The regulation of hepatic mitochondrial
carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I (
CPT-I) was studied in rats during
starvation and
insulin-dependent diabetes and in rat H4IIE cells. The Vmax. for
CPT-I in hepatic mitochondrial outer membranes isolated from starved and diabetic rats increased 2- and 3-fold respectively over fed control values with no change in Km values for substrates. Regulation of
malonyl-CoA sensitivity of
CPT-I in isolated mitochondrial outer membranes was indicated by an 8-fold increase in Ki during
starvation and by a 50-fold increase in Ki in the diabetic state. Peroxisomal and microsomal
CPT also had decreased sensitivity to inhibition by
malonyl-CoA during
starvation.
CPT-I
mRNA abundance was 7.5 times greater in livers of 48-h-starved rats and 14.6 times greater in livers of
insulin-dependent diabetic rats compared with livers of fed rats. In H4IIE cells,
insulin increased
CPT-I sensitivity to inhibition by
malonyl-CoA in 4 h, and sensitivity continued to increase up to 24 h after
insulin addition.
CPT-I
mRNA levels in H4IIE cells were decreased by
insulin after 4 h and continued to decrease so that at 24 h there was a 10-fold difference. The half-life of
CPT-I
mRNA was 4 h in the presence of
actinomycin D or with
actinomycin D plus
insulin. These results suggest that
insulin regulates
CPT-I by inhibiting transcription of the
CPT-I gene.