Glucose stimulates transcription of fatty acid synthase and malic enzyme in avian hepatocytes

stimulates transcription of fatty acid synthase and malic enzyme in avian hepatocytes. Am. J. Physiol. 274 (Endocri-nol. Metab. 37): E493–E501, 1998.—Transcription of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and malic enzyme (ME) in avian liver is low during starvation or feeding a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet and high during feeding a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. The role of glucose in the nutritional control of FAS and ME was investigated by determining the effects of this metabolic fuel on expression of FAS and ME in primary cultures of chick embryo hepatocytes. In the presence of triiodothyronine, glucose (25 mM) stimulated an increase in the activity and mRNA abundance of FAS and ME. These effects required the phosphorylation of glucose to glucose 6-phosphate but not further metabolism downstream of the aldolase step of the glycolytic pathway. Xylitol mimicked th