Early effects of excessive retinol intake on hepatic glycogen metabolism

Oral adminstration of 30,000 IU of retinol once daily for 2-days caused deposition of glycogen in the liver with a concurrent stimulation of hepatic glycogen synthesis, as evidenced by increased in vivo incorporation of d-[U-¹⁴C]glucose into glycogen and increased net synthesis of the polysaccharide in response to feeding of glucose to 20-h fasted rats. Excessive intake of the vitamin increased markedly the activity of glycogen synthetase a and decreased that of phosphorylase. However, feeding of similar doses of retinol to bilaterally adrenalectomized rats failed to cause appreciable deposition of glycogen in the liver and the usual increase in the activity of glycogen synthetase a. Likewise, treatment of rats with actinomycin D blocked the deposition of glycogen in the liver and the increase in the activity of glycogen synthetase a. Adrenalectomy and actinomycin D, however, did not affect the accumulation of retinol in the liver. The adrenals appear to be, directly or indirectly, required for the manifestations of the effects of retinol on the hepatic glycogen metabolism.     

Role of glucose and insulin in regulating glycogen synthase and phosphorylase activities in rainbow trout hepatocytes

This study, using ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed enrichment of glycogen carbon (C1) from ¹³C-labelled (C1) glucose indicating a direct pathway for glycogen synthesis from glucose in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) hepatocytes. There was a direct relationship between hepatocyte glycogen content and total glycogen synthase, total glycogen phosphorylase and glycogen phosphorylase a activities, whereas the relationship was inverse between glycogen content and % glycogen synthase a and glycogen synthase a/glycogen phosphorylase a ratio. Incubation of hepatocytes with glucose (3 or 10 mmol·1^-1) did not modify either glycogen synthase or glycogen phosphorylase activities. Insulin (porcine, 10^-8 mol·1^-1) in the medium significantly decreased total glycogen phosphorylase and glycogen phosphorylase a activities, but had no significant effect on glycogen synthase activities when compared to the controls (absence of insulin). In the presence of 10 mmol·1^-1 glucose, insulin increased % glycogen synthase a and decreased % glycogen phosphorylase a activities in trout hepatocytes. Also, the effect of insulin on the activities of % glycogen synthase a and glycogen synthase a/glycogen phosphorylase a ratio were more pronounced at low than at high hepatocyte glycogen content. The results indicate that in trout hepatocytes both the glycogen synthetic and breakdown pathways are active concurrently in vitro and any subtle alterations in the phosphorylase to synthase ratio may determine the hepatic glycogen content. Insulin plays an important role in the regulation of glycogen metabolism in rainbow trout hepatocytes. The effect of insulin on hepatocyte glycogen content may be under the control of several factors, including plasma glucose concentration and hepatocyte glycogen content.     

The effect of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on glycogen metabolism in rat kidney and its relationship to the liver system.

The effects in kidney of streptozotocin-induced diabetes and of insulin supplementation to diabetic animals on glycogen-metabolizing enzymes were determined. Kidney glycogen levels were approximately 30-fold higher in diabetic animals than in control or insulintreated diabetic animals. The activities of glycogenolytic enzymes i.e., phosphorylase (both a and b), phosphorylase kinase, and protein kinase were not significantly altered in the diabetic animals. Glycogen synthase (I form) activity decreased in the diabetic animals whereas total glycogen synthase (I + D) activity significantly increased in these animals. The activities were restored to control values after insulin therapy. Diabetic animals also showed a 3-fold increase in glucose 6-phosphate levels. These data suggest that higher accumulation of glycogen in kidneys of diabetic animals is due to increased amounts of total glycogen synthase and its activator glucose 6-phosphate.     

Differential Regulation of Glycogenolysis by Mutant Protein Phosphatase-1 Glycogen-targeting Subunits

