Aspects of adipose-tissue metabolism in foetal lambs

1. The mean volume of adipocytes, the rates of fatty acid and acylglycerol glycerol synthesis from various precursors (in vitro), the rates of oxidation of acetate and glucose (in vitro) and the activities of lipoprotein lipase and various lipogenic enzymes were determined for perirenal adipose tissue from foetal lambs during the last month of gestation. 2. The fall in the rate of growth of perirenal adipose tissue during the last month of gestation is associated with a diminished capacity for fatty acid synthesis and lipoprotein lipase activity, but no change in the rate of acylglycerol glycerol synthesis was observed. There was no fall in the activities of cytosolic acetyl-CoA synthetase or the NADP-linked dehydrogenases, suggesting that the decrease in the rate of fatty acid synthesis was due to an impairment at the level of acetyl-CoA carboxylase or fatty acid synthetase. 3. The rate of fatty acid synthesis from acetate was greater than that from glucose. The rate of fatty acid synthesis from glucose per adipocyte of foetal lambs was similar to that of young sheep. The characteristic metabolism of adipose tissue of the adult sheep is thus present in the foetus, despite the relatively large amounts of glucose in the foetal 'diet'.