Carbohydrate metabolism: dichloroacetate and lactic acidosis: practice question

The best answer is C, Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase. Phosphorylation by pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inactivates the complex.

The phosphatase activates the complex; inhibiting it would increase lactate, not lower it.

Inhibiting lactate dehydrogenase would block pyruvate-lactate interconversion and does not act on the complex.

Pyruvate carboxylase converts pyruvate to oxaloacetate and inhibiting it would not enhance pyruvate oxidation.

It tests Carbohydrate metabolism: dichloroacetate and lactic acidosis in Biochemistry. Dichloroacetate inhibits this kinase, so the complex stays dephosphorylated and active, and pyruvate is oxidised instead of being reduced to lactate.

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

Build one table of enzyme deficiency, disease, inheritance and key finding, then revise it by spaced recall. Then use the flashcards and the other Biochemistry questions on this site to test what stuck.

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