PTG and G_L are hepatic protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) glycogen-targeting subunits, which direct PP1 activity against glycogen synthase (GS) and/or phosphorylase (GP). The C-terminal 16 amino residues of G_L comprise a high affinity binding site for GP that regulates bound PP1 activity against GS. In this study, a truncated G_L construct lacking the GP-binding site (G_Ltr) and a chimeric PTG molecule containing the C-terminal site (PTG-G_L) were generated. As expected, GP binding to glutathione S-transferase (GST)-G_Ltr was reduced, whereas GP binding to GST-PTG-G_L was increased 2- to 3-fold versus GST-PTG. In contrast, PP1 binding to all proteins was equivalent. Primary mouse hepatocytes were infected with adenoviral constructs for each subunit, and their effects on glycogen metabolism were investigated. G_Ltr expression was more effective at promoting GP inactivation, GS activation, and glycogen accumulation than G_L. Removal of the regulatory GP-binding site from G_Ltr completely blocked the inactivation of GS seen in G_L-expressing cells following a drop in extracellular glucose. As a result, G_Ltr expression prevented glycogen mobilization under 5 mm glucose conditions. In contrast, equivalent overexpression of PTG or PTG-G_L caused a similar increase in glycogen-targeted PP1 levels and GS dephosphorylation. Surprisingly, GP dephosphorylation was significantly reduced in PTG-G_L-overexpressing cells. As a result, PTG-G_L expression permitted glycogenolysis under 5 mm glucose conditions that was prevented in PTG-expressing cells. Thus, expression of constructs that contained the high affinity GP-binding site (G_L and PTG-G_L) displayed reduced glycogen accumulation and enhanced glycogenolysis compared with their respective controls, albeit via different mechanisms.Hepatic glycogen metabolism plays a central role in the maintenance of circulating plasma glucose levels under various physiological conditions. The rate-controlling enzymes in glycogen metabolism, glycogen synthase (GS)² and glycogen phosphorylase (GP), are subject to multiple levels of regulation, including allosteric binding of activators and inhibitors, protein phosphorylation, and changes in subcellular localization. GS is phosphorylated on up to 9 residues by a variety of kinases, although site 2 appears to be the most important regulator of hepatic GS (1). In contrast, GP is phosphorylated on a single N-terminal serine residue by phosphorylase kinase, which increases GP activity and its sensitivity to allosteric activators. Both GS and GP are in turn also regulated by protein phosphatases, most notably PP1. Although PP1 is a cytosolic protein, a family of five molecules has been reported that targets the enzyme to glycogen particles (2–7), whereas another two glycogen-targeting subunits have been putatively identified based on sequence homology (8). Published work has indicated that each targeting subunit confers differential regulation of PP1 activity by extracellular hormonal signals and/or intracellular changes in metabolites (9–11).Four PP1-glycogen-targeting proteins are expressed in rodent liver, although G_L and PTG/R5 have been most extensively studied (9, 12–15). G_L is present at higher levels in rat liver than PTG (12), but the expression of both proteins is subject to coordinate regulation by fasting/refeeding and insulin (12, 13). Previous studies indicated that the PTG-PP1 complex is primarily responsible for GP dephosphorylation and regulation of glycogenolysis (13, 16), whereas the G_L-PP1 complex preferentially mediates the activation of GS upon elevation of extracellular glucose (9, 13). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these differential properties of PTG and G_L have not been completely defined.Both PTG and G_L directly bind to specific PP1 substrates involved in glycogen metabolism, albeit for different physiological reasons. The extreme C-terminal 16 amino acids of G_L comprises a unique, high affinity binding site for phosphorylated GP (GPa (17)), which has been further delineated to two critical tyrosine residues (18, 37). Interaction of PP1 with G_L reduces phosphatase activity against GPa (3). In turn, GPa binding to the G_L-PP1 complex potently inhibits phosphatase activity against GS in vitro (3, 19) and regulates glycogen-targeted PP1 activity in liver cells and extracts (20–22). PTG contains a single substrate-binding site that interacts with GS and GP (5, 23). In contrast to the regulatory role of the GPa binding to G_L, interaction of substrates with PTG increases PP1 activity against these proteins (24). Indeed, disruption of the substrate-binding site by point mutagenesis abrogated the ability of mutant PTG expression to increase cellular glycogen levels (23), indicating an important role for substrate binding to the PTG-PP1 complex.Previous work has comprehensively compared the metabolic impact of PTG versus G_L overexpression in hepatocytes and thus was not the goal of this study (9, 10). Instead, two novel PP1 targeting constructs were generated in which the high affinity GPa-binding site was removed from G_L or added to the C terminus of PTG. The effects of expressing wild-type and mutant constructs on GS and GP activities and on the regulation of glycogen metabolism by extracellular glucose were investigated using primary mouse hepatocytes.     

