MINIREVIEW
Regulation ofpyruvatedehydrogenasecomplex activity
in plant cells
Alejandro Tovar-Me
´
ndez
1
, Jan A. Miernyk
1,2
and Douglas D. Randall
1
1
Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA;
2
Plant Genetics Research Unit, USDA,
Agricultural Research Service, Columbia, USA
The pyruvatedehydrogenasecomplex (PDC) is subjected to
multiple interacting levels of control inplant cells. The first
level is subcellular compartmentation. Plantcells are unique
in having two distinct, spatially separated forms of the PDC;
mitochondrial (mtPDC) and plastidial (plPDC). The
mtPDC is the site of carbon entry into the tricarboxylic acid
cycle, while the plPDC provides acetyl-CoA and NADH for
de novo fatty acid biosynthesis. The second level of regula-
tion of PDC activity is the control of gene expression. The
genes encoding the subunits of the mt- and plPDCs are
expressed following developmental programs, and are
additionally subject to physiological and environmental
cues. Thirdly, both the mt- and plPDCs are sensitive to
product inhibition, and, potentially, to metabolite effectors.
Finally, the two different forms of the complex are regulated
by distinct organelle-specific mechanisms. Activityof the
mtPDC is regulated by reversible phosphorylation catalyzed
by intrinsic kinase and phosphatase components. An addi-
tional level of sensitivity is provided by metabolite control of
the kinase activity. The plPDC is not regulated by reversible
phosphorylation. Instead, activity is controlled to a large
extent by the physical environment that exists in the plastid
stroma.
Keywords: complex; chloroplast; enzymology; localization;
metabolic regulation; mitochondria; phosphorylation.
Introduction
The pyruvatedehydrogenasecomplex (PDC) is a multien-
zyme complex catalyzing the oxidative decarboxylation of
pyruvate to yield acetyl-CoA and NADH. The plant PDCs
occupy strategic and overlapping positions inplant cata-
bolic and anabolic metabolism (Fig. 1). Similar to other
PDCs, the plant complexes contain three primary compo-
nents: pyruvatedehydrogenase (E1), dihydrolipoyl acetyl-
transferase (E2) and dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (E3). In
addition, mitochondrial PDC (mtPDC) has two associated
regulatory enzymes: pyruvatedehydrogenase kinase (PDK)
and phospho-pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase (PDP).
Here we briefly describe our current understanding of the
regulation of PDC activityinplant cells. Detailed descrip-
tions of the plant complexes are provided by more
comprehensive reviews [1–3].
Compartmentation of the PDC
It is widely believed that eukaryotic cells arose as the result
of phagotrophic capture of bacteria and subsequent sym-
biotic association. The progenitors of mitochondria are
thought to be a-proteobacteria [4], possibly related to
contemporary Rickettsia [5]. The plastids that are charac-
teristic ofplantcells are thought to have been derived from a
single common primary symbiotic event with a cyanobac-
terium [6]. Subsequently, there was extensive gene migration
to the nucleus leaving both mitochondria and plastids as
semiautonomous organelles. Most mitochondrial and plas-
tidial proteins, including the subunits of the PDC, are
encoded within the nuclear genome of land plants, synthes-
ized in the cytoplasm and then post-translationally imported
into the organelles [3]. In nonplant eukaryotes the PDC is
exclusively localized within the mitochondrial matrix, and
serves as an entry point for carbon into the Krebs cycle. The
regulatory properties of mtPDC have been specialized to
minimize activityin an environment where ATP levels are
high. Plantcells contain an mtPDC that is closely related to
those of animal cells, but additionally contain a plastidial
form of the PDC (plPDC, Fig. 1) that is more closely
related to the PDC from cyanobacteria [3,7]. In contrast to
mtPDC, the regulatory properties of plPDC are specialized
to minimize the effects of an environment with high levels of
ATP. The physical environment within the chloroplast
stroma changes markedly during the light/dark transition,
and specialized regulatory mechanisms have evolved for
control of plPDC activityin the dark.
Mature plastids differentiate from proplastid progenitors
to serve specialized functions in different plant organs.
