Adaptive changes in zonation for gluconeogenic capacity in liver lobules of cold-exposed rats

The rate of gluconeogenesis from lactate increased in perfused livers after exposure of rats to cold for 5 days, and it returned to the control rate after 20 days [M. Shiota, T. Tanaka, and T. Sugano. Am. J. Physiol. 249 (Endocrinol. Metab. 12): E281-E286, 1985.]. The relationship between the increased gluconeogenic activity and its zonal distribution in liver lobules was studied in cold-exposed rats that had been starved for 24 h by examination of preparations enriched for periportal hepatocytes (PP-H) and for perivenous hepatocytes (PV-H), which had been isolated by the digitonin-collagenase perfusion technique. In the control group, the rate of gluconeogenesis from lactate or alanine was three times higher in PP-H than in PV-H. The rate of gluconeogenesis from these substrates in PP-H was not changed by exposure of rats to cold. The rates of PV-H increased to the level in PP-H after 5 days of exposure of rats to cold and then returned to the control rates after 20 days. The rate of gluconeogenesis from fructose was not altered in either preparation of cells by cold treatment of rats. The change in gluconeogenic capacity in PV-H caused by exposure of rats to cold was unrelated to changes in the activity of the malate-aspartate shuttle and of pyruvate kinase. The increased capacity in mitochondrial respiration was observed in both preparations of cells by cold treatment of rats for 5 days. The activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase was higher in PP-H than in PV-H in the control group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)