AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 262, Issue 4 599-G602, Copyright © 1992 by American Physiological Society
Ontogeny of acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase in rat liver, intestine, and adipose tissue
M. T. Little and P. Hahn
Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
The development of acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT), was
determined in the rat liver, intestine, and white (WAT) and brown adipose
tissue (BAT). Animal studies have shown that dietary manipulation of
cholesterol metabolism during an animal's early development can have
persistent and permanent effects. Therefore it is important that the
ontogeny of ACAT, one of the key enzymes in cholesterol metabolism, be
clearly established. White Wistar rats were killed on day 21 of gestation,
at birth, and on postnatal days 10, 14, 18, 21, 22, 25, 30, and 60. The
tissues were rapidly excised, microsomes were prepared, and the activity of
ACAT was measured as the rate of incorporation of [1-14C]oleoyl coenzyme A
into cholesterol esters. Age-specific changes were observed in three of the
four tissues investigated. Rat liver and intestine possess significant
amounts of ACAT activity throughout development with marked variations in
activity during this time. ACAT activity in BAT is low and variable
throughout development with the exception of high activity noted in the
adult animal. WAT contained little or no ACAT activity during development.