Plastid terminology is largely based upon pigmentation,
Correspondence to J. A. Miernyk, USDA/ARS, Plant Genetics
Research Unit, 108 Curtis Hall, University of Missouri,
Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
Fax: + 1 573 884 7850, Tel.: + 1 573 882 8167,
E-mail: miernykj@missouri.edu
Abbreviations: PDC, pyruvatedehydrogenase complex; mtPDC,
mitochondrial pyruvatedehydrogenase complex; plPDC,
plastidial pyruvatedehydrogenase complex; E1, pyruvate dehydro-
genase; E2, dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase; and E3, dihydrolipoyl
dehydrogenase; PDP, phospho-pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase.
(Received 13 September 2002, accepted 29 November 2002)
Eur. J. Biochem. 270, 1043–1049 (2003) Ó FEBS 2003 doi:10.1046/j.1432-1033.2003.03469.x
with leucoplasts, etioplasts, chloroplasts and chromoplasts
being, respectively, unpigmented, pale yellow, green and
red/orange. The chlorophyll-containing green plastids
(chloroplasts) are the site of photosynthesis in autotrophic
plant cells. Plastids, regardless of pigmentation or degree of
differentiation, are the sole site of de novo fatty acid
biosynthesis inplantcells [8]. All forms of plastids contain
the plPDC, which provides the acetyl-CoA and NADH
necessary for fatty acid biosynthesis [9].
Recently it has been discovered that certain animal cell
parasites, such as Plasmodium spp., contain a type of
nonphotosynthetic plastid termed the apicoplast [10]. Pos-
sibly this type of plastid originated from an endosymbiotic
event involving a red algal cell. The fragmentary informa-
tion available indicates that red algal plPDCs are more
closely related to other plPDCs than to any mtPDC [3,7].
There is as yet no sequence information concerning red algal
mtPDC or plasmodial PDCs, but when this becomes
available it should provide us with additional phylogenetic,
evolutionary and regulatory insights.
Plastidial PDC
Based upon the results of cell-fractionation, it was proposed
that developing oilseeds contain a plastidial glycolytic
pathway in addition to the classical cytoplasmic glycolysis
[11]. It was additionally reported that these same plastids
contain a unique form of the PDC [12–14]. The plPDC from
developing castor endosperm has the same kinetic mechan-
ism as mtPDC, but has distinct catalytic and enzymatic
properties. It was later reported that green leaves from pea
seedlings also contain both mitochondrial and plastidial
forms of the PDC [15]. The occurrence of plPDC was briefly
controversial, however all of the subunits have now been
cloned [7,16,17] and their plastidial localization verified by
in vitro import studies [16,18] and confocal microscopy of
GFP-fusion proteins [19].
Similar to bacterial and mtPDC, the activityof plPDC is
sensitive to product inhibition by NADH and acetyl-CoA
[9,20]. Another property that is shared with bacterial PDCs
is that plPDC is not regulated by phosphorylation. Early
enzymatic studies of plPDC noted that the pH optimum
was significantly more alkaline than that of mtPDC, and
that higher Mg
2+
concentrations were necessary for maxi-
mal activity [9,12]. When plant leaves are shifted from dark
to light there is a rapid alkalinization of the chloroplast
stroma along with an increase in the free Mg
2+
concentra-
tion [21]. Both of these changes would activate plPDC.
De novo synthesis of fatty acids in green organs ofplant cells
is light-driven and occurs exclusively within the plastids [8].
The plPDC provides acetyl-CoA and NADH for fatty acid
biosynthesis [9], so it is essential that PDC activity parallels
that of fatty acid biosynthesis. Thus, a unique mechanism
for regulating activityof plPDC activity has evolved based
Fig. 1. Compartmentalization of metabolism inplant cells. PS
l
, the light reactions of photosynthesis; PS
d
, the dark reactions of photosynthesis.
1044 A. Tovar-Me
´
ndez et al.(Eur. J. Biochem. 270) Ó FEBS 2003
upon the physical conditions present in the chloroplast
stroma (Fig. 2). It is additionally possible that the activity of
plPDC [22] might be sensitive to light:dark changes in the
redox state of the chloroplast stroma [23] as are several
chloroplast regulatory enzymes [24].
