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The activities of native and recombinant rabbit muscle protein phosphatase-1 toward phosphorylated lysine-rich histone and phosphorylase a were compared. The activity of rabbit muscle protein phosphatase-1 toward histone is strongly stimulated by Mn++. In the case of the recombinant enzyme, both phosphorylase phosphatase and histone phosphatase activities exhibit a dependence on Mn++. Examination of the activities of both enzymes assayed under optimal conditions show that they exhibit similar substrate specificities toward histone and phosphorylase, contrary to previous claims (Alessi et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 213, 1055-1066, 1993).

GLP-1(7–36)amide is an intestinal posttranslational proglucagon product released mainly after carbohydrate ingestion, the glucose dependent insulinotropic and antidiabetogenic actions of which have been documented. In this work, by exploring whether GLP-1(7–36)amide has any effect on the glucose metabolism of the muscle, we have observed that this peptide, at physiological concentrations, exerts in this tissue an increment of the d-[U-14C] glucose incorporated into glycogen, which is accompanied by an increase in the glycogen synthase a activity; also, it stimulates both glucose oxidation and lactate formation. These data indicate that the skeletal muscle is one of the target tissues for GLP-1(7–36)amide, where its insulin-like effect explains, at least in part, its plasma glucose lowering action; thus, GLP-1(7–36)amide may well be implicated in the physiological control of glucose homeostasis after meals, not only by acting as an incretin, but also by directly promoting glucose disposal.

A study of glycogen metabolism in the liver has been carried out in gold thioglucose (GTG) injected mice during the development of obesity. In GTG obese mice, overt obesity, hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinaemia had developed by 6 weeks after the injection of GTG. Beyond 6 weeks after GTG injection, the gain of body weight and increment in serum glucose and insulin levels with age in obese mice were not obvious when compared with those of age-matched control animals. The glycogen concentration, total glycogen storage, activity of glycogen synthase R and activity of phosphorylase a in the liver from GTG obese mice were significantly greater than those in lean mice from 2-4 weeks after GTG injection and remained higher thereafter. These results demonstrate that the increased liver glycogen storage and increased activity of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase occur early in the development of obesity and at a similar time to previously reported increases in pyruvate dehydrogenase activity (Caterson et al. (1987) Biochem. J. 243, 549-553) and lipid synthesis in liver (Cooney et al. (1989) Biochem. J. 259, 651-657). The emergence of these abnormalities in glycogen metabolism early in the development of obesity may contribute to the establishment of glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in this model of obesity which became apparent at approximately the same time after GTG injection.

This study examined whether high physiological concentrations of epinephrine (EPI) would enhance muscle glycogenolysis during intense muscular contractions. Muscles of the rat hindlimb were perfused for 12 min at rest and 45 s of tetanic stimulation (1.0-Hz train rate, 100-ms train duration at 80 Hz) without EPI (control) or with 15 or 35 nM EPI. In the EPI groups the muscles were perfused with EPI for the last 2 min of rest perfusion and throughout stimulation. Glycogenolysis in the white gastrocnemius, red gastrocnemius, plantaris, and soleus muscles during stimulation was unaffected by the presence of EPI in the perfusion medium. In addition, muscle lactate and hindlimb lactate efflux were similar in EPI and control groups. It is concluded that EPI is not important for enhancing glycogenolysis in rat muscles composed predominantly of fast-twitch fibers during intense short-term tetanic stimulation.

We have used polyclonal antibodies against an internal peptide (residues 169 to 182; Ab169/182) and a peptide corresponding to the carboxyl terminus (residues 299 to 309; Ab299/309) to look for in vivo modifications of protein phosphatase 2A catalytic (PP2Ac) subunit. Treatment of extracts from human breast cancer (MCF7) cells with either alkali or ethanol increased immunoreactivity of PP2Ac subunit severalfold on Western blots with Ab299/309, but did not apparently change molecular weight or isoelectric point of the protein. In contrast, immunoreactivity with Ab169/182 was unchanged by these treatments. Subsequently, we demonstrated that the increase in PP2Ac subunit recognition by Ab299/309 coincides with the demethylation of this protein at the carboxyl-terminal leucine (Leu309). Methylation of PP2Ac subunit, in vitro, increases its activity toward both phosphorylase a and a phosphopeptide. The carboxyl-terminal sequence (TPDYFL) of PP2Ac subunit is completely conserved between mammals, yeast, fruit fly, and plants which suggests that regulation of this enzyme activity by carboxyl-terminal methylation has been conserved during evolution.

It had been found that Beijing ducks (BD) have a high level of HDL (70%), high LCAT but very low CETP activity and will not develop atherosclerosis on an atherogenic diet, suggesting that cholesterol ester is mainly carried by HDL and metabolized through an HDL receptor pathway in the liver. However, evidence of this receptor's existence in the liver is not yet complete. In this paper, the HDL receptor in BD liver has been studied. Our experiments showed: 1) ApoE-free 125I-HDL could bind specifically to duck hepatic cell membrane with high affinity (Kd = 9.6 micrograms/ml) and was saturable (Bmax = 8.9 micrograms/mg cell membrane protein) at room temperature. 2) Competitive inhibition studies with unlabelled duck, human, rat and chick HDL and duck apo AI and its liposomes formed with PC or DMPC could inhibit the binding of 125I-HDL to duck hepatic cell membranes, but LDL, apo E and their liposomes with PC or DMPC could not with the exception of duck LDL. 3) The receptor could recognize apo AI but not apo B or E. 4) Both phosphorylase A2 and pronase could inhibit the binding activity. The above results give strong evidence for the existence of a specific HDL receptor pathway in the duck liver, supporting our hypothesis that CE in Beijing ducks is metabolized directly through the hepatic HDL receptor instead of being transferred back to VLDL and LDL, then through the LDL receptor pathway. This unique way of metabolizing CE may be behind the Beijing duck's antiatherogenicity.

We have recently described a novel protein carboxyl methylation system that results in the reversible modification of a 36-kDa polypeptide component of a 178-kDa protein in the cytosol of a variety of eucaryotic cells. This reaction, catalyzed by a cytosolic 40-kDa methyl-transferase, results in the methyl esterification of the alpha-carboxyl group of the C-terminal leucine residue. We have now purified the major methylated 36-kDa polypeptide from bovine brain. N-terminal sequence analysis of a tryptic fragment of this polypeptide revealed identity to the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A. This enzyme exists in the cell predominantly as a trimeric 151-kDa native species containing the 36-kDa catalytic polypeptide that terminates in a leucine residue. We then fractionated bovine brain cytosolic extracts to separate the major phosphatase isoforms 2A1 and 2A2 and found that both could be methylated by a partially purified preparation of the methyltransferase. A synthetic C-terminal octapeptide based on the sequence of the 36-kDa catalytic subunit is neither a substrate nor an inhibitor of this methyltransferase, suggesting that this enzyme recognizes aspects of the tertiary and/or quaternary structure of the native phosphatase. Because this modification reaction is readily reversible in extracts, it may represent a novel strategy of the cell to modulate the function of this protein phosphatase.

