Acetylation-Mediated Post-Translational Modification of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Plays a Critical Role in the Regulation of the Cellular Acetylome During Metabolic Stress

Background: Cardiac diseases remain one of the leading causes of death globally, often linked to ischemic conditions that can affect cellular homeostasis and metabolism, which can lead to the development of cardiovascular dysfunction. Considering the effect of ischemic cardiomyopathy on the global population, it is vital to understand the impact of ischemia on cardiac cells and how ischemic conditions change different cellular functions through post-translational modification of cellular proteins. Methods: To understand the cellular function and fine-tuning during stress, we established an ischemia model using neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. Further, the level of cellular acetylation was determined by Western blotting and affinity chromatography coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Results: Our study found that the level of cellular acetylation significantly reduced during ischemic conditions compared to normoxic conditions. Further, in mass spectroscopy data, 179 acetylation sites were identified in the proteins in ischemic cardiomyocytes. Among them, acetylation at 121 proteins was downregulated, and 26 proteins were upregulated compared to the control groups. Differentially, acetylated proteins are mainly involved in cellular metabolism, sarcomere structure, and motor activity. Additionally, a protein enrichment study identified that the ischemic condition impacted two major biological pathways: the acetyl-CoA biosynthesis process from pyruvate and the tricarboxylic acid cycle by deacetylation of the associated proteins. Moreover, most differential acetylation was found in the protein pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Conclusions: Understanding the differential acetylation of cellular protein during ischemia may help to protect against the harmful effect of ischemia on cellular metabolism and cytoskeleton organization. Additionally, our study can help to understand the fine-tuning of proteins at different sites during ischemia.