Expression of plPDC
Expression of genes encoding the component enzymes of
plPDC is responsive to developmental and physiological
cues. The level of plE1b mRNA expressed in A. thaliana
siliques increased to a peak six to seven days after
flowering, then decreased with seed maturity [25]. This
pattern of developmental expression is parallel to that of
plastidial acetyl-CoA carboxylase, consistent with a role for
both enzymes in seed oil synthesis and accumulation [25].
The importance of plPDC in seed oil synthesis has been
further supported by results from both digital Northern
[26] and microarray [27] analyses of developing A. thaliana
seeds.
In addition to developing seeds, it has been reported that
there were high levels of expression of plE1b [25], plE2 [16],
and plE3 [17] in A. thaliana flowers. However, when the
b-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene was fused to the
A. thaliana plE3 promoter, and this chimera expressed in
tobacco plants, high levels of expression were seen in
developing seeds and mature pollen grains while low levels
were present in young leaves and flowers [19]. This result
suggests the previously reported elevated levels of plPDC
subunit expression in flowers might instead reflect mRNAs
present in the pollen.
Mitochondrial PDC
Product inhibition
As with their mammalian and microbial counterparts, plant
PDCs employ a multisite ping-pong kinetic mechanism. The
forward reaction is irreversible under physiological condi-
tions, but activity is sensitive to product inhibition by
NADH and acetyl-CoA. The K
i
values for NADH (20 l
M
)
and acetyl-CoA (20 l
M
) are within the physiological
concentration range [28]. While the results from in vitro
studies suggest that NAD
+
/NADH is the more important
regulator, results from analyses using isolated intact mito-
chondria suggest that acetyl-CoA/CoA can also have a
significant regulatory influence because of the small size of
the total CoA pool [29].
Fig. 2. Schematic overview of the regulationofpyruvatedehydrogenasecomplexactivityin autotrophic plant cells. Distinct regulatory mechanisms
control the activityof mtPDC in the light and plPDC in the dark. PS, photosynthesis; PR, the photorespiratory pathway; PDC, the pyruvate
dehydrogenase complex; P-PDC, the phosphorylated (inactive) form of PDC.
Ó FEBS 2003 Regulationof PDC activityinplantcells (Eur. J. Biochem. 270) 1045
Reversible phosphorylation
Plant mtPDCs are regulated in part by reversible multisite
seryl-phosphorylation of the E1a subunit [1,2,30]. Regula-
tory phosphorylation is catalyzed by an intrinsic PDK, and
dephosphorylation by an intrinsic PDP. The three phos-
phorylation sites of mammalian PDC were initially mapped
withthenativebovineE1a [31]. Both the relative positions
of the phosphorylated Ser residues and the flanking
sequences are conserved in mammalian E1a primary
sequences. Stoichiometric phosphorylation of any individ-
ual site resulted in total inactivation, but indicated that there
were differences in the relative rates of phosphorylation [32].
Examination ofplant mtE1a sequences reveals that the Ser
residue corresponding to mammalian site 1 is present, and
there is a Ser one residue upstream of mammalian site 2
[33,34]. There is, however, no Ser corresponding to mam-
malian site 3. Recent results obtained from MS analysis of
tryptic peptides from pea seedling mtPDC verified phos-
phorylation of sites 1 and 2 (Ser300, Ser306; N. R. David,
J. A. Miernyk & D. D. Randall, unpublished results).
O
2
-electrode assays of PDC activityin isolated pea
seedling mitochondria verified that PDK and PDP are
simultaneously active [35], and that steady-state PDC
activity reflects this antagonism. In contrast to the response
of mammalian PDC, changes in ATP/ADP over a 20-fold
range had no effect on phosphorylation state/activity [36].
Furthermore, Ca
2+
had no affect on steady-state PDC
activity [37].
Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase
Although the primary sequences of PDKs closely resemble
those of protein His-kinases, PDKs exclusively phosphory-
late Ser residues [38,39]. The K
m
value of pea seedling PDK
for Mg-ATP is less than 5 l
M
,andtheV
max
values for PDK
are five- to 10-fold higher than those of PDP, implying that
an active PDC requires tightly regulated PDK activity
[35,40,41]. Inhibition of PDK activity by ADP is competi-
tive with respect to ATP but, unlike mammalian PDK, K
+
does not effect ADP inhibition of the plant enzyme [40].