The formation of the phosphorylase ab hybrid and its further transformation into phosphorylase a has been demonstrated in the rat heart after different periods of i.v. isoproterenol administration. Phosphorylase ab hybrid was determined in the presence of AMP and/or caffeine. Only the partially phosphorylated phosphorylase was found in the control rat hearts and its activity was 30% of the total phosphorylase. The phosphorylase ab hybrid was disclosed particularly after small isoproterenol doses (0.031-0.062 microgram.kg-1) and at short time interval (15 s) after its administration. Higher isoproterenol doses (0.25-0.5 microgram.kg-1) changed the partially phosphorylated phosphorylase to phosphorylase a (58%) after a longer time interval (40 s). The phosphorylase ab hybrid was revealed even at the maximal rate of stimulation. The formation of the phosphorylase ab hybrid in the rat heart in vivo appears to be of physiological significance. Our results confirmed the earlier suggestion that the -AMP/+AMP activity ratio reflects the percentage proportion of the phosphorylated subunits of phosphorylase but not of the activated phosphorylase molecules.

We examined the effect of a toxic concentration of allyl alcohol (0.5 mM) on intracellular calcium concentrations in isolated rat hepatocytes. An increase in phosphorylase a activity was evident in the hepatocytes after 30 min of incubation with allyl alcohol, suggesting that the toxicant may produce an early rise in cytosolic free calcium. The increase in phosphorylase a activity was not reversed by the addition of dithiothreitol (DTT), a sulfhydryl compound that reverses the events that initiate cell killing by allyl alcohol. When intracellular calcium concentrations were measured directly, using fura-2 as the calcium indicator, there was no effect of allyl alcohol on cytosolic free calcium during the first 60 min of exposure, a critical period for development of irreversible damage. Incubation with allyl alcohol did not interfere with the measurement of intracellular calcium. The increases in cytosolic free calcium produced by phenylephrine or ATP were similar to those reported by others and not affected by the presence of allyl alcohol. The results from this study demonstrate that increased cytosolic free calcium is not essential for allyl alcohol-induced cytotoxicity to isolated rat hepatocytes.

1 This study was initiated to ascertain the possibility of biochemically monitoring the rhabdomyonecrosis that occurs after organophosphate poisoning. The evolution of different parameters has been assessed in the rat 6, 16, 24 and 48 h following 0.67 x LD50 of soman. 2 Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was inhibited to 60% of the control value in the diaphragm at 6 and 16 h and serum ChE levels inhibited to an average of 30% of the control value. At 24 h, total blood, brain and diaphragm AChE were inhibited by 40, 69 and 38%, respectively. 3 Rhabdomyonecrosis lesions occurred in the diaphragm after 24 h and were accompanied by a concurrent increase in urinary creatine excretion rate (300% of the control) and serum total creatine phosphokinase activity (280% of the control). Calcium-activated neutral protease and phosphorylase a activities were elevated in the muscle at the same time. 4 These biochemical markers will prove useful for investigating the possible relationships between the different neuromuscular syndromes occurring in the course of an OP poisoning and potential therapeutic or protective pharmacological measures.

The present study was designed to investigate the hormonal regulation of rat liver glycogenolysis in growth hormone (GH) deficiency. To this end, hepatocytes were isolated from control, GH-deprived (hypophysectomized and treated with triiodothyronine [T3] and corticotropin), and 7-day GH-supplemented fed rats and incubated with glucagon and alpha 1-adrenergic agonist (phenylephrine) to measure the hormonal activation of both glycogen phosphorylase and glucose production from glycogen stores. GH deficiency induces a combined decrease of 50% of the glycogen content, the activity of glucose-6-phosphatase, and the maximal hormone-induced glycogen phosphorylase activity. Daily GH injections restore the levels of both glycogen phosphorylase and glucose-6-phosphatase. These enzymatic inductions occur without normalization of insulinemia. Despite the reduced levels of key enzymes of glycogenolysis, the stimulation of glucose production from glycogen in response to glucagon and phenylephrine is not modified in GH-deprived rats. An increase in the intrinsic activity of one or both of the enzymatic steps is postulated to compensate for the lower levels of enzymes, as indicated by the slopes of the correlation between glucose production and phosphorylase a activity (107 and 216 nmol glucose produced/min/U phosphorylase a [P < .001] in control and GH-deprived rats, respectively). GH replacement enhances maximal phosphorylase activity and brings the correlation toward the control value (slope, 128 nmol glucose produced/min/U phosphorylase a). Our findings demonstrate that glycogenolysis in hepatocytes isolated from GH-deprived rats is normal, despite a reduction of glycogen phosphorylase and glucose-6-phosphatase activities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hepatocytes from chronically endotoxemic rats, or appropriate saline controls, were maintained in primary culture for 3 or 20 h. The ability of a variety of hormones to stimulate glycogen phosphorylase a was examined. At 3 h in culture, hepatocytes from endotoxemic rats had lower basal activities and exhibited impaired response to vasopressin, angiotensin II, and, to a lesser extent, norepinephrine and glucagon. The norepinephrine response was predominantly of the alpha-type in the saline rats but mixed alpha- and beta-type in the endotoxic cells. After 20 h in culture, vasopressin and angiotensin II responses were still impaired, while norepinephrine and glucagon responses were similar to those seen in the saline cells. The response to norepinephrine was predominantly of the beta-type in the endotoxic cells but still of the alpha-type in the saline cells. The results show that multiple mechanisms are involved in endotoxin-mediated inhibition of glycogen phosphorylase a activity and that alterations in intracellular calcium homeostasis play more of a significant role than adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-mediated processes in diminished responsiveness of the liver seen in endotoxemia.

We report a family with McArdle's disease with several affected individuals in two generations. This unusual pedigree for an autosomal recessive disease is explained by the existence of manifesting heterozygotes in the maternal line. The presence of symptoms in heterozygotes seems to be due to a decrease in myophosphorylase activity below a critical threshold, ranging between 30% and 45% of normal mean value. The occurrence of several manifesting heterozygotes in the maternal line only can be explained by compound heterozygosity of a defective allele and a pseudodeficient allele for myophosphorylase, or by a genetic factor which regulates the phenotypic expression of the gene.