A bienzyme electrochemical probe for flow injection analysis of okadaic acid based on protein phosphatase-2A inhibition: An optimization study

A bienzyme electrochemical probe has been assembled and used to monitor the inhibition of the enzyme protein phosphatase-2A (PP2A) by okadaic acid (OA), taking advantage of the particular characteristics of a biochemical pathway in which PP2A is involved. This enzyme has significant activity toward glycogen phosphorylase a (PHOS a), which in turn catalyzes the conversion of glycogen to glucose-1-phosphate (G-1-P). In addition, PP2A is strongly inhibited by OA and its derivatives. Due to this combination of properties, PP2A was employed to develop an assay system involving a preliminary phase of off-line enzymatic incubations (OA/PP2A, PP2A/PHOS a, PHOS a/glycogen + phosphate). This off-line step was followed by the electrochemical detection of H₂O₂, which is the final product of two sequential enzymatic reactions: G-1-P with alkaline phosphatase (AP) producing glucose, then glucose with glucose oxidase (GOD) producing hydrogen peroxide. These two enzymes were coimmobilized on a nylon net membrane that was placed over an H₂O₂ platinum probe inserted into a flow injection analysis (FIA) system. During a first phase of the study, all analytical parameters were optimized. During a subsequent phase, the inhibition of PP2A enzyme by OA was evaluated. The calibration of the system shows a working range for detection of OA between 30 and 250 pg ml⁻¹. The total analysis time is the sum of 50 min for the off-line enzymatic incubations and 4 min for the biosensor response.     

Inhibition of muscle phosphorylase a by natural components of the sarcoplasm

Using a reconstituted glycolytic enzyme system from muscle tissue, it was shown that phosphorylase activity was regulated by some process to provide only the required amount of glucose 1-phosphate, regardless of the percentage of phosphorylase in the a form. By carrying out phosphorylase a assays at high enzyme concentration (2 mg ml^?1), the same concentration as in the reconstituted system and comparable with in vivo, it was shown that (a) the K_m for phosphate was higher and V lower than at low enzyme concentration (2 μg ml^?1), (b) the presence of other glycolytic enzymes at 40 mg ml^?1 suppressed the activity a further threefold, and (c) phosphocreatine inhibited the enzyme. Taken together, these three effects were sufficient to explain the relative lack of activity of phosphorylase a in the reconstituted system. The inhibition by phosphocreatine is seen as a mode of feedback control on phosphorylase activity in vivo.     

The hepatic PP1 glycogen-targeting subunit interaction with phosphorylase a can be blocked by C-terminal tyrosine deletion or an indole drug

The inhibition of hepatic glycogen-associated protein phosphatase-1 (PP1-G(L)) by glycogen phosphorylase a prevents the dephosphorylation and activation of glycogen synthase, suppressing glycogen synthesis when glycogenolysis is activated. Here, we show that a peptide ((280)LGPYY(284)) comprising the last five amino acids of G(L) retains high-affinity interaction with phosphorylase a and that the two tyrosines play crucial roles. Tyr284 deletion abolishes binding of phosphorylase a to G(L) and replacement by phenylalanine is insufficient to restore high-affinity binding. We show that a phosphorylase inhibitor blocks the interaction of phosphorylase a with the G(L) C-terminus, suggesting that the latter interaction could be targeted to develop an anti-diabetic drug.     

Control mechanisms in the acceleration of hepatic glycogen degradation during hypoxia

Hepatic glycogen metabolism in aerobic and hypoxic conditions has been assessed with respect to glycogenolysis, phosphorylase a activity and nucleotide content. Insulin did not inhibit glycogen breakdown nor stimulate lipogenesis in the aerobic perfused liver.Partial ischaemia induced glycogen breakdown, release of glucose and changes in nucleotide content in the perfused liver. Phosphorylase a content increased within 2 min in response to total ischaemia, in vivo and in the perfused liver. This change was paralleled by an increase in hepatic AMP. Glycogen synthase a activity decreased, as did the hepatic content of both cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP.     

Studies on phosphorylase isozymes in lower vertebrates. Purification and properties of lamprey phosphorylase.

Skeletal muscle phosphorylase b has been purified from lamprey, Entosphenus japonicus, to a state of homogeneity as judged by the criterion of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme was completely dependent on AMP for activity and converted into the a form by rabbit muscle phosphorylase kinase in the presence of ATP and Mg²⁺. The subunit molecular weight determined by SDS-gel electrophoresis was 94,000 ± 1,600 (SE). The enzyme activity was stimulated by Na₂SO₄, but was not affected by mercaptoethanol. The K_m values of the a form for glucose 1-phosphate and glycogen were 3.5 mm and 0.13%, respectively, and those of the b form for glucose 1-phosphate, glycogen, and AMP were 15 mm, 0.4%, and 0.1 mm, respectively. These values were smaller than those reported with lobster phosphorylase and greater than those reported with mammalian skeletal muscle phosphorylases. Electrophoretic and immunological studies have indicated that lamprey phosphorylase b exists as a single molecular form in skeletal muscle, heart, brain, and kidney. Rabbit antibody against lamprey phosphorylase cross-reacted with phosphorylases from skate and shark livers more intensely than with those from skeletal muscles.     

