Speaker: Phillip Barnes
PhD The University of Western Australia Crawley WA 6009 Perth – Australia

HOST

 Dr.Joaquim Calbó, IRB Barcelona

Wednesday, 14 July 2010, 13:00h, Aula Fèlix Serratosa

ABSTRACT

Given that glycogen plays such an important role in metabolism, knowledge of its structure, metabolism and regulation is vital to our understanding of whole body fuel homeostasis. Muscle glycogen extracted in the presence of acid results in acid soluble (ASG) and acid insoluble (AIG) fractions, with AIG levels reportedly being the more responsive to change as total muscle glycogen levels vary with diet and exercise. Whelan & Lomako have explained these differences in acid solubility on the basis that AIG corresponds to a low molecular weight (400kD) glycogen species (proglycogen), whereas ASG corresponds to a macroglycogen (106) species. Furthermore, Whelan and Lomako have proposed a two-stage model for glycogen synthesis, with the synthesis of proglycogen representing a discreet intermediate step on the pathway to mature macroglycogen synthesis. Recently, our laboratory has challenged this model and evidence will be presented refuting the existence of proglycogen as an intermediary in glycogen biogenesis. Results will also be presented providing evidence for the multi-molecular model for glycogen breakdown and synthesis in skeletal muscle. 

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