Metabolic compartmentation of pyruvate in the isolated perfused rat heart

1. Prompted by the finding of markedly differing specific radioactivities of tissue alanine and lactate in isolated rat hearts perfused with [1-14C]pyruvate, a more detailed study on the cytosolic subcompartmentalization of pyruvate was undertaken. Isolated rat hearts were perfused by the once-through Langendorff technique under metabolic and isotopic steady-state conditions but with various routes of radioactive label influx, and the specific radioactivities of pyruvate, lactate and alanine were determined. An enzymic method was devised to determine the specific radioactivity of C-1 of pyruvate. 2. Label introduction as [1-14C]pyruvate resulted in a higher specific radioactivity of tissue alanine and mitochondrial pyruvate than of lactate, and a higher specific radioactivity of perfusate lactate than of tissue lactate. Label introduction as [1-14C]lactate resulted in a roughly similar isotope dilution into the tissue and perfusate pyruvate and the tissue alanine. Label introduction as [3,4-14C]glucose resulted in the same specific radioactivity of tissue lactate and alanine and a roughly similar specific radioactivity of mitochondrial pyruvate. 3. The results can be reconciled with a metabolic model containing two cytosolic functional pyruvate pools. One pool (I) communicates more closely with the glycolytic system, whereas the other (II) communicates with extracellular pyruvate and intracellular alanine. Pool II is in close connection with intramitochondrial pyruvate. The physical identity of the cytosolic subcompartments of pyruvate is discussed.