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We addressed the question of mitochondrial lactate metabolism using genetically-encoded sensors. The organelle was found to contain a dynamic lactate pool that leads to dose- and time-dependent protein lactylation. In neurons, mitochondrial lactate reported blood lactate levels with high fidelity. The exchange of lactate across the inner mitochondrial membrane was found to be mediated by a high affinity H+-coupled transport system involving the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier MPC. Assessment of electron transport chain activity and determination of lactate flux showed that mitochondria are tonic lactate producers, a phenomenon driven by energization and stimulated by hypoxia. We conclude that an overflow mechanism caps the redox level of mitochondria, while saving energy in the form of lactate.
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Lactate is an energy substrate and an intercellular signal, which can be monitored in intact cells with the genetically encoded FRET indicator Laconic. However, the structural complexity, need for sophisticated equipment, and relatively small fluorescent change limit the use of FRET indicators for subcellular targeting and development of high-throughput screening methodologies. Using the bacterial periplasmic binding protein TTHA0766 from Thermus thermophilus, we have now developed a single-fluorophore indicator for lactate, CanlonicSF. This indicator exhibits a maximal fluorescence change of 200% and a KD of â¼300 µM. The fluorescence is not affected by other monocarboxylates. The lactate indicator was not significantly affected by Ca2+ at the physiological concentrations prevailing in the cytosol, endoplasmic reticulum, and extracellular space, but was affected by Ca2+ in the low micromolar range. Targeting the indicator to the endoplasmic reticulum revealed for the first time sub-cellular lactate dynamics. Its improved lactate-induced fluorescence response permitted the development of a multiwell plate assay to screen for inhibitors of the monocarboxylate transporters MCTs, a pharmaceutical target for cancer and inflammation. The functionality of the indicator in living tissue was demonstrated in the brain of Drosophila melanogaster larvae. CanlonicSF is well suited to explore lactate dynamics with sub-cellular resolution in intact systems.
Assuntos
Drosophila melanogaster , Ácido Láctico , Animais , Corantes Fluorescentes/química , Transferência Ressonante de Energia de Fluorescência/métodos , Retículo Endoplasmático/metabolismo , IonóforosRESUMO
Information processing is onerous. Curiously, active brain tissue does not fully oxidize glucose and instead generates a local surplus of lactate, a phenomenon termed aerobic glycolysis. Why engage in inefficient ATP production by glycolysis when energy demand is highest and oxygen is plentiful? Aerobic glycolysis is associated to classic biochemical effects known by the names of Pasteur, Warburg and Crabtree. Here we discuss these three interdependent phenomena in brain cells, in light of high-resolution data of neuronal and astrocytic metabolism in culture, tissue slices and in vivo, acquired with genetically-encoded fluorescent sensors. These sensors are synthetic proteins that can be targeted to specific cell types and subcellular compartments, which change their fluorescence in response to variations in metabolite concentration. A major site of acute aerobic glycolysis is the astrocyte. In this cell, a Crabtree effect triggered by K+ coincides with a Warburg effect mediated by NO, superimposed on a slower longer-lasting Warburg effect caused by glutamate and possibly by NH4+. The compounded outcome is that more fuel (lactate) and more oxygen are made available to neurons, on demand. Meanwhile neurons consume both glucose and lactate, maintaining a strict balance between glycolysis and respiration, commanded by the Na+ pump. We conclude that activity-dependent Warburg and Crabtree effects in brain tissue, and the resulting aerobic glycolysis, do not reflect inefficient energy generation but the marshalling of astrocytes for the purpose of neuronal ATP generation. It remains to be seen whether neurons contribute to aerobic glycolysis under physiological conditions.
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Encéfalo/fisiologia , Glicólise/fisiologia , Animais , Astrócitos/metabolismo , Respiração Celular/fisiologia , Glucose/metabolismo , Humanos , Ácido Láctico/metabolismo , Mitocôndrias/metabolismo , Neurônios/metabolismoRESUMO
The ratio between the cytosolic concentrations of lactate and pyruvate is a direct readout of the balance between glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. Current approaches do not allow detection of the lactate/pyruvate ratio in a single readout with high spatial/temporal resolution in living systems. Using a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based screening strategy, we found that the orphan transcriptional factor LutR from Bacillus licheniformis is an endogenous sensor of the lactate/pyruvate ratio, suitable for use as a binding moiety to develop a lactate/pyruvate ratio FRET-based genetically encoded indicator, Lapronic. The sensitivity of the indicator to lactate and pyruvate was characterized through changes in the fluorescence FRET ratio and validated with isothermal titration calorimetry. Lapronic was insensitive to physiological pH and temperature and did not respond to structurally related molecules acetate and ß-hydroxybutyrate or cofactors NAD+ and NADH. Lapronic was expressed in HEK 293 cells showing a homogeneous cytosolic localization and was also targeted to the mitochondrial matrix. A calibration protocol was designed to quantitatively assess the lactate/pyruvate ratio in intact mammalian cells. Purified protein from Escherichia coli showed robust stability over time and was found suitable for lactate/pyruvate ratio detection in biological samples. We envision that Lapronic will be of practical interest for basic and applied research.
