The relationship between Mg2+-stimulated ATPase activity and glycogen content in rat liver

Abstract

During starvation there is an increase in the ATPase activity of a postmitochondrial fraction of rat liver. The increase is relatively specific for ATP and there is no change in the Na+,K+-stimulated ATPase activity. A corresponding increase in ATPase activity is found on pretreatment of the rat with glucagon and in tumor-bearing animals. The increase has been correlated with increase in phosphorylase activity and decrease in glycogen content under in vivo and in vitro conditions. Treatment of fasted animals with glucose or sucrose restores the glycogen content and diminishes the ATPase activity to normal levels, but puromycin is without effect. It is proposed that a physical association of glycogen with Mg2+-stimulated ATPase activity prevents the enzyme activity from being expressed.