Fattening and fatty acid synthetase in juvenile richardson's ground squirrels

Abstract

1. 1. Intraperitoneal white adipose tissue (WAT) first appeared in juvenile squirrels when they were 10–12 weeks old and had achieved about two thirds of adult lean body mass. 2. 2. Rate of fat deposition at age 12–16 weeks was about 6.5 g per week, similar to the rate in adults during their respective periods of prehibernatory fattening when expressed as fat deposited per 100 g of lean body mass. 3. 3. Upon emergence from the natal burrow there was little fatty acid synthetase (FAS) activity and most of that was in liver. At 14 weeks of age nearly all FAS activity was in WAT, suggesting WAT was the primary tissue of fatty acid synthesis. 4. 4. At a given age, there were no differences between sexes in FAS activity of liver, WAT, or brown adipose tissue (BAT).