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Transferência Ressonante de Energia de Fluorescência , Ácido Láctico/metabolismo , Imagem Molecular/métodos , Ácido Pirúvico/metabolismo , Proteínas de Bactérias/química , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Proteínas de Bactérias/metabolismo , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Concentração de Íons de Hidrogênio , Modelos Moleculares , NAD/metabolismo , Conformação ProteicaRESUMO
Mitochondria generate ATP and building blocks for cell growth and regeneration, using pyruvate as the main substrate. Here we introduce PyronicSF, a user-friendly GFP-based sensor of improved dynamic range that enables real-time subcellular quantitation of mitochondrial pyruvate transport, concentration and flux. We report that cultured mouse astrocytes maintain mitochondrial pyruvate in the low micromolar range, below cytosolic pyruvate, which means that the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier MPC is poised to exert ultrasensitive control on the balance between respiration and anaplerosis/gluconeogenesis. The functionality of the sensor in living tissue is demonstrated in the brain of Drosophila melanogaster larvae. Mitochondrial subpopulations are known to coexist within a given cell, which differ in their morphology, mobility, membrane potential, and vicinity to other organelles. The present tool can be used to investigate how mitochondrial diversity relates to metabolism, to study the role of MPC in disease, and to screen for small-molecule MPC modulators.
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Proteínas de Transporte de Ânions/metabolismo , Técnicas Biossensoriais , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Mitocôndrias/metabolismo , Proteínas de Transporte da Membrana Mitocondrial/metabolismo , Transportadores de Ácidos Monocarboxílicos/metabolismo , Ácido Pirúvico/metabolismo , Animais , Proteínas de Transporte de Ânions/genética , Células COS , Linhagem Celular , Chlorocebus aethiops , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Drosophila melanogaster , Células HEK293 , Células HeLa , Humanos , Larva/metabolismo , Camundongos , Proteínas de Transporte da Membrana Mitocondrial/genética , Modelos Biológicos , Transportadores de Ácidos Monocarboxílicos/genéticaRESUMO
Glycolysis is the core of intermediate metabolism, an ancient pathway discovered in the heydays of classic biochemistry. A hundred years later, it remains a matter of active research, clinical interest and is not devoid of controversy. This review examines topical aspects of glycolysis in the brain, a tissue characterized by an extreme dependence on glucose. The limits of glycolysis are reviewed in terms of flux control by glucose transporters, intercellular lactate shuttling and activity-dependent glycolysis in astrocytes and neurons. What is the site of glycogen mobilization and aerobic glycolysis in brain tissue? We scrutinize the pervasive notions that glycolysis is fast and that catalysis is channeled through supramolecular assemblies. In brain tissue, most glycolytic enzymes are catalytically silent. What then is their function?
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Astrócitos/metabolismo , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Glicogênio/metabolismo , Glicólise/fisiologia , Ácido Láctico/metabolismo , Neurônios/metabolismo , Animais , Astrócitos/química , Química Encefálica/fisiologia , Metabolismo Energético/fisiologia , Glucose/análise , Glucose/metabolismo , Glicogênio/análise , Humanos , Ácido Láctico/análise , Neurônios/química , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
Mitochondrial toxicity is a primary source of pre-clinical drug attrition, black box warning and post-market drug withdrawal. Methods that detect mitochondrial toxicity as early as possible during the drug development process are required. Here we introduce a new method for detecting mitochondrial toxicity based on MDA-MB-231 cells stably expressing the genetically encoded FRET lactate indicator, Laconic. The method takes advantage of the high cytosolic lactate accumulation observed during mitochondrial stress, regardless of the specific toxicity mechanism, explained by compensatory glycolytic activation. Using a standard multi-well plate reader, dose-response curve experiments allowed the sensitivity of the methodology to detect metabolic toxicity induced by classical mitochondrial toxicants. Suitability for high-throughput screening applications was evaluated resulting in a Z'-factor > 0.5 and CV% < 20 inter-assay variability. A pilot screening allowed sensitive detection of commercial drugs that were previously withdrawn from the market due to liver/cardiac toxicity issues, such as camptothecin, ciglitazone, troglitazone, rosiglitazone, and terfenadine, in ten minutes. We envisage that the availability of this technology, based on a fluorescent genetically encoded indicator, will allow direct assessment of mitochondrial metabolism, and will make the early detection of mitochondrial toxicity in the drug development process possible, saving time and resources.