In isolated hamster hepatocytes, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) mobilized intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i) and activated phosphorylase a with a half-maximally effective concentration of 188 and 9 microM, respectively. Addition of ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) did not affect the maximum [Ca2+]i mobilized by UDCA; however, [Ca2+]i returned to basal levels in 4-5 min compared with > 10 min in the absence of EGTA. Both UDCA and vasopressin activated phosphorylase a to the same extent in the presence and absence of extracellular Ca2+, and the effect of both agents was abolished when the cells were depleted in Ca2+. Vasopressin (100 nM) did not further mobilize [Ca2+]i or activate phosphorylase a when combined with 500 microM UDCA. However, unlike vasopressin, UDCA did not stimulate inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) formation. In contrast to taurine-conjugated UDCA (TUDCA), concentration < or = 500 microM of glycine-conjugated UDCA (GUDCA) did not affect either [Ca2+]i or phosphorylase a. Lithocholic acid and taurolithocholic acid (TLCA) displayed the highest affinity for Ca2+. In addition, TLCA, chenodeoxycholic acid, and NaF stimulated Ca2+ efflux at concentrations as low as 100 microM, 200 microM, and 5 mM, respectively. Conversely, UDCA, TUDCA, and GUDCA presented the lowest affinity for Ca2+ and had no effect on Ca2+ efflux. The 28% increase in Ca2+ release induced by TLCA alone was further augmented to approximately 60% when TLCA was combined with UDCA, TUDCA, or GUDCA. However, Ca2+ efflux induced by NaF was not further increased by UDCA and its conjugates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Stimulation of skeletal muscle to contract activates phosphorylase b-to-a conversion and glycogenolysis. Despite reversal of the increase in percentage of phosphorylase a after a few minutes, continued glycogen breakdown can occur during strenuous exercise. Hypoxia causes sustained glycogenolysis in skeletal muscle without an increase in percentage of phosphorylase a. We used this model to obtain insights regarding how glycogenolysis is mediated in the absence of an increase in percentage of phosphorylase a. Hypoxia caused a 70% decrease in glycogen in epitrochlearis muscles during an 80-min incubation despite no increase in percentage of phosphorylase a above the basal level of approximately 10%. Muscle Pi concentration increased from 3.8 to 8.6 mumol/g muscle after 5 min and 15.7 mumol/g after 20 min. AMP concentration doubled, attaining a steady state of 0.23 mumol/g in 5 min. Incubation of oxygenated muscles with 0.1 microM epinephrine induced an approximately sixfold increase in percentage of phosphorylase a but resulted in minimal glycogenolysis. Muscle Pi concentration was not altered by epinephrine. Despite no increase in percentage of phosphorylase a, hypoxia resulted in a fivefold greater depletion of glycogen over 20 min than did epinephrine. To evaluate the role of phosphorylase b, muscles were loaded with 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate, which inhibits phosphorylase b. The rate of glycogenolysis during 60 min of hypoxia was reduced by only approximately 14% in 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate-loaded muscles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In guinea pig hepatocytes, histamine increased phosphorylase activity and inositol phosphate production. Similar effects were obtained with 2-(2-aminoethyl)-thiazole, a histamine H 1 receptor agonist, but not with dimaprit or impromidine, H 2 receptor agonists. These effects of histamine were dose-dependently inhibited by the H 1 antihistamines, (+)-chlorpheniramine and mepyramine (pyrilamine) but not by cimetidine or ranitidine, H 2 antagonists. (+)-Chlorpheniramine and mepyramirie had similar potencies (apparent K 1 values ≈ 3 nM) when incubated with the cells for 1 min (phosphorylase a assays) but the former was 15–20-fold more potent than the latter at longer incubation times (apparent K 1 values = 3–4 nM and 45–90 nM, respectively) indicating that mepyramine is actively metabolized by guinea pig hepatocytes. Histamine increased cytosol calcium approximately 2-fold, an effect also mediated through H 1 receptors. The actions of histamine were not affected by in vivo ADP-ribosylation by pertussis toxin. Our data clearly indicate that histamine modulates the metabolism of guinea pig hepatocytes via activation of H 1 receptors. These receptors are coupled to the phosphoinositide turnover-calcium mobilization signalling pathway through a pertussis toxin-insensitive process.

Enzymic methods were employed to analyse the structure of the non-dialysable urinary glucoconjugates of ten healthy males. The excretion of the urinary glucoconjugates was determined from the glucosyl:galactosyl ratio after acid hydrolysis, and a mean value of 0.27 was obtained. The results of the specific actions of alpha- and beta-glucosidases showed that the non-dialysable urinary glucoconjugates contain a branched alpha-glucan fraction with 1,4- and 1,6-glucosidic bonds, and a beta-glucan fraction containing 1,4-glucosidic bonds.

A type 1 serine/threonine protein phosphatase (PP1) which is mostly localized in the excitable ciliary membranes from the protozoan Paramecium, was purified to homogeneity. Approximately 4 micrograms enzyme of 37 kDa was isolated from 100 l axenic culture. The enzymic properties were characterized using phosphorylase a from rabbit skeletal muscle as a substrate and several known effectors of mammalian PP1. The protozoan PP1 was enzymically indistinguishable from its mammalian congener. The amino acid sequence of the Paramecium PP1 was deduced from its cDNA. The full-length clone was obtained in several steps starting with a pair of degenerate primers made according to the two most conserved peptides of rabbit PP1 and PP2A. The gene encodes a protein of 36,392 Da. The identity of the cloned gene and the isolated ciliary PP1 was unequivocally established by microsequencing of four tryptic and cyanogen-bromide peptides which were generated from the purified protein. Paramecium PP1 shows 75% amino-acid-sequence identity with rabbit PP1 alpha. Areas of major differences are the C-termini and N-termini and a sequence between residues 219-242.

Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and glucose 1,6-bisphosphate are apparent noncompetitive inhibitors of porcine protein phosphatase 2A2 having Ki values of 0.38 and 0.56 mM, respectively. The inhibitory effects were on the catalytic subunit and were not substrate directed. In addition, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate caused a time-dependent inactivation of phosphatase activity toward phosphorylase a. This inactivation was antagonized by MnCl2. The fructose 2,6-bisphosphate-inactivated enzyme had increased p-nitrophenyl phosphate phosphatase activity. These effects are similar to the known effects of ATP on type 2A phosphatases.

Submandibular glands of rats injected with NaF solution (10 mg F-/kg body weight) were analysed for glycogen content and phosphorylase activity after various time intervals. In contrast to what has been reported for the liver, sodium fluoride caused increased glycogen content. Phosphorylase (a and total) activity was not affected, suggesting a different mechanism of action of F- in the submandibular gland. In vivo experiments demonstrated stimulation of glycogenesis.