Pyruvate inhibition of PDK activity is also competitive with
respect to ATP [37,40,42]. Pyruvate and ADP are synergistic
inhibitors of PDK [42], which might allow the Krebs cycle
to operate despite high matrix ATP concentrations. Pea
seedling PDK activity is stimulated by 5–40 l
M
NH
4
+
and
10–80 m
M
K
+
, but inhibited by 10–100 m
M
Na
+
.The
NH
4
+
decreases the K
m
for Mg-ATP by about sixfold
[41,43]. Stimulation of PDK activity by NH
4
+
is additive
with stimulation by K
+
. Mitochondrial concentrations of
NH
4
+
as high as 3 m
M
can arise from glycine decarboxylase
complex (GDC) activity during photorespiration.
Pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase
The PDP is a type 2C protein phosphatase, and requires
divalent cations for activity [44]. The activityof pea seedling
mtPDP was inhibited 40% by 10 m
M
P
i
, but was not
affected by any of an extensive array of mitochondrial
metabolites tested. In contrast to mammalian PDP, plant
PDP is not stimulated by polyamines or Ca
2+
,eitherin vitro
[44] or in isolated intact mitochondria [37]. Ca
2+
actually
antagonizes the Mg
2+
activation of PDP from pea seedling
mitochondria. There are two forms of mammalian PDP; the
activity of PDP1 is enhanced by Ca
2+
, while that of PDP2 is
not, which resembles the plant enzyme [45].
Results from both in vitro and in vivo studies have
established that leaf mtPDC is rapidly phosphorylated in
the light, and dephosphorylated in the dark [46,47]. Any
conditions that inhibit photorespiration or glycine oxidation
decrease the light-dependent phosphorylation. However,
the in vivo light-dependent phosphorylation of mtPDC has
been observed in leaves of C3 species as well as maize, a C4
plant that does not typically exhibit photorespiration or
glycine oxidation. Our model for light-induced inhibition of
mtPDC activity includes elevated matrix ATP levels, NH
4
+
(which activates PDK) produced by photorespiratory
glycine metabolism, and NADH, which inhibits PDC
(Fig. 2). In the dark, photorespiration is curtailed and
NH
4
+
levels drop, and the phosphatase reactivates mtPDC.
This mechanism regulates or limits unnecessary carbon
oxidation by the Krebs cycle in the leaf during photosyn-
thesis. Because pyruvate is an inhibitor of PDK, mtPDC
can be in a more active status under light conditions if
metabolic conditions cause high pyruvate levels to be
present. Evidence to date indicates that only PDK is under
regulation. Thus, changes in mtPDC phosphorylation state
will most reflect changes in PDK activity.
A complex regulatory network
The occurrence of multiple sites of regulatory Ser phos-
phorylation of PDC E1a, and multiple forms of PDK with
distinct specificities, allows tremendous flexibility of meta-
bolic control in mammalian cells [45,48]. Such flexibility is
necessary to adjust to changes in nutrition, developmental
and physiological states, and health. While there is now a
considerable body of knowledge concerning the regulatory
complex in animal cells, there is very little comparable
information about plant cells. It remains a challenge to
understand how metabolism can be regulated in a complex
eukaryote that has only one [49] or two [50] forms of PDK.
Expression of mtPDC
There are similarities in expression of mtPDC among dicot
plants. In a detailed study of pea (Pisum sativum) seedling
development, it was observed that changes in the levels of
E1 and E2 proteins and mRNAs were coordinated with
changes in mtPDC activity [34]. The highest activities were
found incells or organs that were rapidly expanding or
differentiating; etiolated seedlings or the youngest leaves of
light-grown plants. Activities decreased in mature leaves
and were virtually nonexistent in senescing leaves. A similar
pattern was observed in an earlier study of the phosphory-
lation state of mtPDC in pea seedlings [51]. As was found
with the plPDC subunits, mtPDC is highly expressed in
pollen [52,53].
