Lipogenesis in rat and guinea-pig isolated epididymal fat-cells

Fat-cells were prepared from rat and guinea-pig epididymal adipose tissue and compared on the basis of the intracellular distributions and activities of enzymes and with respect to their utilization of various U-(14)C-labelled substrates for lipogenesis. 1. Compared with the rat, guinea-pig extramitochondrial enzyme activities differed in that aconitate hydratase, alanine aminotransferase, ATP-citrate lyase, lactate dehydrogenase, NAD-malate dehydrogenase, NADP-malate dehydrogenase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activities were appreciably lower, whereas aspartate aminotransferase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase activities were appreciably higher. Mitochondrial activities of citrate synthase, NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase and pyruvate carboxylase were appreciably lower, whereas mitochondrial activities of aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase, NAD-malate dehydrogenase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase were higher in the guinea pig compared with the rat. 2. In general guinea-pig fat-cells incorporated acetate and lactate into fatty acids more readily than rat fat-cells, whereas rat fat-cells incorporated glucose and pyruvate more readily than guinea-pig fat-cells. 3. Acetate stimulated the incorporation of glucose into fatty acids in rat fat-cells, but had no appreciable effect upon this process in guinea-pig fat-cells. Acetate greatly decreased the incorporation of lactate into fatty acids in cells from both species. 4. Lactate/pyruvate ratios produced by incubation of guinea-pig cells with glucose+insulin were very low compared with those found with rat cells under the same conditions. 5. With glucose (+insulin) or with glucose+acetate (+insulin) as substrates guinea-pig cells produced enough NADPH by the hexose monophosphate pathway to satisfy the NADPH requirements of lipogenesis. In rat fat-cells under the same conditions, hexose monophosphate-pathway NADPH provision was not sufficient to meet the requirements of lipogenesis. 6. These results are discussed, particularly in relationship to the disposition of cytosolic reducing equivalents in the cells.