Abdominal adipose tissue from broiler chickens selected for body weight or for food efficiency differ in in vitro lipolytic sensitivity to glucagon and to chicken growth hormone, but not to dibutyryl cAMP

Abstract

1. Differences in responses to lipolytic agents have been investigated in vitro in abdominal adipose tissue from lines of broiler chickens selected for body weight (GL, a ‘fat’ line) or for food efficiency (FC, a ‘lean’ line).

2. Dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate stimulated in vitro lipo‐lysis, as measured by the glycerol release, by adipose tissue from GL or from FC chickens to the same extent.

3. Glucagon stimulated glycerol release from adipose tissue from FC chickens, but not from GL chickens.

4. Adipose tissue from GL chickens was much more sensitive to chicken growth hormone (GH) compared to FC chickens.

5. It is concluded that the selection criteria applied influenced the number of adipose GH and glucagon receptors, the number of adipose GH receptors being lower and of glucagon receptors being higher in FC chickens compared to GL chickens.