Glycosyl-transferase activities in pancreas: comparison between semi-synthetic and commercial diets

The glycosyl-transferase activities in the rat pancreas have been previously demonstrated to be modified by the quantity of different dietary components (lipids or proteins). To evaluate the role of the qualitative composition of the diet on such enzymic systems, two groups of rats were fed either a semi-synthetic diet or a commercial diet of very similar quantitative composition but differing in the quality of their components. The two diets induce a quite similar growth of animals, although the pancreas weight of the commercial-diet-fed rats is slightly higher. The galactosyl-, fucosyl- and mannosyl-transferase activities are more or less highly enhanced by the commercial diet according to the enzyme studied. The highest increase is observed for the biosynthesis of mannosyl-phosphoryl-dolichol. This enhancement by the commercial diet disappears when exogenous phosphoryl-dolichol is added. Such results indicate that the mannose transfer is probably modified by an increased level of the pancreatic lipidic acceptor.