Characterization of hepatic carnitine palmitoyltransferase. Use of bromoacyl derivatives and antibodies

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) is a mitochondrial-inner-membrane enzyme, with activities located on both the outer and inner sides of the membrane. The inhibition of CPT by bromopalmitate derivatives was studied in intact hepatic mitochondria (representing CPT-A activity, the outer enzyme), in inverted submitochondrial vesicles (representing CPT-B, the inner enzyme), and in purified hepatic CPT. Bromopalmitoyl-CoA had an I₅₀ (concentration giving 50% inhibition of CPT activity) of 0.63 ± 0.08 μM in intact mitochondria and 2.44 ± 0.86 μM in inverted vesicles. Preincubation of mitochondria with bromopalmitoyl-CoA decreased V(max.) for both CPT-A and CPT-B. Sonication decreased sensitivity to bromopalmitoyl-CoA, and solubilization with Triton abolished sensitivity at the concentrations used (0-10 μM). Purified CPT had a bromopalmitoyl-CoA I₅₀ of 353 μM in aqueous buffer, 67 μM in 20% dimethyl sulphoxide, 45 μM in phosphatidylcholine liposomes and 26 μM in cardiolipin liposomes. Increasing [carnitine] at constant bromopalmitoyl-CoA concentrations or increasing [bromopalmitoyl-CoA] in the preincubation resulted in increased inhibition of purified CPT. 2-Tetradecylglycidyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA did not offer measurable protection against bromopalmitoyl-CoA inhibition of the purified CPT, suggesting a different site of interaction of bromopalmitoyl-CoA with CPT. The data suggest that the sensitivity of CPT to bromopalmitoyl-CoA may be modulated by membrane environment and assay conditions.