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Changes in Glucose-6-phosphatase Activity in Liver and Kidney at Birth

Abstract

GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATASE catalyses the last step in the chain of reactions by which glycogen is converted to glucose. The enzyme is found only in liver, kidney and intestinal mucosa. Its activity is low in fœtal liver and increases at birth in the guinea pig1 and the rat2. Glucose-6-phosphatase has been measured in human liver only in the first half of gestation. Cori and Schulman3 found very low levels in an 18-week fœtus. Villee4 used the production of glucose by liver slices as a measure of glucose-6-phosphatase. Activity appeared about the tenth week of gestation and had reached about half adult levels by 22 wk. Aurichio and Rigillo5 found low, but variable, activity in postmortem material from 20 to 40 weeks of gestation.

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DAWKINS, M. Changes in Glucose-6-phosphatase Activity in Liver and Kidney at Birth. Nature 191, 72–73 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/191072b0

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