The effect of chronic diabetes, induced by streptozotocin, on the activities of some enzymes of glycerolipid synthesis in rat liver.

1. Rats were injected with a single dose of 35mg of streptozotocin/kg body wt. They exhibited a diabetes that was characterized by glycosuria, polyuria, polydipsia, hyperphagia, hyperglycaemia, increased concentrations of unesterified fatty acids, glycerol and triacylglycerols in the serum and an increased activity of glucose 6-phosphatase in the liver. 2. After 10 weeks the hepatic activities of the microsomal glycerol phosphate acyltransferase, phosphatidate phosphohydrolase, phosphatidate cytidylyltransferase, diacylglycerol acyltransferase, choline phosphotransferase, CDP-diacylglycerol--inositol phosphatidyltransferase and the soluble phosphatidate phosphohydrolase were measured. 3. The only significant changes were an increase in the activity of the soluble phosphatidate phosphohydrolase and a decrease in that of the CDP-diacylglycerol--inositol phosphatidyltransferase in the diabetic rats. 4. These results are discussed in relation to the control of glycerolipid synthesis.