The activation of pyruvate dehydrogenasea kinase activity by CoA esters has been further characterized. Half-maximal activation of kinase activity was achieved with about 1.0 microM acetyl-CoA after a 20-s preincubation in the presence of NADH. More than 80% of the acetyl-CoA was consumed during this period in acetylating sites in the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex as a result of the transacetylation reaction proceeding to equilibrium. At 1.0 microM acetyl-CoA, this resulted in more than a 4-fold higher level of CoA than residual acetyl-CoA. Activation of kinase activity could result either from acetylation of specific sites in the complex or tight binding of acetyl-CoA. Removal of CoA enhanced both acetylation and activation, suggesting acetylation mediates activation. For allosteric binding of acetyl-CoA to elicit activation, an activation constant, Ka, less than 50 nM would be required. To further distinguish between those mechanisms, the effects of other CoA esters as well as the reactivity of most of the effective CoA esters were characterized. Several short-chain CoA esters enhanced kinase activity including (in decreasing order of effectiveness) malonyl-CoA, acetoacetyl-CoA, propionyl-CoA, and methylmalonyl-CoA. Butyryl-CoA inhibited kinase activity as did high concentrations of long-chain acyl-CoAs. Inhibition by long-chain acyl-CoAs may result, in part, from detergent-like properties of those esters. Malonyl-CoA, propionyl-CoA, butyryl-CoA, and methylmalonyl-CoA, obtained with radiolabeled acyl groups, were shown to acylate sites in the complex. Propionyl-CoA and butyryl-CoA were tested, in competition with acetyl-CoA or pyruvate, as alternative substrates for acylation of sites in the complex and as competitive effectors of kinase activity. Propionyl-CoA alone rapidly acylated sites in the complex at low concentrations, and low concentrations of propionyl-CoA were effective in activating kinase activity although only a relatively small activation was observed. When an equivalent level (20 microM) of acetyl-CoA and propionyl-CoA was used, marked activation of kinase activity due to a dominant effect of acetyl-CoA was associated with acetylation of a major portion of sites in the complex and with a small portion undergoing acylation with propionyl-CoA. Those results were rapidly achieved in a manner independent of the order of addition of the two CoA esters. That indicates that tight slowly reversible binding of acetyl-CoA is not involved in kinase activation. High levels of propionyl-CoA greatly reduced acetylation by acetyl-CoA and nearly prevented activation of kinase activity by acetyl-CoA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)