Which of the following enzymes is active in adipocytes following a heavy meal?
1) Glycogen phosphorylase
2) Glycerol kinase
3) Hormone-sensitive triacylglyceride lipase
4) Phosphatidate phosphatase
The enzyme phosphatidate phosphatase converts phosphatidic acid to diacylglycerol during synthesis of triacylglycerides.
The function of adipose tissue is the storage of fatty acids as triacylglycerols in times of plenty and the release of fatty acids during times of fasting or starvation.
Fatty acids taken in by adipocytes are stored by esterification to glycerol-3-phosphate. Glycerol-3-phosphate is derived almost entirely from the glycolytic intermediate dihydroxyacetone phosphate through the action of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Glycolytic enzymes are active in adipocytes during triglyceride synthesis, but those of glycogen degradation (low levels in adipocytes) and gluconeogenesis (ie, glucose-6-phosphatase) are not.
Glycerol kinase is not present to any great extent in adipocytes, so that glycerol freed during lipolysis is not used to reesterify the fatty acids being released.
The enzyme triacylglyceride lipase is turned on by phosphorylation by a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase following epinephrine stimulation.
EET MDS