Hyperglycemia was caused in the snail Pila globosa by the injection of the hyperglycemic hormones obtained from fresh water crabs (Oziotelphusa senex senex) and marine tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon). Tissue glycogen and total carbohydrates presented a significant decrease which indicated that the source of hyperglycemia was the tissue carbohydrates. The hyperglycemic principles also increased the tissue phosphorylase activity and provided evidence for a possible action of the crustacean hyperglycemic hormones in non-arthropod species.

There are important differences between the short- and long-term effects of adrenaline on determinants of glucose tolerance. To assess this metabolic adaptation at tissue level, the present study examined the effect of acute and prolonged in vivo elevation of adrenaline on glycogen metabolism and glycolysis in skeletal muscle. Adrenaline (50 ng · kg−1 · min−1) was infused for 2 h or 74 h and the results compared with 1 h 0.9% NaCl infusion in six trained dogs. Muscle glycogen content was reduced by long-term adrenaline (161 ± 17 vs NaCl 250 ± 24 μmol/g dry weight;p < 0.05) but not short-term adrenaline (233 ± 21) indicating a sustained effect of adrenaline on glycogen metabolism. Acutely, glycogen synthase I was reduced (short-term adrenaline 12 ± 6 vs NaC122 ± 7μmol glycosyl units · g−1 · min−1;p < 0.05) but returned to normal with prolonged adrenaline infusion (20 ± 5). In contrast, Km for glycogen phosphorylasea was not changed acutely (short-term adrenaline 31 ± 6 vs NaCl 27 ± 7 mmol/1 inorganic phosphate) but was reduced during long-term infusion (19 ± 4;p < 0.05 vs short-term adrenaline). Thus, with short- and long-term adrenaline infusion, there were different enzyme changes, although likely to promote glycogenolysis in both cases. In the glycolytic pathway the substrates glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate did not change significantly and hexokinase was not inhibited. Acutely, phosphofructokinase had reduced Vmax (short-term adrenaline 34 ± 6 vs NaCl 44 ± 5 U/g; p < 0.05) but was still above the maximal operating rate in vivo. With prolonged adrenaline infusion, the Km for phosphofructokinase was reduced (long-term adrenaline 0.32 ± 0.03 vs NaCl 0.44 ± 0.07 mmol/l fructose 6-phosphate;p < 0.05). In this situation of relatively low glycolytic flux, the sustained glycogenolytic effect of prolonged adrenaline infusion mediated by increased glycogen phosphorylase a ctivity occurs without a significant accumulation of hexose monophosphates or impairment of glycolysis.

We studied the effect of adrenergic blockade on hepatic venous hyperglycemia and the activation of a hepatic glycogenolytic enzyme, phosphorylase-a, in response to cerebral cholinergic activation. Neostigmine was injected into the third cerebral ventricle of bilaterally adrenodemedullectomized (ADMX) rats, while somatostatin and insulin were administered intravenously. Hepatic venous plasma glucose concentrations and hepatic phosphorylase-a activity were measured. Intracerebroventricular injection of neostigmine (5 x 10(-8) mol) caused increases in hepatic venous glucose concentrations and hepatic phosphorylase-a activity. Both of these changes were prevented by intraperitoneal (IB) pretreatment with phentolamine (5 x 10(-7), 1 x 10(-6) mol) without the intervention of insulin secretion, but not by pretreatment with the alpha-adrenoreceptor antagonist phenoxybenzamine (1 x 10(-6) mol), the beta-adrenoreceptor antagonist propranolol (1 x 10(-6) mol), the alpha 1-antagonists prazosin or bunazosin (1 x 10(-6) mol), the alpha 2-antagonist yohimbine (1 x 10(-6) mol), or prazosin (5 x 10(-7) mol) plus yohimbine (5 x 10(-7) mol). These results suggest that phentolamine prevented brain-mediated hepatic glycogenolysis by a mechanism that may not be classified pharmacologically as involving either alpha 1- or alpha 2-receptors.

The ATP.Mg-dependent type-1 protein phosphatase activating factor (FA) was identified as a protein kinase that could phosphorylate synapsin I, a neuronal protein that coats synaptic vesicles, binds to cytoskeleton and is believed to be involved in the modulation of neurotransmission. More importantly, more than 90% of the phosphates in 32P-synapsin I phosphorylated by FA could be removed by the activated ATP.Mg-dependent type-1 protein phosphatase and the synapsin I phosphatase activity was found to be strictly FA-dependent. Functional study further revealed that as a synapsin I kinase, factor FA could phosphorylate synapsin I and thereby inhibits crosslinking of synapsin I with tubulin, while as a synapsin I phosphatase activator, FA could promote the crosslinking copolymerization of synapsin I with tubulin. Taken together, the results provide initial evidence that a cyclic modulation of the crosslinking copolymerization of synapsin I with brain microtubules can be controlled by factor FA, representing an efficient cyclic cascade control mechanism for the regulation of axonal transport process during neurotransmission.

The responses of hepatic glycogen synthase and phosphorylase to fasting and refeeding were assessed as part of an investigation into possible sites of insulin resistance in gold thioglucose (GTG) obese mice. The active forms glycogen synthase and phosphorylase (synthase I and phosphorylase a) and the total activity of these enzymes were estimated in lean and GTG mice over 48 h of food deprivation, and for 120 min after glucose gavage (1 g/kg wt). In lean mice there was a maximal reduction in hepatic glycogen content after 12 h of starvation and the activity of phosphorylase a decreased from 23.8 +/- 1.9 to 6.8 +/- 0.7 mumol/g protein/min. These changes were accompanied by an increase in the activity of synthase I (from 0.14 +/- 0.01 to 0.46 +/- 0.04 mumol/g protein/min). In obese mice, similar changes in enzyme activity occurred after 48 h of starvation. These changes were accompanied by a significant reduction in the hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia of the GTG mice. After glucose gavage in both lean and obese mice, the activity of synthase I further increased over the first 30 min and declined thereafter. The activity of phosphorylase a increased progressively after refeeding. Results from this study suggest that despite increased hepatic glycogen deposition, the responses of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase, in livers of obese mice, to fasting and refeeding are similar to those of control mice even in the presence of insulin resistance.