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Ensaios de Triagem em Larga Escala/métodos , Mitocôndrias/efeitos dos fármacos , Testes de Toxicidade/métodos , Bioensaio , Linhagem Celular , Transferência Ressonante de Energia de Fluorescência/métodos , Humanos , Ácido Láctico/metabolismo , Sensibilidade e EspecificidadeRESUMO
Monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4) is an H+-coupled symporter highly expressed in metastatic tumors and at inflammatory sites undergoing hypoxia or the Warburg effect. At these sites, extracellular lactate contributes to malignancy and immune response evasion. Intriguingly, at 30-40 mm, the reported Km of MCT4 for lactate is more than 1 order of magnitude higher than physiological or even pathological lactate levels. MCT4 is not thought to transport pyruvate. Here we have characterized cell lactate and pyruvate dynamics using the FRET sensors Laconic and Pyronic. Dominant MCT4 permeability was demonstrated in various cell types by pharmacological means and by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion. Respective Km values for lactate uptake were 1.7, 1.2, and 0.7 mm in MDA-MB-231 cells, macrophages, and HEK293 cells expressing recombinant MCT4. In MDA-MB-231 cells MCT4 exhibited a Km for pyruvate of 4.2 mm, as opposed to >150 mm reported previously. Parallel assays with the pH-sensitive dye 2',7'-bis-(carboxyethyl)-5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF) indicated that previous Km estimates based on substrate-induced acidification were severely biased by confounding pH-regulatory mechanisms. Numerical simulation using revised kinetic parameters revealed that MCT4, but not the related transporters MCT1 and MCT2, endows cells with the ability to export lactate in high-lactate microenvironments. In conclusion, MCT4 is a high-affinity lactate transporter with physiologically relevant affinity for pyruvate.
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Ácido Láctico/metabolismo , Transportadores de Ácidos Monocarboxílicos/metabolismo , Proteínas Musculares/metabolismo , Transporte Biológico/efeitos dos fármacos , Sistemas CRISPR-Cas/genética , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Diclofenaco/farmacologia , Fluoresceínas/química , Edição de Genes , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Concentração de Íons de Hidrogênio , Cinética , Macrófagos/citologia , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Transportadores de Ácidos Monocarboxílicos/antagonistas & inibidores , Transportadores de Ácidos Monocarboxílicos/genética , Proteínas Musculares/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas Musculares/genética , Isoformas de Proteínas/antagonistas & inibidores , Isoformas de Proteínas/genética , Isoformas de Proteínas/metabolismo , Ácido Pirúvico/metabolismoRESUMO
Recent articles have drawn renewed attention to the housekeeping glucose transporter GLUT1 and its possible involvement in neurodegenerative diseases. Here we provide an updated analysis of brain glucose transport and the cellular mechanisms involved in its acute modulation during synaptic activity. We discuss how the architecture of the blood-brain barrier and the low concentration of glucose within neurons combine to make endothelial/glial GLUT1 the master controller of neuronal glucose utilization, while the regulatory role of the neuronal glucose transporter GLUT3 emerges as secondary. The near-critical condition of glucose dynamics in the brain suggests that subtle deficits in GLUT1 function or its activity-dependent control by neurons may contribute to neurodegeneration. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Encéfalo/metabolismo , Transportador de Glucose Tipo 1/metabolismo , Glucose/metabolismo , Doenças Neurodegenerativas/metabolismo , Neurônios/metabolismo , Animais , Encéfalo/patologia , Metabolismo Energético/fisiologia , Transportador de Glucose Tipo 1/deficiência , Humanos , Doenças Neurodegenerativas/patologia , Neurônios/patologiaRESUMO
Excitatory synaptic transmission is accompanied by a local surge in interstitial lactate that occurs despite adequate oxygen availability, a puzzling phenomenon termed aerobic glycolysis. In addition to its role as an energy substrate, recent studies have shown that lactate modulates neuronal excitability acting through various targets, including NMDA receptors and G-protein-coupled receptors specific for lactate, but little is known about the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the increase in interstitial lactate. Using a panel of genetically encoded fluorescence nanosensors for energy metabolites, we show here that mouse astrocytes in culture, in cortical slices, and in vivo maintain a steady-state reservoir of lactate. The reservoir was released to the extracellular space immediately after exposure of astrocytes to a physiological rise in extracellular K(+) or cell depolarization. Cell-attached patch-clamp analysis of cultured astrocytes revealed a 37 pS lactate-permeable ion channel activated by cell depolarization. The channel was modulated by lactate itself, resulting in a positive feedback loop for lactate release. A rapid fall in intracellular lactate levels was also observed in cortical astrocytes of anesthetized mice in response to local field stimulation. The existence of an astrocytic lactate reservoir and its quick mobilization via an ion channel in response to a neuronal cue provides fresh support to lactate roles in neuronal fueling and in gliotransmission.