Calcium-dependent regulation of glycogen synthase activity in a muscle glycogen particle

The calcium-dependent inactivation of glycogen synthase in an isolated glycogen-protein complex (glycogen pellet) from rabbit skeletal muscle has been investigated. Addition of 1 mm Ca²⁺, 10 mm Mg²⁺, and 1 mm ATP-γ-S to a concentrated suspension of glycogen pellet resulted in a rapid activation of glycogen phosphorylase concomitant with an inactivation of glycogen synthase. These conversion reactions were blocked by ethylene glycol bis(β-aminoethyl ether) N, N′-tetraacetic acid or by pretreatment of the complex with an antiserum to purified phosphorylase kinase. These data suggest that in the glycogen-protein complex, which may be a functional unit of glycogen metabolism in vivo, phosphorylase kinase can catalyze a Ca²⁺-dependent activation of glycogen phosphorylase synchronized with an inactivation of glycogen synthase. If under similar conditions phosphoprotein phosphatase activity was assayed using exogenous [³²P]phosphorylase, there was an apparent inactivation of the phosphatase. Evidence is presented that this apparent inactivation of phosphatase was due to an accumulation of endogenous phosphorylase a which acted as an inhibitor to the exogenous [³²P]-phosphorylase.     

The architecture of hydrogen and sulfur σ-hole interactions explain differences in the inhibitory potency of C-β-d-glucopyranosyl thiazoles,imidazoles and an N-β-d glucopyranosyl tetrazole for human liver glycogen phosphorylase and offer new insights to structure-based design

C-Glucopyranosyl imidazoles, thiazoles, and an N-glucopyranosyl tetrazole were assessed in vitro and ex vivo for their inhibitory efficiency against isoforms of glycogen phosphorylase (GP; a validated pharmacological target for the development of anti-hyperglycaemic agents). Imidazoles proved to be more potent inhibitors than the corresponding thiazoles or the tetrazole. The most potent derivative has a 2-naphthyl substituent, a K_i value of 3.2 µM for hepatic glycogen phosphorylase, displaying also 60% inhibition of GP activity in HepG2 cells, compared to control vehicle treated cells, at 100 μM. X-Ray crystallography studies of the protein – inhibitor complexes revealed the importance of the architecture of inhibitor associated hydrogen bonds or sulfur σ-hole bond interactions to Asn284 OD1, offering new insights to structure-based design efforts. Moreover, while the 2-glucopyranosyl-tetrazole seems to bind differently from the corresponding 1,2,3-triazole compound, the two inhibitors are equipotent.     

Rat liver glycogen metabolism in the perinatal period

The correlation between blood glucose levels, the concentration of glycogen, the activities of glycogen sythase and phosphorylase and their respective kinases and phosphatases was examined in liver of rat fetuses between day 18 of gestation and one day after birth. Between day 18 and 21 there is a rapid increase in the concentration of glycogen and in the activity of synthase a and a much slower increase in the activity of phosphorylase a. The activity of the respective kinases increased rapidly during this period and reached maximun on day 21. The activity of synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase increased after day 18, to reach a maximum on day 19 and 20, respectively, but decreased again towards day 21. The possibility that the changes in glycogen concentration and enzyme activities were related to an effect of glucose of AMP on the respective phosphatases was considered. It was found that the Km of phosphatase for glucose in the prenatal period was 5–7 mM, as in the adult. Since the level of blood glucose during this period was constant (2.8 mM), an effect of glucose on phosphatase activity seems unlikely. AMP concentration increased between day 18 and 21 from 6–15 nmol/g. In view of the low level of phosphorylase a activity during this period, the increase in AMP concentration is not considered to be important in the regulation of glycogen breakdown at this time.Immediately after birth blood glucose levels dropped to 5 mg/dl. This was accompanied by a rapid decrease in glycogen concentration and in the activity of glycogen synthase and a rise in phosphorylase activity. Blood glucose levels returned to the initial level within 1 h after birth, whereas the changes in glycogen concentration and enzyme activities continued for at least 3 h after birth. On day 22 all parameters examined had reached the level found in adult rat liver.It is suggested that the rapid changes observed immediately after birth are due to an effect of hypoglycemia mediated by hormones and cannot be ascribed to direct effects of metabolites on the enzyme systems involved.     

