title: Effect of environmental temperature changes on rat liver fatty acid desaturases.
abstract: Female rats warm-adapted at 30-32 C for 20-25 days and then shifted to 13-15 C for 12, 24, 48, 72 and 120 hr showed that delta 9 desaturase and fatty acid synthetase activity decay after 24 hr of cold exposure, while delta 6 and delta 5 desaturases were increased after this period of time. These results were confirmed by an increase of arachidonic acid of heart and liver microsomes phosphatidylcholine and a decrease of oleic acid. Neither NADH-cyt b5 reductase nor NADH-cyt c reductase activity of liver microsomes were significantly affected. Male rats warm-adapted under the same conditions and then shifted to 13-15 C for 120 hr did not show significant changes in fatty acid synthetase, delta 9 and delta 6 desaturases and enzymes of the microsomal electron transport chain. Therefore, the desaturase response to environmental temperature changes could be plausibly linked to female hormones.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002980:Climate; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D008834:Microclimate; D008861:Microsomes / Q000201:enzymology; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000201:enzymology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases