Hormonal control of pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in rat liver

A detailed study of the control of liver pyruvate dehydrogenase activity by various hormones was carried out with perfused liver and isolated hepatocytes. Vasopressin produced a significant increase in the enzyme activity in fed rats, and the time course and sensitivity of the response was similar to that of glycogen phosphorylase a. The enzyme from starved animals was resistant to hormonal activation. The possible factors involved in the above effects are discussed. Angiotensin and phenylephrine also increased pyruvate dehydrogenase activity, and the magnitude of the response was of the same order as that to vasopressin by the liver enzyme. The effects of these hormones on pyruvate dehydrogenase activity were critically dependent on extracellular Ca2+, thus suggesting a role for this ion in the mechanism of action of the hormones. Insulin did not appear to have a role in the control of the enzyme activity, as shown by its lack of effect on the enzyme. Glucagon, in contrast with previous reports, produced a rapid, transient and significant increase in pyruvate dehydrogenase activity. The physiological importance of the above effects is discussed.