Rat Strain Differences in the Utilization of Glucose-U- 14 C and Acetate-1- 14 C for Fat Synthesis

Abstract

Summary

The difference in utilization of glucose and acetate for fat synthesis between rats of the BHE and Wistar strains was studied after the administering of acetate-1-¹⁴C or ¹⁴C-glucose labeled either uniformly or at the C-1 or C-6 position. Wistar rats were found to show a higher 1-¹⁴CO₂/6-¹⁴CO₂ ratio than BHE animals; but the difference was too small to demonstrate a real difference in whole-body utilization of the HMP shunt. The BHE animals incorporated a larger fraction of glucose and acetate label into the liver lipids than did Wistar animals; but incorporation of these labels into total carcass lipid was similar in the two strains at this age. Results indicated that hereditary differences in lipogenesis between these strains occur chiefly in the liver, where BHE animals synthesize fatty acids, glyceride-glycerol, phospholipids, and cholesterol at a higher rate than Wistar animals.