The development of functional heterogeneity in the liver parenchyma of the golden hamster

Prenatal and postnatal stages of the development of golden hamsters were studied histochemically and biochemically. It was shown that, beginning with the 12th gestational day, the fetal liver starts to store glycogen, and that this process reaches its maximum a birth. Glycogen phosphorylase and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase)-activity increased drastically in the last two days before birth, glycogen phosphorylase preceding G6Pase. As a histochemical characteristic, an even distribution of glycogen, glycogen phosphorylase and G6Pase activity is found in the liver parenchyma at birth. During the first two postnatal weeks typical heterogeneous patterns of distribution developed: glycogen depletion could be demonstrated predominantly in zone 1 of the liver acinus, this being at the same time the area of highest glycogen phosphorylase and G6Pase-activity. The periportal zone 1 thus became characterized as the primary site of glycogenolysis (glycogen phosphorylase) and gluco(neo)genesis (G6Pase). "Metabolic Zonation" is interpreted as the chemomorphological equivalent of the regulatory function of the liver as a glucostat.