The occurrence of L-lactate dehydrogenase in the inner mitochondrial compartment of pig liver

Although pig represents a model species in biomedical research including studies dealing with liver patho-physiology, some aspects of liver metabolism need to be addressed. In particular, whether and how pig mitochondria can metabolize L-lactate remains to be established. We show here that pig liver mitochondria (PLM) possess their own L-lactate dehydrogenase (mL-LDH). This was shown both via immunological analysis and by assaying photometrically the L-LDH reaction in solubilised PLM. The mL-LDH reaction shows hyperbolic dependence on the substrate concentration, it is inhibited by oxamate and proves to differ from the cytosolic activity (cL-LDH), as revealed by the difference found in both pH profiles and temperature dependence of m- and cL-LDH. Titration experiments with digitonin show that mL-LDH is restricted in mitochondrial inner compartment. In agreement with the above findings, three genes in Sus scrofa genome encoded for L-LDH subunits which are predicted to have mitochondrial localization, as investigated by Target P 1.1 and PredSL analysis.