The effect of hypercorticism on the regulation of glycogen metabolism by epinephrine was examined in skeletal muscles using a hindlimb perfusion technique. Rats were injected with either saline or dexamethasone (0.4 mg.kg-1.day-1) for 14 days and were studied in the fed and fasted (24 h) states under saline or epinephrine (10(-7) M) treatment. In the fed state, dexamethasone administration did not affect basal glycogen concentration but decreased glycogen synthase activity ratio in white and red gastrocnemius muscles. Epinephrine failed to decrease glycogen content despite the expected activation of glycogen phosphorylase in the fed dexamethasone-treated rats. Dexamethasone treatment resulted in a threefold increase in the level of muscle adenosine, a phosphorylase a inhibitor. In control rats, fasting was associated with a decrease in muscle glycogen concentration (P less than 0.01) and with an increase in the glycogen synthase activity ratio. Dexamethasone treatment, however, totally abolished both the decreased muscle glycogen content and glycogen synthase activation observed in fasting controls. In the dexamethasone-treated group, fasting restored the glycogenolytic effect of epinephrine. Interestingly, it was associated with decreased muscle adenosine concentrations. These data indicate that, in the fed state, dexamethasone treatment inhibits skeletal muscle glycogenolysis in response to epinephrine despite phosphorylase activation and glycogen synthase inactivation. It is suggested that this abnormality could be due to the inhibition of phosphorylase a by increased muscle adenosine levels.

In this study, we examined the mechanism of inhibition of phosphoserine phosphatase (PSPase) activity by elevated [Ca2+]i in insulin target cells. In in vitro studies, isolated rat adipocytes were incubated with either 40 mM K+ or parathyroid hormone (PTH) (20 ng/ml) for 1 h. In in vivo studies, rats were injected with PTH (three hourly injections of 40 micrograms intraperitoneally) prior to isolation of either adipocytes or skeletal muscle. Under these conditions, intracellular [Ca2+]i changed from 100 +/- 8.7 to 263 +/- 10.5 nM. There was a concomitant 30% decrease in adipocyte PSPase activity and a 35% decrease in skeletal muscle PSPase activity, assayed using 32P-labeled phosphorylase "a" as a substrate. The inhibition of PSPase was accompanied by a 60% increase in adipocytes (p less than 0.05) and a 118% increase (p less than 0.01) in skeletal muscle inhibitor 1 (I1) activities, respectively. Since I1 is active only in the phosphorylated state, we studied the effect of [Ca2+]i on I1 phosphorylation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of heat treated extracts immunoprecipitated with I1 antibody revealed significant increase in 32P incorporation (45-60%, p less than 0.05) into I1 protein in cells with elevated [Ca2+]i. Nitrendipine, a calcium channel blocker, completely prevented increases in I1 phosphorylation and activity in cells exposed to K+ but was only partially effective in the PTH-treated cells. In contrast, a cyclic AMP antagonist, RpcAMP, prevented both the K(+)-and the PTH-induced increases in I1 phosphorylation and activity, even though it failed to block the elevations in [Ca2+]i in these cells. We conclude that [Ca2+]i-induced and cAMP-mediated phosphorylation and activation of I1 results in inhibition of PSPase activity in insulin target cells. The inhibition of PSPases may cause inappropriate serine dephosphorylation of substrates of insulin action resulting in insulin resistance.

Glycogen phosphorylase isoenzymes were isolated from normal rat liver, rat brain, the glycogen-poor Morris hepatoma (MH) 3924A, and the glycogen-rich non-tumorigenic liver cell line C1I. Electrophoretic and immunological characterization of the enzymes showed that tumour and C1I cells expressed a phosphorylase isoform similar to the brain type; the liver type was not detectable. All enzymes were obtained as dimers; the Mr of the subunits was 96,000 (liver), 93,000 (brain and MH 3924A) and 92,000 (C1I). Isoelectric focusing revealed a main band of pI 6.34 for liver phosphorylase a, pI 5.67 for the enzymes from MH 3924A and brain, and pI 5.68 for C1I phosphorylase. Partial kinetic characterization of the AMP-independent forms of the isoenzymes yielded Km values for glucose 1-phosphate of 3.5 +/- 0.5 mM (liver), 3.9 mM (brain), 1.9 +/- 0.3 mM (MH 3924A) and 2.5 +/- 0.5 mM (C1I); Km values for glycogen were 0.4 mM (liver) and 0.3 mM (MH 3924A and C1I), calculated as glucose equivalents. The AMP-independent phosphorylase was inhibited by glucose 6-phosphate (Glc6P) with Ki values of 0.32 +/- 0.03 mM (C1I), 0.50 +/- 0.04 mM (MH 3924A) and approximately 5 mM (brain). The inhibition could be abolished by 1 mM-AMP, indicating that AMP and Glc6P may partially compete for the same site on the protein. Liver phosphorylase a was not inhibited by up to 25 mM-Glc6P. In contrast with liver and brain isoenzymes, phosphorylase from the cell lines was not affected by NaF and Na2SO4. The data show that both the hepatocellular carcinoma and the non-malignant immortalized liver cells express a phosphorylase isoform different from the liver type. Furthermore, there is some evidence that the enzyme from MH 3924A and C1I cells is distinct from brain phosphorylase a, in spite of electrophoretic and immunological resemblance, and that this isoenzyme is subject to altered metabolic regulation.

A transducer is a device that receives energy from one system and transmits it, often in a different form, to another. Glycogen phosphorylase receives information from the cell or organism in the form of metabolic signals. The energy associated with the binding of these ligand signals is integrated and transmitted at an atomic level, allowing precise adjustment of the enzymatic activity. Understanding this elegant allosteric control has required several different approaches, but the structural requirements of allostery are being defined.

We have used liposomes with incorporated pig kidney Na + ,K + -ATPase to study vanadate sensitive K + -K + exchange and net K + uptake under conditions of acetyl- and p -nitrophenyl phosphatase activities. The experiments were performed at 20°C. Cytoplasmic phosphate contamination was minimized with a phosphate trapping system based on glycogen, phosphorylase a and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. In the absence of Mg 2+ (no phosphatase activity) 5–10 mM p -nitrophenyl phosphate slightly stimulated K + -K + exchange whereas 5–10 mM acetyl phosphate did not. In the presence of 3 mM MgCl 2 (high rate of phosphatase activity) acetyl phosphate did not affect K + -K + exchange whereas p -nitrophenyl phosphate induced a grater stimulation than in the absence of Mg 2+ ; a further addition of 1 mM ADP resulted in a 35–65% inhibition of phosphatase activity with an increase in K + -K + exchange, which sometimes reached the levels seen with 5 mM phosphate and 1 mM ADP. The net K + uptake in the presence of 3 mM MgCl 2 was not affected by acetyl phosphate or p -nitrophenyl phosphate, whereas it was inhibited by 5 mM phosphate (with and without 1 mM ADP). The results of this work suggest that the phosphatase reaction is not by itself associated to K + translocation. The ADP-dependent stimulation of K + -K + exchange in the presence of phosphatase activity could be explained by the overlapping of one or more step/s of the reversible phosphorylation from phosphate with the phosphatase cycle.

