Changes in lipid synthesis in rat liver during development.

1. Lipogenesis, as measured by the incorporation of (14)C-labelled glucose or acetate into fatty acids in liver slices, is high in foetal and adult rat liver but is low in the liver of the suckling rat, especially with glucose as substrate. 2. The rate of synthesis of non-saponifiable lipids from glucose is about 15 times as great in the liver of the 18-day foetus as in adult liver. Activity in the newborn is negligible. 3. Glucose incorporation into fat is strongly concentration-dependent in liver slices from the adult and 2-week-old rat, but less markedly so in liver slices from the foetus. 4. Changes in the activity of hepatic citrate-cleavage enzyme (ATP-citrate lyase) occur in parallel with the changes in the extent of fatty acid formation, supporting the participation of this enzyme in lipogenesis. However, NADP-malate dehydrogenase, a potential source of reduced nucleotide coenzyme for lipogenesis in the adult, could not be detected in foetal rat liver.