The alpha particulate liver glycogen. A morphometric approach to the kinetics of its synthesis and degradation.

Electron micrographs of rat hepatocytes with a glycogen content between 0.36 and 2.55% (w/w) were submitted to morphometrical analysis. From the number and size of glycogen profiles, the distribution of radius and volume of glycogen alpha particles were computed. The 7-fold difference in glycogen content was accompanied by an only 1.8-fold increase in the mean volume of the particles while their number increased by a factor of 4. On the basis of these observations, it is proposed that the population of glycogen particles can be divided in two groups. The first one is made of growing particles, still associated with glycogen synthase; they are the only particles present at low glycogen concentration and their number is limited. Application of a simple mathematical model allows to estimate their number in hepatocytes as 49 X 10(12) particles . ml-1. The second group is made of glycogen particles which have reached their maximal size and the number of which is in principle unlimited. The maximal particle size is estimated to be 0.36 X 10(-15) ml, corresponding to an average molecular weight of 178 X 10(6). The average molecular weight of glycogen, as measured from the actual size of the particles, varied from 89 X 10(6) to 161 X 10(6).