Lipogenesis is the formation of fats from surplus glucose. The term typically denotes the fatty acid and the subsequent triglyceride synthesis.
In many animals, extra carbohydrates are stored as fat in preparation for times like starvation, hibernation, etc. It also gives animals, including humans, energy to use between meals. Lipogenesis aids the anabolic stage of this feeding cycle by converting extra glucose and intermediates like lactate, acetyl-CoA and pyruvate into fat.
The primary factor controlling the rate of lipogenesis is the organism’s nutritional state. As a result, the rate is high in animals that are well-fed and whose diet contains a lot of carbohydrates. This rate is lowered by calorie restriction, a high-fat diet, or an insulin deficiency, as in diabetes mellitus. Increased plasma-free fatty acid concentrations are linked to the latter conditions.
In contrast to glucose, sucrose (fructose+glucose) promotes lipogenesis because fructose floods the lipogenic pathway without passing through the phosphofructokinase control point in glycolysis.
Fatty Acid Synthesis
Acetyl-CoA is the starting point for fatty acid synthesis, and 2 carbon units are added as the process progresses. The fatty acid synthesis happens in the cytoplasm. A multienzyme complex called fatty acid synthase is composed of many of the enzymes necessary for fatty acid synthesis. The liver and adipose tissue are the primary locations for fatty acid synthesis.
Triglyceride Synthesis
Esterification of fatty acids to glycerol produces triglycerides. The fatty acid esterification occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum of cells. Each glycerol molecule has a bond with three fatty acid chains. Each of the glycerol’s three -OH groups reacts with a fatty acid chain’s carboxyl end (-COOH). The water molecule is eliminated, and the remaining carbon molecules are combined through the dehydration synthesis process. Triglycerides can also be produced by the liver and adipose tissue.
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