In mammals, electron-transfer flavoprotein:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (ETFQO) and electron-transfer flavoprotein (ETF) are functionally associated, and ETF accepts electrons from at least nine mitochondrial matrix flavoprotein dehydrogenases and transfers them to ubiquinone in the inner mitochondrial membrane. In addition, the mammalian ETF/ETFQO system plays a key role in beta-oxidation of fatt...

Marked changes in the content of protein in the diet affects the rat’s pattern of growth, but there is not any data on the effects to moderate changes. Here we used a genetically obese rat strain (Zucker) to examine the metabolic modifications induced to moderate changes in the content of protein of diets, doubling (high-protein (HP): 30%) or halving (low-protein (LP): 8%) the content of protei...

Increased catabolism of plasma proteins by leakage into the gastrointestinal tract and subsequent digestion by the intestinal enzymes are frequently the causes of hypoproteinemia (1-5). The presence of plasma proteins has been demonstrated both in saliva and in the gastric and intestinal juice of normal individuals; therefore, gastrointestinal leakage of plasma proteins may account for a substa...

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a major public health concern in the obese and type 2 diabetic populations. The high-fat lard diet induces obesity and fatty liver in C57BL/6J mice and suppresses expression of the PPAR-target gene, FA elongase 5 (Elovl5). Elovl5 plays a key role in MUFA and PUFA synthesis. Increasing hepatic Elovl5 activity in obese mice lowered hepatic TGs and endoplasmic r...

Mechanisms that might be responsible for the low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) associated with hypertriglyceridemia were studied in an animal model. Specific monoclonal antibodies were infused into female cynomolgus monkeys to inhibit lipoprotein lipase (LPL), the rate-limiting enzyme for triglyceride catabolism. LPL inhibition produced marked and sustained hypertriglyceridemia, with...

CCAAT enhancer binding protein a (C/EBPa) plays an essential role in cellular differentiation, growth, and energy metabolism. Here, we investigate the correlation between C/ EBPa and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient outcomes and how C/EBPa protects cells against energy starvation. Expression of C/EBPa protein was increased in the majority of HCCs examined (191 pairs) compared with adjacen...

Increased CO(2) partial pressures (hypercapnia) as well as hypoxia are natural features of marine environments like the intertidal zone. Nevertheless little is known about the specific effects of CO(2) on metabolism, except for the well-described effects on acid-base variables and regulation. Accordingly, the sediment-dwelling worm Sipunculus nudus was used as an experimental model to investiga...

Chitin is an important structural constituent of fungal cell walls composed of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) monosaccharides, but catabolism of GlcNAc has not been studied in filamentous fungi so far. In the yeast Candida albicans, the genes encoding the three enzymes responsible for stepwise conversion of GlcNAc to fructose-6-phosphate are clustered. In this work, we analysed GlcNAc catabolism ...

Patients with Tangier disease exhibit extremely low plasma HDL concentrations resulting from mutations in the ATP-binding cassette, sub-family A, member 1 (ABCA1) protein. ABCA1 controls the rate-limiting step in HDL particle assembly by mediating efflux of cholesterol and phospholipid from cells to lipid-free apoA-I, which forms nascent HDL particles. ABCA1 is widely expressed; however, the sp...

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) at early stages is characterized by hepatic steatosis, i.e., excessive accumulation of fat (e.g., triglyceride or triacylglycerol, esterified cholesterol) wrapped in lipid storage organelles called lipid droplets (LDs). While excessive hepatic steatosis can progress to more severe steatohepatitis or hepatocellular carcinoma in ALD, steatosis can be entirely reversi...