Organ specific regulation of malic enzyme and hexosemonophosphate shunt dehydrogenases activity by high carbohydrate diet.

The effect of starvation-refeeding transitions on the activity of malic enzyme and hexosemonophosphate shunt dehydrogenases in lipogenic and non-lipogenic tissues from rats was investigated. Starvation of the rats caused a decrease of malic enzyme activity in the liver, white and brown adipose tissue. Refeeding of the animals with high carbohydrate diet caused a several fold increase of malic enzyme activity in these tissues. Substitution of high fat for high carbohydrate diet resulted in only a slight increase of malic enzyme activity in the liver, white and brown adipose tissues. In the same rats, no significant effect of starvation-refeeding transition on malic enzyme activity in the kidney cortex, brain, heart, skeletal muscle and spleen was observed. The changes of the activity of hexosemonophosphate shunt dehydrogenases during starvation-refeeding transition essentially paralleled those of malic enzyme in all the tissues examined.