released, demonstrating that peroxisomes were
capable of catalyzing the complete beta-oxidation sequence. However, PGE2
beta- oxidizing activity was expressed only when isolated microsomes were
added to the purified peroxisomes, indicating that PGE2-CoA synthetase is
located in the endoplasmic reticulum. Cofactor requirements for peroxisomal
[1-14C]PGE2 and [1-14C]palmitate oxidation were identical, and oxidation
was not inhibited by cyanide. [1-14C]PGE2 was also beta- oxidized by highly
purified mitochondrial fractions, devoid of peroxisomes, when microsomes
were added. Mitochondrial [1-14C]PGE2 and [1-14C]palmitate oxidation was
CoA- and ATP-dependent and inhibited by cyanide. Palmitate oxidation was
carnitine-dependent, but PGE2 oxidation was not. Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase
activity, but not carnitine acyltransferase activity, was detected with
PGE2-CoA as substrate. [1- 14C]PGE2 oxidation in whole liver homogenates
was only slightly inhibited by cyanide, indicating that peroxisomes
oxidized the major portion of PGE2. The concentrations of PGE2 employed in
these experiments exceeded the in vivo concentrations by several orders of
magnitude. Therefore, we suggest that the urinary PG metabolite excretion
be measured in patients with hereditary diseases in which peroxisomal or
mitochondrial beta-oxidation is not functioning in order to clarify the
role of each organelle in PG oxidation in vivo.