Abstract
Carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase (CATR) deficiency is a severe defect in fatty acid oxidation which presents early in life most frequently with hypoglycemia, hyperammonemia, and severe cardiac abnormalities. CATR exchanges acylcarnitines of various chain lengths for free carnitine across the mitochondrial membrane. In vitro studies in intact fibroblasts from patients with documented deficiency of CATR were probed with stable-isotope- labeled precursors and the resulting acylcarnitines were analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry. After a 72-h incubation with L-[2H3]carnitine the translocase-deficient cells produced acylcarnitines in which the deuterium was incorporated into short-chain acylcarnitines, C2-C5. Experiments with simultaneous incubation of L-[2H3]carnitine and L-[13C6]isoleucine produced [13C5]2-methylbutyryl[2H3]carnitine and [13C3]propionyl- [2H3]carnitine indicating exchange of labeled acylcarnitine from inside the mitochondrial matrix with labeled free carnitine. These studies support the possible existence of a 'branched-chain' carnitine-acylcarnitine translocator in mitochondria. (C) 2000 Academic Press.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 69-75 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Molecular genetics and metabolism |
Volume | 69 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2000 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Branched-chain amino acids
- Carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase
- L- carnitine
- Tandem mass spectrometry
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Endocrinology