Department of Biochemistry
& Molecular Biology

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    Ahmad, F.
    Briegel, K.
    Carothers-Carraway, C.
    Deutscher, M.
    Farooq, A.
    Fenna, R.
    Fletcher, T.
    Gong, F.
    Harris, TK
    Huijing, F.
    Jain, C.
    Landgraf, R.
    Malhotra, A.
    Myers, R.
    Nawaz, Z.
    Rudd, K.
    Scott, W.
    Werner, R.
    Whelan, W.
    Zhang, Y.
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ahmad.jpg (20205 bytes)

Fazal Ahmad

Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Ph.D. (1961) University of Edinburgh, U.K.

Biotin Enzymes,  Hormonal and Nutrient Control of Gene Expression

Tel: (305) 243-5910, Fax: (305) 243-3065

 RESEARCH INTERESTS

Oxaloacetate and other essential tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates are utilized for gluconeogenesis (liver, kidney), lipogenesis (adipose tissue, liver, mammary gland, brain) and amino acid synthesis (liver, brain). The main anaplerotic reaction for regeneration of the intermediates is the synthesis of oxaloacetate catalyzed by mitochondrial pyruvate carboxylase. A wide variety of nutrients and hormones regulate biosynthetic processes in different tissues and therefore, it is of interest to understand how this regulation is related to the control of pyruvate carboxylase gene expression in these tissues.

The regulation of pyruvate carboxylase gene expression is being investigated in the model system provided by 3T3-L adipocytes. Exposure of these adipocytes to cAMP produces profound effects on the cellular content of the encoding mRNA and causes pyruvate carboxylase to become inactive. The chemical mechanism involved in this inactivation of adipocyte pyruvate carboxylase by cAMP is being defined. In addition, we are interested in describing at the molecular level how cAMP, insulin and certain nutrients (e.g., glucose) regulate expression of the pyruvate carboxylase gene in differentiating and differentiated 3T3-L cells.

Oxaloacetate and other essential tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates are utilized for gluconeogenesis (liver, kidney), lipogenesis (adipose tissue, liver, mammary gland, brain) and amino acid synthesis (liver, brain). The main anaplerotic reaction for regeneration of the intermediates is the synthesis of oxaloacetate catalyzed by mitochondrial pyruvate carboxylase. A wide variety of nutrients and hormones regulate biosynthetic processes in different tissues and therefore, it is of interest to understand how this regulation is related to the control of pyruvate carboxylase gene expression in these tissues.

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

  • Ahmad, P. M. and Ahmad, F. 1991. Mammalian pyruvate carboxylase: Effect of biotin on the synthesis and translocation of apo-enzyme into 3T3-L adipocyte mitochondria. FASEB J., 5, 2482-2485.

  • Zhang, J., Xia, W.-L., Brew, K. and Ahmad, F. 1993. Adipose pyruvate carboxylase: Amino acid sequence and Domain structure deduced from cDNA cloning. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90, 1766-1780.

  • Xia, W.-L., Zhang, J. and Ahmad, F. 1994. Holocarboxylase synthetase: Purification from rat liver cytosol and some properties. Biochem. Mol. Biol. Intnl., 34, 225-232.

  • Zhang, J., Xia, W.-L. and Ahmad, F. 1995. Regulation of pyruvate carboxylase in 3T3-L cells. Biochem. J., 306, 205-210.

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HONORS AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

  • Member, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

  • Director, Graduate Program in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 1995 - 1998

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