Control of platelet glycogenolysis activation of phosporylase kinase by calcium

An apparent enigma during platelet aggregation is that increased glycogenolysis occurs despite a fall in cyclic AMP levels. Activation by a classical cascade is therefore unlikely, and an alternative stimulus for phosphorylase a formation was sought. It was found that low levels of Ca²⁺ markedly activate phosphorylase b kinase from human platelets, with a K_a of 0.89 μM Ca²⁺, which is similar to that for the skeletal muscle enzyme. The kinase activity is unstable, and on enzyme ageing there is a 50% loss in activity with the K_a decreasing to 0.33 μM Ca²⁺.In unstimulated platelets, phosphorylase a was 13.3% of total measured activity, and glycogen synthetase I was 32.3%. Aggregation induced by ADP did not change the percentage of I synthetase, while increasing that for phosphorylase a. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP did, as expected, increase the percentage of both phosphorylated enzymes.These findings suggest that the natural activator of platelet glycogenolysis during aggregation is Ca²⁺, which directly stimulates phosphorylase b kinase without altering glycogen synthetase activity. The cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase does not appear to be involved.     

Purification and characterization of glycogen phosphorylase A and B from the freeze-avoiding gall moth larvae Epiblema scudderiana

The active a and inactive b forms of glycogen phosphorylase from cold-hardy larvae of the gall moth, Epiblema scudderiana, were purified using DEAE⁺ ion exchange and 3-5-AMP-agarose affinity chromatography. Maximum activities for glycogen phosphorylases a and b were 6.3±0.74 and 2.7±0.87 mol glucose-1-P·min^-1·g wet weight^-1, respectively, in -4°C-acclimated larvae. Final specific activities of the purified enzymes were 396 and 82 units·mg protein^-1, respectively. Both enzymes were dimers with native molecular weights of 215000±18000 for glycogen phosphorylase a and 209000±15000 for glycogen phosphorylase b; the subunit molecular weight of both forms was 87000±2000. Both enzymes showed pH optima of 7.5 at 22°C and a break in the Arrhenius relationship with a two- to four-fold increase in activation energy below 10°C. Michaelis constant values for glycogen at 22°C were 0.12±0.004 mg·ml^-1 for glycogen phosphorylase a and 0.87±0.034 mg·ml^-1 for glycogen phosphorylase b; the Michaelis constant for inorganic phosphate was 6.5±0.07 mmol·l^-1 for glycogen phosphorylase a and 23.6 mmol·l^-1 for glycogen phosphorylase b. Glycogen phosphorylase b was activated by adenosine monophosphate with a K _a of 0.176±0.004 mmol·l^-1. Michaelis constant and K _a values decreased by two- to fivefold at 5°C compared with 22°C. Glycerol had a positive effect on the Michaelis constant for glycogen for glycogen phosphorylase a at intermediate concentrations (0.5 mol·l^-1) but was inhibitory to both enzyme forms at high concentrations (2 mol·l^-1). Glycerol production as a cryoprotectant in E. scudderiana larvae is facilitated by the low temperature-simulated glycogen phosphorylase b to glycogen phosphorylase a conversion and by positive effects of low temperature on the kinetic properties of glycogen phosphorylase a. Enzyme shut-down when polyol synthesis is complete appears to be aided by strong inhibitory effects of glycerol and KCl on glycogen phosphorylase b.Abbreviations E _a activation energy - GPa glycogen phosphorylase a - GPb glycogen phosphorylase b - h Hill coefficient - I ₅₀ concentration of inhibitor that reduces enzymes velocity by 50% - K _a concentration of activator that produces half-maximal activation of enzyme activity - K _m Michaelis-Menten substrate affinity constant - MW molecular weight - PEG polyethylene glycol - P_i morganic phosphate - SDS PAGE sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - V _max enzyme maximal velocity     

Effect of Adrenaline and Glucose on Release of Glucagon and Insulin <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

IT is well established that glucagon induces hyperglycaemia in animals and man through its action on liver glycogenolysis¹ and gluconeogenesis². Adrenaline has similar metabolic effects on the liver^1,2 and it is often thought that both hormones play a physiological role as glycogenolytic agents in blood glucose homeostasis. Several authors, however, have reported that when adrenaline was infused directly in the portal vein its effects on blood glucose and hepatic glycogenolysis were much less pronounced than when the hormone was administeied into the systemic circulation^3–5. Moreover, Sokal et al. demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo that, in contrast to glucagon, doses of adrenaline within the physiological range had only small and transient effects on liver glycogen and Phosphorylase activity^6,7. They thus concluded that glucagon is the only agent promoting glycogenolysis in the liver in physiological conditions and suggested that the effect of moderate doses of adrenaline might be indirect, possibly mediated through stimulation of glucagon secretion.     

