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Effect of high‐ and low‐carbohydrate diets on glycogen branching enzyme activity in the liver of C57BL/6J mice
Author(s) -
Fuller Scott,
Nelson Arnold,
Stewart Laura,
Henagan Tara,
Waldrop Grover
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.lb746
Subject(s) - glycogen , glycogen branching enzyme , carbohydrate , branching (polymer chemistry) , glycogen synthase , body weight , medicine , chemistry , endocrinology , enzyme , glycosidic bond , biochemistry , biology , organic chemistry
Glycogen has a highly branched structure with the branch points formed by glucose molecules being joined by α 1,6‐glycosidic linkages. These linkages are formed by the action of branching enzyme (BE). While glycogen BE has been studied in clinical medicine, modulation of the enzyme has received little attention. This study measured the degree of branching in glycogen from mouse liver in response to low versus high carbohydrate diets. METHODS Six week old, male C57BL/6J mice (n = 68) were randomly assigned to either a low‐carbohydrate (35% CHO) or a high‐carbohydrate (70% CHO) diet for 8 weeks. Food consumption, body weight and body composition were evaluated weekly (NMR). At the 8 week time point, mice were euthanized and liver samples were collected and assayed for the degree of glycogen branching. Degree of branching was determined by spectrophotometrically quantifying the ratio of branch points to total glucose residues. RESULTS Food consumption did not differ between the groups. However, body weight and body fat percentage were different between the two groups (p < 0.001) at the 8 week time point. Degree of glycogen branching did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSION Glycogen BE activity in mouse liver does not appear to be affected by varying carbohydrate intake, despite the observation that both body fat percentage and body weight were higher in mice consuming the LC diet. Further investigation should aim to discover how BE activity is modulated in skeletal muscle.