Analysis of lines of mice selected for fat content. 2. Correlated responses in the activities of enzymes involved in lipogenesis

Abstract

Estimates of the activities (Vmax) of six enzymes involved in de novo fat synthesis were made in replicated lines of mice differing in fat content. These lines had been selected high and low for 20 generations with three replicates each of Fat, Control and Lean lines and for a further eight generations high and low as an unreplicated line. The activities of ATP-citrate lyase (ACL), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthetase (FAS), cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase (MDH), malic enzyme (ME) and pyruvate kinase (PK) were determined in vitro in both liver and gonadal fatpad tissues taken at ages five and ten weeks. The activities of ACL, ACC, FAS and ME were significantly higher in the Fat than the Lean lines, and the differences were more pronounced at the earlier age and in the gonadal fatpad where activities in the Fat lines were higher by factors of 3.5, 2.4, 2.5 and 3.5 respectively. The activity of PK was unchanged in each tissue. MDH activity was significantly lower in adipose tissue in the Fat lines than the Lean lines at age ten weeks but not at age five weeks or in liver tissue. Results from replicates indicated that random genetic drift affected enzyme activities but nevertheless significant changes in activity were associated with the direction of selection. The changes in enzyme activity reported here are similar to those known to be associated with major mutations causing obesity in mice.