Formation of diglycerides of long turnover time from labeled acetate and glucose in rat tissues

Abstract

Rat adipose tissue pieces were incubated with acetate-2-¹⁴C and glucose-¹⁴C(U), respectively, and liver slices with acetate-2-¹⁴C. The labeled tissues were then reincubated in inactive medium, and the changes of radioactivity in the different lipid classes were determined. In all three experiments a significant amount of radioactivity was incorporated in the diglycerides. During 1 hr of reincubation in inactive medium the radioactivity of diglycerides decreased from 35 to 26% of the total lipid activity in the adipose tissue labeled with acetate. In the adipose tissue labeled with glucose radioactivity fell from 25 to 19%. In liver slices 11% of the labeled acetate was incorporated in the diglycerides, and during the 2 hr of reincubation this value fell to its half. The radioactivity of the uniformly labeled glucose was distributed equally in the fatty acids and the glycerol. The distribution of radioactive glycerol between diglycerides and triglycerides was similar to that of the labeled fatty acids. Triglyceride synthesis seems to always be accompanied by the formation of diglycerides with a lastint turnover time.