Hepatocytes isolated from the liver of rats after a necrotizing dose of thioacetamide (6.6 mmol/kg) were used to study the postnecrotic process of liver regeneration. Flow cytometry analysis revealed populations of dedifferentiated hepatocytes exhibiting physical properties (size and fluorescence emission at 530 nm) similar to those found in fetal (22 days old) liver cells. The percentage of these cells increased progressively from 24 to 48 and 72 hr after thioacetamide administration. In primary cultures of hepatocytes the effects of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, bombesin and insulin were investigated on the 6-phosphofructo 2-kinase/fructose 2,6 bisphosphate system. Bombesin and insulin stimulated 6-phosphofructo 2-kinase activity and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate content both in control and in thioacetamide-treated hepatocytes. However, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate stimulated 6-phosphofructo 2-kinase activity and increased fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration in thioacetamide-treated liver cells, whereas no similar response was found in hepatocytes from control rats. The response of postnecrotic thioacetamide-treated hepatocytes to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate was similar to that obtained from 22-day-old fetal liver cells, which reveals that different methods might control fructose 2,6-bisphosphate content and therefore the mechanisms of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis at this regulatory step. The lack of response to glucagon of glycogen phosphorylase a and 6-phosphofructo 2-kinase from thioacetamide-treated hepatocytes may indicate that the expression of specific enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism undergoes transitions to lessdifferentiated isoenzymatic forms. Moreover, the isoenzyme pattern of hexokinases elicits a complete disturbance in glucokinase and hexokinases activities. These results led us to conclude that the characteristics and behavior of thioacetamide-induced postnecrotic hepatocytes are closely related to those found in fetal liver cells., Comisión Asesora de Investigación Científica y Técnica. Grant Number: PM 88–025.

1. 1. This study was conducted to examine the effects of gluconeogenic and ketogenic substrates on the activities of the glycogen-metabolizing enzymes and on glycogenolysis in isolated hepatocytes from fed rats. 2. 2. Gluconeogenic substrates like fructose, dihydroxyacetone or lactate turned out to stimulate the glucose-induced activation of glycogen synthase and this effect may be linked, to some extent, to the increase of the cellular glucose 6-phosphate concentration. 3. 3. The effect of fructose was accompanied by the onset of glycogen synthesis. 4. 4. Energetic substrates like fatty acids were also potent activators of glycogen synthase, especially in the presence of glucose. 5. 5. When fatty acids were added alone or together with a physiological concentration of glucose, they induced or potentiated the inhibition of glycogen phosphorylase-a. 6. 6. This inhibitory effect was mediated by a decrease of lactate release. 7. 7. The stimulatory effect of amino acids on glycogen synthase seemed to be direct, non mediated by an inhibition of the phosphorylase-a activity although hepatic glycogenolysis markedly decreased. 8. 8. Moreover, the amino acid action could be linked to their capacities to induce cell swelling and/or to limit proteolysis.

The remarkable tolerance of some species of turtles to anoxia is well documented. The role that hormones play in this anoxia tolerance, however, is poorly understood. This study examined the role of catecholamines in the mobilization of liver glycogen during anoxic submergence in painted turtles (Chrysemys picta). Turtles were subjected to 4 h of submergence anoxia or air (normoxic controls) and received injections of propranolol, a beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist, or saline. The results indicated that the catecholamines function during anoxia to increase blood glucose levels by stimulating hepatic glycogenolysis through an increase in both the total activity of glycogen phosphorylase and the percent a form. Anoxic turtles given propranolol showed a decrease in the percent a form of glycogen phosphorylase compared with control turtles given propranolol, indicating that anoxia per se or a correlate of anoxia may depress hepatic glycogenolysis. Catecholamines may counteract this depressant effect. Hepatic glycogen mobilization during anoxia appeared to be stimulated via beta-adrenergic receptors, as propranolol was effective in blocking the stimulation, whereas phentolamine, an alpha-receptor antagonist, was not.

The mechanism by which histamine induces glycogenolysis was investigated in rat hepatocytes. Histamine induced stimulation of glucose output in hepatocytes in a dose-dependent manner. The maximal effect of the glycogenolytic action of histamine, which was approximately 60% of the maximal glucagon action, was obtained at 10(-6) M. These effects were inhibited by H1 receptor antagonists triprolidine hydrochloride and tripelennamine but not by a H2 receptor antagonist cimetidine. Histamine also increased the activity of phosphorylase a. When 10(-6) M histamine and 5 x 10(-9) M glucagon were added simultaneously, the actions of these two agents were additive. In contrast, there was no additivity when 10(-6) M histamine and 10(-8) M angiotensin II were added. Histamine did not increase adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate at any doses tested but induced a rapid increase in the cytoplasmic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]c). Histamine increased [Ca2+]c even in the presence of 1 microM extracellular calcium, an observation suggesting that histamine caused calcium release from an intracellular calcium pool(s). When [3H]inositol-labeled hepatocytes were incubated with histamine, radioactivity in the D-myo-inositol trisphosphate fraction was rapidly increased. These results indicate that histamine acts on rat hepatocytes mainly via H1 receptors and stimulates glycogenolysis by activating the calcium messenger system.

PRL at a physiological concentration (10(-8) M) produced a very rapid and transient increase in 45Ca efflux in freshly isolated hepatocytes, which reached the highest value within 5 min and returned to baseline level after 20 min. PRL-induced 45Ca2+ efflux resulted in a loss of 15% of total cell calcium, which was similar to that found in vasopressin-treated cells. However, in contrast with the PRL effect, 45Ca2+ efflux induced by vasopressin was sustained. We demonstrate by using two different approaches, glycogen phosphorylase-a activation and direct cytosolic calcium concentration [( Ca2+]i) measurements, that PRL elicits a [Ca2+]i increase. The treatment of hepatic cells with PRL caused a 4-fold stimulation in glycogen phosphorylase-alpha activity after 2 min of PRL addition. Direct [Ca2+]i determination in fluo-3-loaded hepatocytes showed a 11% increase after 5 min of PRL addition. Similar data were observed in hepatocytes stimulated either with vasopressin (10(-7) M) or calcium ionophore A23187 (200 nM). The increase in [Ca2+]i promoted by PRL was independent of extracellular calcium or voltage-operated calcium channels. The data demonstrate that calcium is involved in the intracellular signaling of PRL in liver cells and that PRL initiates its action by a Ca2+ mobilization from the intracellular stores.

