Pantothenate kinase (PanK) phosphorylates pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) and controls the overall rate of coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis. Pank1 gene deletion in mice results in a metabolic phenotype where fatty acid oxidation and gluconeogenesis are impaired in the fasted state, leading to mild hypoglycemia. Inactivating mutations in the human PANK2 gene lead to childhood neurodegeneration, but Pank2 gene inactivation in mice does not elicit a phenotype indicative of the neuromuscular symptoms or brain iron accumulation that accompany the human disease. Pank1/Pank2 double knockout (dKO) mice were derived to determine if the mild phenotypes of the single knockout mice are due to the ability of the two isoforms to compensate for each other in CoA biosynthesis. Postnatal development was severely affected in the dKO mice. The dKO pups developed progressively severe hypoglycemia and hyperketonemia by postnatal day 10 leading to death by day 17. Hyperketonemia arose from impaired whole-body ketone utilization illustrating the requirement for CoA in energy generation from ketones. dKO pups had reduced CoA and decreased fatty acid oxidation coupled with triglyceride accumulation in liver. dKO hepatocytes could not maintain the NADH levels compared to wild-type hepatocytes. These results revealed an important link between CoA and NADH levels, which was reflected by deficiencies in hepatic oleate synthesis and gluconeogenesis. The data indicate that PanK1 and PanK2 can compensate for each other to supply tissue CoA, but PanK1 is more important to CoA levels in liver whereas PanK2 contributes more to CoA synthesis in the brain.
Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration, PKAN, is an inherited disorder characterized by progressive impairment in motor coordination and caused by mutations in PANK2, a human gene that encodes one of four pantothenate kinase (PanK) isoforms. PanK initiates the synthesis of coenzyme A (CoA), an essential cofactor that plays a key role in energy metabolism and lipid synthesis. Most of the mutations in PANK2 reduce or abolish the activity of the enzyme. This evidence has led to the hypothesis that lower CoA might be the underlying cause of the neurodegeneration in PKAN patients; however, no mouse model of the disease is currently available to investigate the connection between neuronal CoA levels and neurodegeneration. Indeed, genetic and/or dietary manipulations aimed at reducing whole-body CoA synthesis have not produced a desirable PKAN model, and this has greatly hindered the discovery of a treatment for the disease.Cellular CoA levels are tightly regulated by a balance between synthesis and degradation. CoA degradation is catalyzed by two peroxisomal nudix hydrolases, Nudt7 and Nudt19. In this study we sought to reduce neuronal CoA in mice through the alternative approach of increasing Nudt7-mediated CoA degradation. This was achieved by combining the use of an adeno-associated virus-based expression system with the synapsin (Syn) promoter. We show that mice with neuronal overexpression of a cytosolic version of Nudt7 (scAAV9-Syn-Nudt7cyt) exhibit a significant decrease in brain CoA levels in conjunction with a reduction in motor coordination. These results strongly support the existence of a link between CoA levels and neuronal function and show that scAAV9-Syn-Nudt7cyt mice can be used to model PKAN.
Coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis is regulated by the pantothenate kinases (PanK), of which there are four active isoforms. The PanK1 isoform is selectively expressed in liver and accounted for 40% of the total PanK activity in this organ. CoA synthesis was limited using a Pank1−/− knockout mouse model to determine whether the regulation of CoA levels was critical to liver function. The elimination of PanK1 reduced hepatic CoA levels, and fasting triggered a substantial increase in total hepatic CoA in both Pank1−/− and wild-type mice. The increase in hepatic CoA during fasting was blunted in the Pank1−/− mouse, and resulted in reduced fatty acid oxidation as evidenced by abnormally high accumulation of long-chain acyl-CoAs, acyl-carnitines, and triglycerides in the form of lipid droplets. The Pank1−/− mice became hypoglycemic during a fast due to impaired gluconeogenesis, although ketogenesis was normal. These data illustrate the importance of PanK1 and elevated liver CoA levels during fasting to support the metabolic transition from glucose utilization and fatty acid synthesis to gluconeogenesis and fatty acid oxidation. The findings also suggest that PanK1 may be a suitable target for therapeutic intervention in metabolic disorders that feature hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia.
