Publication Date

8-1984

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Hugh Puckett, Frank Toman, Robert Hoyt

Degree Program

Department of Biology

Degree Type

Master of Science

Abstract

An in vitro study of ob/ob mouse and control mouse erythrocytes and adipose tissue showed a difference in the rate of glucose utilization as determined by the production of 3H20. In both ob/ob and control erythrocytes, glucose utilization increased as glucose concentration of the medium was increased, although the ob/ob rate was consistently lower than the control. The similar trend except for the adipose tissues showed a ob/ob adipose tissue at 200 mg/d1 glucose concentration which exhibited a rate less than the rate at 100 mg/d1.

The decreased glucose utilization by adipose tissue in the absence of insulin or other hormonal stimuli suggested that the difference may be due to a defect at the cellular level rather than a hormonal effect. Because erythrocyte glucose utilization is not regulated by insulin, the results of those incubations supported this idea. The decreased glucose utilization by the ob/ob erythrocytes gave further evidence to the location of the defect. Since glucose utilization in these cells is restricted to glycolysis and to a lesser extent the pentose phosphate pathways the defect would necessarily be limited to these pathways as well.

Disciplines

Biology | Life Sciences

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