The present study characterizes the inhibitory effects of nodularin, a recently isolated hepatotoxic compound from the cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena, on type 1 (PP1), type 2A, (PP2A), type 2B (PP2B), and type 2C (PP2C) protein phosphatases. Both PP2A and PP1 were potently inhibited (IC50 = 0.026 and 1.8 nM, respectively) by nodularin, whereas PP2B was inhibited to a lesser extent (IC50 = 8.7 microM). Nodularin had no apparent effect on PP2C, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, insulin receptor tyrosine kinase, protein kinase A, phosphorylase kinase, or protein kinase C. In a whole-cell extract of T51B liver cells, nodularin inhibited PP1 and PP2A activity with a potency similar to that seen with their purified catalytic subunits. Thus, due to the high specificity of nodularin for PP2A and PP1, this hepatotoxin may prove to be useful as a probe for distinguishing the activity of these protein phosphatases in cell extracts.

To evaluate the effects of amylin and calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP) as anti-insulin agents in hepatic tissue, we have studied whether these two agents counteracted the action of insulin on glycogen metabolism in isolated rat hepatocytes. In this system insulin stimulates [14C]glucose incorporation into glycogen and activates glycogen synthase. Incubation of the cells with insulin in the presence of amylin or CGRP markedly blocked the insulin stimulation of these two parameters, whereas amylin or CGRP acting alone did not induce any effect. We also examined the ability of amylin and CGRP to modify the anti-glucagon effects of insulin. In the presence of 100 nM-amylin or -CGRP, 10 nM-insulin was almost unable to counteract the inactivation of glycogen synthase and the activation of phosphorylase induced by glucagon. In contrast, neither amylin nor CGRP modified the effect of glucagon on these two enzymes. Our results indicate that amylin and CGRP are able to impair the action of insulin on hepatic glycogen metabolism.

Glycosen phosphorylase b at concentrations close to those found in skeletal muscle interacts with sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes, but not with liposomes made of lipids extracted from these membranes, and is inhibited upon binding to the membrane. The interaction of glycogen phosphorylase with the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane is modulated by phosphorylation, for the a form of this enzyme shows a K0.5 of interaction about 10-fold lower than the b form. Upon association to the membrane the fluorescence properties of the coenzymes of glycogen phosphorylase, pyridoxal-5′-phosphate, are strongly altered, for the fluorescence at 535 nm is partially quenched and the fluorescence at 415–420 nm increases. Using fluorescein labeled sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes we have found that average conformation of the Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPaze is also altered on binding or phosphorylase b. In conclusion, the results reported in this paper suggest that glycogen phosphorylase and Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase directly interact under experimental conditions similar to those found in the sarcoplasm, and that this interaction is modulated by phosphorylation of the phosphorylase.

A number of phosphorylated thiosugars have been prepared and tested as substrates for metabolic reactions. 6-Thioglucose-6-P is readily synthesized by reaction of 6-tosylglucose with trisodium thiophosphate at pH 10 in aqueous solution; the product has only sulfur between carbon and phosphorus. When ethyl glycerate is tosylated and treated similarly with thiophosphate, a 5:1 mixture of 3-thioglycerate-3-P and the 2-isomer is formed. 6-Thioglucose-6-P is converted by glycolytic enzymes to triose phosphates, 3-thioglycerol-3-P and 3-thioglycerate-3-P, and is oxidized by enzymes of the hexose monophosphate shunt to 5-thioribulose-5-P, which can be converted via phosphoribulokinase and ribulose-bis-P carboxylase into 3-P-glycerate and 3-thioglycerate-3-P. For most of the non-phosphoryl-transferring enzymes there are only moderate effects on Vmax and Km. Phosphoglucoisomerase, however, is very sensitive to the sulfur for oxygen change, with Vmax decreasing 60-fold and Km increasing 15-fold. Surprisingly, phosphoribulokinase has a V/K value for 5-thioribulose-5-P that is over 3 orders of magnitude less than for ribulose-5-P. 6-Thio-glucose-6-P was found to be a substrate for several enzymes that transfer the phosphoryl group. It is as good a substrate for alkaline phosphatase as glucose-6-P, and with phosphoglucomutase it is converted to 6-thioglucose-1-P with a rate that is 11% of the rate of reaction of glucose-1-P, with a Keq value of 45.6. The free energy of hydrolysis of the phosphorylated thiol is thus -7.2 kcal/mol at pH 7.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The simultaneous addition of epinephrine and salmon glucagon to catfish (Ictalurus melas) and trout (Salmo gairdneri) hepatocytes did not induce greater increases in glycogen phosphorylase a activity and in glucose release than those caused by epinephrine alone. The effects of epinephrine are greater than those of glucagon. Propranolol added to the hormonal pool blocked the epinephrine effects. In trout cells, epinephrine and glucagon-like peptide (GLP) had similar effects and when they were added simultaneously the stimulation of metabolic indices was higher compared to that obtained with either epinephrine or GLP. However, the effects were not additive. In the presence of epinephrine plus GLP the inhibitory effect of propranolol was not evident, due to the effect induced by GLP, on which propranolol was not effective. This may indicate that epinephrine masks the GLP effect. Results could mean that epinephrine and glucagon-family peptides act in catfish and trout hepatocytes through different receptors on the same pathway leading to glycogen phosphorylase a activation.

When isolated hepatocytes were exposed to tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBOOH) they lost their cellular membrane integrity. Decreased levels of GSH, increased phosphorylase a activity (an indirect index of the amount of free cytosolic Ca2+), and increase in the formation of malondialdehyde (MDA)-like products (an index of lipid peroxidation) preceded the release into the culture medium of the cytosolic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), indicating that this later process was the consequence of the former intracellular events. While ATP levels were not modified during the incubation of cells with increasing concentrations of tBOOH, protein synthesis was decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. The glycogen content decreased at the same time as the increase in LDH leakage. The addition of promethazine (PMZ) an antioxidant molecule, prevented the lipid peroxidation, but did not protect cells against the oxidative effects of tBOOH, including loss of membrane integrity. Nevertheless, the addition of GSH to cell suspensions incubated with tBOOH, decreased the formation of MDA-like products, restored the protein synthesis rate, prevented partially the activation of phosphorylase a and preserved cell viability. On the basis of these results, we postulate that both GSH depletion and modification in phosphorylase a activity (Ca2+ levels) were the most relevant intracellular events to explain the cytotoxicity of tBOOH.

