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Serum factors that stimulate fatty acid oxidation: Physiological specificity
Author(s) -
Stanisz Jolanta,
Wice Burton M.,
Kennell David E.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.1041260119
Subject(s) - biochemistry , beta oxidation , fatty acid , chemistry
In the accompanying paper (Wice et al., 1986) we reported that serum from chickens contains small molecular weight compounds that stimulate longchain fatty acid oxidation ten fold or more in HeLa cells. Here we show that this response is not limited to specific sera or to specific target cells. The specificity of the metabolic response to these factors was also investigated. They had no effect on the following major pathways of HeLa cell metabolism: (1) the oxidation of the medium‐chain fatty acid, octanoic acid, (2) the rate of glycolysis of glucose, (3) the flux of glucose carbon through the oxidative arm of the pentose cycle, (4) the entry of pyruvate into the citrate cycle, (5) the oxidation of glutamine carbon, (6) the utilization rate of oxygen or (7) the rate of fatty acid synthesis. Furthermore, the increased oxidation of long‐chain fatty acids was not a result of an increased uptake into the cells. Thus, the serum factors appear to be very specific for the oxidation of long‐chain fatty acids for energy. Since carnitine also stimulates long‐chain fatty acid oxidation in these cells, it seems likely that these compounds either facilitate the activity of carnitine or provide the same function–presumably the transport of long‐chain fatty acid into and out of the mitochondria.