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Interaction of dietary mercury and biotin-deficiency on hepatic lipogenesis in chicks

Journal Article · · Poult. Sci.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6300619

Broilers were fed control or biotin-deficient diets based upon glucose and casein starting at day-old. At 7 days, one-half the chicks fed the biotin-deficient diet were administered 200 ppm Hg (as HgCl/sub 2/) continuously in the drinking water, while the remaining biotin-deficient chicks and the control chicks continued to receive tap water. At 4 weeks, hepatic fatty acid synthetse (FAS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) activities and in vivo lipogenesis from /sup 14/C-acetate were measured in randomly selected chicks from each of the 3 treatments. Specific activity of FAS was stimulated slightly by biotin-deficiency but Hg reduced activity to control values in deficient chicks. Specific activity of ACC was reduced to one-half of control values by biotin deficiency and Hg had no further effect. Incorporation of /sup 14/C-acetate into hepatic fatty acids was reduced markedly by biotin-deficiency but Hg returned incorporation to control values in deficient chicks. ACC is presumably the rate-limiting enzyme for lipogenesis. Therefore, the data suggest that Hg somehow stimulates the in vivo activity of this enzyme in biotin-deficient chicks.

Research Organization:
North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh
OSTI ID:
6300619
Journal Information:
Poult. Sci.; (United States), Journal Name: Poult. Sci.; (United States) Vol. 56:5; ISSN POSCA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English