H. Wada et al., WHY DO MITOCHONDRIA SYNTHESIZE FATTY-ACIDS - EVIDENCE FOR INVOLVEMENTIN LIPOIC ACID PRODUCTION, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United Statesof America, 94(4), 1997, pp. 1591-1596
The function of acyl carrier protein (ACP) in mitochondria isolated fr
om pea Leaves has been investigated, When pea Leaf mitochondria were l
abeled with [2-C-14] malonic acid in vitro, radioactivity was incorpor
ated into fatty acids, and, simultaneously, ACP was acylated, [1-C-14]
Acetate was much less effective as a precursor for fatty acid synthesi
s, suggesting that mitochondria do not possess acetyl-CoA carboxylase,
The incorporation of radioactivity from [2-C-14] malonate into fatty
acids and the labeling of ACP were inhibited by cerulenin and required
ATP and Mg2+. These findings indicate that plant mitochondria contain
not only ACP, but all enzymes required for de novo fatty acid synthes
is, Over 30% of the radioactive products from pea mitochondria labeled
with [2-C-14]malonate were recovered in H protein, which is a subunit
of glycine decarboxylase and contains lipoic acid as an essential con
stituent, In similar experiments, the H protein of Neurospora mitochon
dria was also labeled by [2-C-14]malonate, The labeling of pea H prote
in was inhibited by addition of cerulenin into the assay medium, Toget
her, these findings indicate that ACP is involved in the de novo synth
esis of fatty acids in plant mitochondria and that a major function of
this pathway is production of lipoic acid precursors.