The activity of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase, a rate-limiting enzyme in phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis, is modulated by its interaction with lipid bilayers [Kent, C. (1997) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1348, 79-90]. Its regulation is of central importance in the maintenance of membrane lipid homeostasis. Here we show evidence that the stored curvature elastic stress in the lipid membrane's monolayer modulates the activity of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase. Our results show how a purely physical feedback signal could play a key role in the control of membrane lipid synthesis.
The pantothenate kinases (PanK) catalyze the first and the rate-limiting step in coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis and regulate the amount of CoA in tissues by differential isoform expression and allosteric interaction with metabolic ligands. The four human and mouse PanK proteins share a homologous carboxy-terminal catalytic domain, but differ in their amino-termini. These unique termini direct the isoforms to different subcellular compartments. PanK1α isoforms were exclusively nuclear, with preferential association with the granular component of the nucleolus during interphase. PanK1α also associated with the perichromosomal region in condensing chromosomes during mitosis. The PanK1β and PanK3 isoforms were cytosolic, with a portion of PanK1β associated with clathrin-associated vesicles and recycling endosomes. Human PanK2, known to associate with mitochondria, was specifically localized to the intermembrane space. Human PanK2 was also detected in the nucleus, and functional nuclear localization and export signals were identified and experimentally confirmed. Nuclear PanK2 trafficked from the nucleus to the mitochondria, but not in the other direction, and was absent from the nucleus during G2 phase of the cell cycle. The localization of human PanK2 in these two compartments was in sharp contrast to mouse PanK2, which was exclusively cytosolic. These data demonstrate that PanK isoforms are differentially compartmentalized allowing them to sense CoA homeostasis in different cellular compartments and enable interaction with regulatory ligands produced in these same locations.
Pantothenate kinase (PANK) is a metabolic enzyme that regulates cellular coenzyme A (CoA) levels. There are three human PANK genes, and inactivating mutations in PANK2 lead to pantothenate kinase associated neurodegeneration (PKAN). Here we performed a library screen followed by chemical optimization to produce PZ-2891, an allosteric PANK activator that crosses the blood brain barrier. PZ-2891 occupies the pantothenate pocket and engages the dimer interface to form a PANK•ATP•Mg2+•PZ-2891 complex. The binding of PZ-2891 to one protomer locks the opposite protomer in a catalytically active conformation that is refractory to acetyl-CoA inhibition. Oral administration of PZ-2891 increases CoA levels in mouse liver and brain. A knockout mouse model of brain CoA deficiency exhibited weight loss, severe locomotor impairment and early death. Knockout mice on PZ-2891 therapy gain weight, and have improved locomotor activity and life span establishing pantazines as novel therapeutics for the treatment of PKAN.
The human isoform 2 of pantothenate kinase (PanK2) is localized to the mitochondria, and mutations in this protein are associated with a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. PanK2 inhibition by acetyl-CoA is so stringent (IC50 < 1 microM) that it is unclear how the enzyme functions in the presence of intracellular CoA concentrations. Palmitoylcarnitine was discovered to be a potent activator of PanK2 that functions to competitively antagonize acetyl-CoA inhibition. Acetyl-CoA was a competitive inhibitor of purified PanK2 with respect to ATP. The interaction between PanK2 and acetyl-CoA was stable enough that a significant proportion of the purified protein was isolated as the PanK2.acetyl-CoA complex. The long-chain acylcarnitine activation of PanK2 explains how PanK2 functions in vivo, by providing a positive regulatory mechanism to counteract the negative regulation of PanK2 activity by acetyl-CoA. Our results suggest that PanK2 is located in the mitochondria to sense the levels of palmitoylcarnitine and up-regulate CoA biosynthesis in response to an increased mitochondrial demand for the cofactor to support beta-oxidation.
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