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Changes in Kinetics of Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase in Liver and Skeletal Muscle of Dogs (Canis familiaris) throughout Growth and Development

Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7621

²To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jack_odle{at}ncsu.edu

This study was conducted to investigate developmental changes in the kinetics of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) within hepatic and skeletal muscle tissues of the canine species. Carnitine concentrations, CPT activity and the apparent K_m for carnitine were measured in tissue homogenates from dogs in six age categories: newborn; 24-h-old; 3-, 6- and 9-wk-old; and adult. Hepatic CPT activity was low at birth, increased by 100% during the suckling period (P < 0.05) and then declined after weaning to adult levels. In contrast, CPT activity in muscle continued to increase with age, reaching adult levels after 9 wk. Congruent with CPT activity, nearly identical concentration profiles of liver and muscle acylcarnitines were observed. The apparent K_m of hepatic CPT for carnitine also paralleled the increase in CPT activity during the suckling period; however, free and total liver carnitine concentrations declined by 50% during this time (P < 0.05). Beginning at 3 wk of age, the hepatic concentration of free carnitine was at or below the apparent K_m of CPT for carnitine. A similar relationship existed in muscle of young dogs, but in adults, the free carnitine concentration was markedly increased and exceeded the apparent K_m by 5-fold. Collectively, we infer that fatty acid oxidation capacity increases rapidly after birth in the canine, after ontogenic increases in CPT activity. Furthermore, based on the relatively low tissue carnitine concentrations when compared with the apparent carnitine K_m of CPT, we suggest that carnitine may have an important role in the regulation of fatty acid oxidation and that increased dietary carnitine may improve fatty acid oxidative capacity in developing dogs.

KEY WORDS: • canine • carnitine • carnitine palmitoyltransferase • fatty acid oxidation • ontogeny

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