Evidence that phosphofructokinase limits glucose utilization in bovine adipose tissue

Bovine subcutaneous adipose tissue slices were incubated with 10 mM [U--14C] acetate in the absence and presence of 2 mM glucose, 10 mM lactate and 33 mU insulin/ml. The incorporation of acetate into fatty acids was stimulated significantly by glucose and lactate, but not by insulin. The concentration of glycolytic intermediates was measured in tissue slices incubated in vitro with the same substrate combinations. Glucose significantly increased the cellular content of glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate, but had no effect on any other glycolytic intermediate. Under certain conditions, acetate and lactate tended to decrease the monophosphorylated hexoses and increase certain triose phosphates, indicating increased flux through phosphofructokinase. Insulin generally had no effect on metabolite levels. The data indicate that phosphofructokinase has a key regulatory role in controlling glycolytic flux in bovine adipose tissue incubated in vitro. The data did not indicate regulatory roles for hexokinase or insulin.