Dynamics of liver glycogen: the topochemistry of glycogen synthesis, glycogen content and glycogenolysis under the experimental conditions of glycogen accumulation and depletion

Abstract

Using histochemical techniques the glycogen content and the activities of glycogen synthetase (UDPGGT) and phosphorylase were studied in the livers of 106 golden hamsters under following experimental conditions; a) starvation of 16, 36, 48, 72, and 96 hours: b) alloxan-diabetes. Starvation leads to a depletion of liver glycogen during the first 48 hours, which is finally restricted to zone 3 of the liver acinus. After starvation of 72 and 96 hours a new glycogen accumulation is demonstrable in the microvasculatory periphery of the acinus (zone 3 and 2). The process of glycogen depletion is characterized in the beginning by a high phosphorylase activity in all zones of the acinus, later only in the forefield of glycogen content. The weak activity of glycogen synthetase is mainly restricted to zone 3. All phases of glycogen depletion are to be found in alloxan diabetic animals, too. Out of 45 hamsters 23 showed an extreme depletion of glycogen; typical for this situation is a weak or absent glycogen synthetase activity in zone 3 and a broad field of phosphorylase activity in zones 1 and 2. The short stimulation by insulin leads to a considerable increase of glycogen synthetase activity at the portally oriented border of the glycogen area and to a shift of the moderate phosphorylase activity of zone 1. Thus the histochemical characteristics of glycogen depletion are: a shift of the reduced glycogen content in direction of the microvasculatory periphery of the liver acinus (zone 3), caused by a high phosphorylase activity in the portal forefield, while glycogen synthetase activity is low in the glycogen area. The histochemical characteristics of glycogen accumulation are: after a short phase of glycogen synthesis in all hepatocytes a moderate phosphorylase activity in zone 1 leads to a mobilization of the portal glycogen deposits and to an increasing accumulation of glycogen in the peripheral part of the acinus. At the portally oriented border of the glycogen area a high synthetase activity leads to a broadening of the glycogen area in direction of the portal branches. At the end of this process the "normal" pattern of the liver acinus occurs: all hepatocytes are filled with glycogen, the glycogen enzymes are restricted to the periportal border of zone 1.