Changes in E3 mRNA, protein and activity did not
follow the same pattern [34]. This is not unexpected. In
addition to being a component of the PDC, E3 is also
associated with the GDC in pea seedlings [54]. The GDC is
absent from dark-grown plant organs, but is rapidly
synthesized de novo upon transfer ofplant organs to the
1046 A. Tovar-Me
´
ndez et al.(Eur. J. Biochem. 270) Ó FEBS 2003
light [55,56]. In contrast to pea, A. thaliana has two mtE3
genes that are expressed at similar levels in stems, flowers
and siliques [57]. Expression of the E3 gene, designated
mtLPD1, was higher in leaves, and was strongly induced by
light, whereas expression of mtLPD2 is higher in roots and
is only moderately induced by light. The expression pattern
of mtLPD2 resembles that of mtE1 [33,58]. It appears that
in A. thaliana mitochondria, mtLPD1 is preferentially
associated with the GDC, although it is capable of also
associating with all of the a-keto acid dehydrogenase
complexes [57].
There have been fewer analyses of mtPDC expression in
monocot plants. In maize, the E1 subunits were coordi-
nately expressed with the highest mRNA levels found in
pollen and roots [53]. There was not a substantial difference
in maize E1 expression between dark and light-grown
organs. A somewhat different developmental pattern was
seen with barley leaves. While there was coordinate
expression of the E1 proteins during the early stages of leaf
development, E1b reached maximum expression at the end
of cell elongation stage then decreased to relatively low
levels in mature cells. By contrast, E1a reached the
maximum expression level later and remained high in
mature leaf cells [59].
In contrast to the single PDK gene present in A. thaliana
[49], there are two maize PDKs [50]. A parallel pattern of
PDK expression, with ZmPDK1 more highly expressed
than ZmPDK2, was seen in most maize organs and tissues.
The exception was green maize leaves, where the mRNA
levels for both PDKs were similar. The seemingly higher
expression of total PDK might be related to the increased
concentration of leaf ATP during photosynthesis [50].
In summary, there is evidence for organ- and tissue-
specific developmental control of the expression of mtPDC,
and expression is responsive to light. The complex is highly
expressed in heterotrophic stages of dicot plant develop-
ment, but is relatively low in autotrophic cells. Higher
expression of mtPDC is correlated with the metabolic and
structural changes that accompany membrane expansion
and remodeling. In most instances, there is coordinate
expression of the E1 and E2 components. The transient
accumulation of mRNA preceding changes in protein levels
and catalytic activity is consistent with transcriptional
regulation.
Future prospects
Despite the advances made in more than 25 years of study,
many aspects of the regulationof PDC activityinplant cells
remain enigmatic. Some components of both plastidial and
mtPDCs are encoded by small multigene families
[3,16,17,33,50,53,57,58,60]. Are there distinct functions for
these subunits, as has been found in Ascaris suum [61,62]? As
yet there is no evidence for the occurrence of an E3BP in
either plastidial or mtPDCs. Is this because this subunit does
not exist in plants, or is it simply that it has it not yet been
discovered? This is an intriguing question, considering the
importance of E3BP under conditions of elevated NADH/
NAD
+
[63]. In contrast to the dilipoyl forms of E2
ubiquitous in mammalian PDCs, there are additionally
monolipoyl forms of mtE2 in plants [60]. This raises obvious
questions concerning the nature of the association of PDK
and PDP with mtPDC. Although experiments are currently
in progress, there is virtually no knowledge about plant
PDPs. In the current mammalian regulatory paradigm,
specific forms of PDK have specific roles in overall
regulation [45,48]. How is it that plants can be adequately
responsive with only one or two forms of PDK [49,50]? To
date very little is known about the post-transcriptional
regulation of PDC gene expression in plants, and prelimi-
nary promoter analyses have been conducted only for the
E3 genes from A. thaliana [19]. Thus, the increase in our
understanding ofregulationof PDC activityinplant cells
over the past 25 years constitutes a classical example of,
ÔOne step forward, two steps back.Õ The next 25 years
promise to be interesting times!
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Ó FEBS 2003 Regulationof PDC activityinplantcells (Eur. J. Biochem. 270) 1049
. pathway; PDC, the pyruvate
dehydrogenase complex; P-PDC, the phosphorylated (inactive) form of PDC.
Ó FEBS 2003 Regulation of PDC activity in plant cells (Eur Thus, the increase in our
understanding of regulation of PDC activity in plant cells
over the past 25 years constitutes a classical example of,
ÔOne step