Stimulation by epinephrine of in vivo phosphorylation and inactivation of acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase of rat epididymal adipose tissue.

Intraperitoneal injection of inorganic 32P into rats results in the incorporation of 32P into acetyl-CoA carboxylase without inactivation of the enzyme. Administration of epinephrine stimulates 32P incorporation and results in enzyme inactivation. Incubation of epididymal fat tissues with inorganic 32P also results in incorporation of 32P into carboxylase. This 32P incorporation reaches a maximum level in 3 h and it has no effect on carboxylase activity. Administration of epinephrine at the time of maximum phosphorylation (3 h) results in further phosphorylation and inactivation of carboxylase. Propranolol, a beta-adrenergic blocking agent which inhibits epinephrine action, blocks both the epinephrine-stimulated phosphorylation and the inactivation of the carboxylase. However, propranolol has no effect on that component of the phosphorylation which is unrelated to enzyme inactivation. These results establish that phosphorylation of carboxylase occurs in vivo at two different sites, only one of which results in enzyme inactivation. The phosphorylation site associated with enzyme inactivation is hormonally controlled.