Regulation of glycogenolysis in skeletal muscle is dependent on a network of interacting enzymes and effectors that determine the relative activity of the enzyme phosphorylase. That enzyme is activated by phosphorylase kinase and inactivated by protein phosphatase-1 in a cyclic process of covalent modification. We present evidence that the cyclic interconversion is subject to zero-order ultrasensitivity, and the effect is responsible for the "flash" activation of phosphorylase by Ca2+ in the presence of glycogen. The zero-order effect is observable either by varying the amounts of kinase and phosphatase or by modifying the ratio of their activities by a physiological effector, protein phosphatase inhibitor-2. The sensitivity of the system is enhanced in the presence of the phosphorylase limit dextrin of glycogen which lowers the Km of phosphorylase kinase for phosphorylase. The in vitro experimental results are examined in terms of physiological conditions in muscle, and it is shown that zero-order ultrasensitivity would be more pronounced under the highly compartmentalized conditions found in that tissue. The sensitivity of this system to effector changes is much greater than that found for allosteric enzymes. Furthermore, the sensitivity enhancement increases more rapidly than energy consumption (ATP) as the phosphorylase concentration increases. Energy effectiveness is shown to be a possible evolutionary factor in favor of the development of zero-order ultrasensitivity in compartmentalized systems.

The present study was undertaken to assess the role of hepatic glycogen metabolism in fetal and maternal glucose homeostasis during a prolonged fast in the pregnant ewe. A control fed group of 13 ewes and 16 fetuses were compared to a 5-day-fasted group of 13 ewes and 17 fetuses, studied at 125 days gestation (term = 147 days). Tissue samples were obtained during pentobarbital anesthesia and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Protein, glycogen, active phosphorylase and total phosphorylase activity were determined. Fetal weight (3.61 vs. 2.86 kg) was decreased in the fasted group (p < 0.001) while fetal hepatic glycogen was unchanged (59.8 vs. 52.4 mg/g tissue). Maternal liver glycogen decreased during fasting (38.2 vs. 4.0 mg/g tissue, p < 0.001). Fetal active phosphorylase and total phosphorylase did not change between fed and fasted states (fed active phosphorylase 398 vs. fasted 441 and fed total phosphorylase 510 vs. fasted 574 μmol/h/g tissue). The maternal active phosphorylase and total phosphorylase decreased between fed and fasted (active phosphorylase 690 vs. 238 and total phosphorylase 981 vs. 599 μmol/h/g tissue, p < 0.001). During fasting, the pregnant ewe depletes her hepatic glycogen stores, associated with a reduction in glycogen catabolizing enzyme activity. The fetus maintains a relatively large glycogen catabolizing enzyme activity, a relatively large glycogen reserve and substantial phosphorylase activity.

We have investigated the respective roles of insulin and glucagon in the initiation of hepatic glycogen degradation during the early postnatal period in rats, with special regard on the inhibitory effect of insulin on this process. Pregnant rats were rendered either slightly (8.5 mM) or highly hyperglycemic (22 mM) by infusing glucose during the last week of pregnancy. Fasted, newborn rats were studied from delivery to 16 h postpartum. At birth, newborns from slightly hyperglycemic rats showed higher glycemia and insulinemia and lower plasma glucagonemia compared with controls. Newborns from highly hyperglycemic rats were still more hyperglycemic and exhibited low plasma glucagon concentrations, but they were not hyperinsulinemic. In control newborns, hepatic glycogen breakdown was triggered by 2 h after delivery. By contrast, hyperglycemic-hyperinsulinemic newborns (newborns from slightly hyperglycemic rats) were unable to mobilize liver glycogen before 8–10 h after delivery. In hyperglycemicnormoinsulinemic newborns (newborns from highly hyperglycemic rats), hepatic glycogen concentration significantly started to decline 2 h after delivery and was no longer different from controls at 8 h. Anti-insulin serum injection at delivery promoted a prompt decrease in liver glycogen stores in controls as well as in newborns from slightly hyperglycemic rats. Phosphorylase a/synthase a ratio rose rapidly after delivery in controls and in newborns from highly hyperglycemic rats (maximum 4 h), whereas in newborns from slightly hyperglycemic rats, it rose much more slowly than in the two other groups (maximum 16 h). These data suggest that, in newborns from hyperglycemic mothers, hyperinsulinemia during late fetal and early neonatal life is the main factor preventing postnatal hepatic glycogenolysis.

The fatty acid composition of total lipids and the adrenoceptor-mediated activation of glycogenolysis were studied in isolated hepatocytes from rats maintained on a control diet or on an essential fatty acid (EFA)-free diet. In cells from rats on the EFA-free diet there was a marked reduction in linoleic and arachidonic acid (AA) contents and an increase in eicosatrienoic, oleic, and palmitoleic acid contents compared to controls. In freshly isolated cells from both groups, phosphorylase a activity was increased by phenylephrine or epinephrine but not by isoproterenol, and the effect of epinephrine was inhibited by phenoxybenzamine but not by propranolol. When control cells were preincubated in a serum-free buffer for 4 h before testing, the effect of phenylephrine on phosphorylase a activity was reduced, isoproterenol became a potent agonist and the effect of epinephrine was partially inhibited either by phenoxybenzamine or by propranolol. The emerging beta-adrenergic response in 4-h cells was associated with a marked potentiation of isoproterenol-induced cAMP accumulation. A similar 4-h preincubation of EFA-deficient cells resulted in a reduced response to phenylephrine while isoproterenol remained ineffective for increasing either phosphorylase a activity or cAMP production. The response of these 4-h cells to isoproterenol could be restored by in vivo replacement of the EFA-deficient diet with control diet for the last 4 weeks prior to the experiment, but not by the in vitro exposure of the EFA-deficient cells to 10 microM AA throughout the 4-h incubation period. Extending previous observations (Refs. (6-8)), the present results suggest that the time-dependent emergence of beta-adrenergic glycogenolysis, but not the parallel reduction of the alpha-adrenergic response, is mediated by AA or its metabolite(s), which probably act by facilitating the G-protein-dependent coupling of beta-receptors.

Homogenates of trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica were shown to bring about the total degradation of glycogen while purified phosphorylase of the same source alone yielded a limit dextrin as end product. An enzyme system capable of debranching the limit dextrin was obtained from the 40,000 g pellet by extraction in aqueous medium, purified by gel filtration on Fractogel TSK HW-55(F), and separated from phosphorylase by chromatography on Blue Sepharose CL-6B and aminobutyl Agarose. The glycogen-debranching system was purified 540-fold to a state of homogeneity by criterion of disc-gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme was able to degrade glycogen-limit dextrin in the presence of phosphorylase and exhibited activities of both amylo-1,6-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.33) and 4-alpha-glucanotransferase (EC 2.4.1.25). Although amylo-1,6-glucosidase released glucose from a glycogen-phosphorylase limit dextrin, transferase activity moved single glucose residues from the limit dextrin to 4-nitrophenyl-alpha-glucoside yielding successively 4-nitrophenyl-alpha-maltoside and 4-nitrophenyl-alpha-maltotrioside that could be detected by HPLC. Native glycogen-debranching system exhibited a relative molecular mass of Mr = 180,000 +/- 10% by gel filtration and gel electrophoresis in both denaturing and nondenaturating conditions.