GLYCOGEN AND GLYCOGEN PHOSPHORYLASE IN THE CEREBRAL CORTEX OF MICE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF METHIONINE SULPHOXIMINE

Abstract— Glucose and glycogen levels in the mouse cerebral cortex in vivo were studied after recovery from methionine sulphoximine seizures. The animals appeared normal 24 h after methionine sulphoximine administration but both glucose and glycogen still persisted at higher levels 72 h after injection (by 64 and 275 per cent, respectively). When seizures were prevented by methionine, the increase in glucose and glycogen at the longer time intervals was significantly smaller than in animals treated with methionine sulphoximine only; glucose reached normal values at 48 or 72 h; the accumulation of glycogen was reduced by about three to five times, but after 72 h the levels were still significantly higher than in control animals (67 or 32 per cent increase, depending on the administered dose of methionine). In contrast to the considerable accumulation of glycogen after administration of methionine sulphoximine in vivo, it had no effect on the level of glycogen in brain cortex slices in vitro. After 3 h incubation in the absence of methionine sulphoximine, glycogen was resynthesized to a level of about 4 μmol/g wet tissue and this value was not significantly affected by the presence of various concentrations of methionine sulphoximine in the incubation medium (10^-5 to 10^-2 M). The total (a+b forms) phosphorylase activity of mouse cerebral cortex in vivo after methionine sulphoximine administration was not affected. The fraction of active phosphorylase was reduced by about 50 per cent at the time of seizures. When seizures were prevented by methionine, the decrease in active phosphorylase was also completely prevented. In the preconvulsive period (1-2 h) and after recovery from the seizures (48 h after methionine sulphoximine administration) active phosphorylase was normal. The possible mechanisms involved in the increased accumulation of glycogen after methionine sulphoximine administration are discussed.     

Studies on the hyperglycemia and hepatic glycogenolysis produced by alpha and beta adrenergic agonists in the cat

Previous studies in this laboratory showed that both alpha and beta receptors can mediate adrenergically-induced hyperglycemia in the cat. In the present study, the results of experiments on the isolated perfused cat liver provide affirmation that hepatic glycogenolysis in this species can be subserved by both types of receptors. Thus, the acute hepatic release of glucose induced by isoproterenol was found to be antagonized by propranolol but not by phentolamine or phenoxybenzamine. The opposite was found for the glycogenolytic action of phenylephrine. Experiments $\text{in}$$\text{vivo}$ showed that the hyperglycemic response to the beta agonist was associated with activation of hepatic phosphorylase and increased intracellular cAMP content while the hyperglycemia induced by the alpha agonist was associated with an activation of phosphorylase which was independent of cAMP.     

Genetic control of ganglioside biosynthesis in mice

The enzymatic basis for the differences in hepatic ganglioside patterns in the mouse strains C57Bl/6 and Swiss White (SW) was investigated. SW has a “Swiss-type” ganglioside profile, expressing G_M1 ^? and G_D1a ^? in addition to G_M2 ^? as major hepatic gangliosides, whereas C57Bl/6 shows a “G_M2-type” profile, expressing only G_M2 ^? as the major hepatic ganglioside. The enzyme UDP-galactose:G_M2 ganglioside galactosyltransferase (G_M2-GalT), which catalyzes the synthesis of G_M1 ganglioside, showed a four- to fivefold elevation in intact and solubilized liver Golgi membrane fractions of the SW strain compared to C57Bl/6. Crosses between C57Bl/6 and SW produced an F₁ generation with a hepatic ganglioside and enzymatic phenotype intermediate between those of the two parental strains. All three genotypic groups show two forms of the Golgi apparatus enzyme with isoelectric points of 6.5–6.8 and 8.3–9.0. The simplest mode of action of genes which control the enzymatic phenotype that would be consistent with these findings are one or two structural genes or one or two cis-regulatory genes affecting the rate of enzyme synthesis.