Identification of Chicken Liver Mitochondrial Alanine:2-oxoglutarate Aminotransferase and Its Response to Starvation

In chicken liver, alanine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase was located only in the mitochondria. In 40-day-old chickens, starvation resulted in a dramatic increase of liver mitochondrial alanine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase activity, reaching about a 100-fold increase in the activity (units/g of liver) on Day 7 of starvation. The mitochondrial alanine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase was purified to homogeneity and characterized from the mitochondrial extract of 7-day-starved chicken liver. The enzyme possessed alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase activity and was also present in control chicken liver. The enzyme was found in the present study for the first time and named alanine:2-oxoglutarate (glyoxylate) aminotransferase. Alanine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase specific for alanine and a-oxoglutarate as substrates was not detected in both control and starved chicken livers. In contrast, liver mitochondrial alanine: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase from mammals did not possess alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase activity. The increase in mitochondrial alanine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase activity during starvation was found to be attributed to an increase in enzyme protein.