Glucose Utilization by Chick Embryo Heart Homogenates

Homogenates of early chick embryos and homogenates of early chick embryonic hearts utilized the phosphogluconate pathway of glucose catabolism to a greater extent, relative to the glycolytic-Krebs cycle pathway, than did homogenates of hearts from older chick embryos or adult chicks. An abrupt drop in the relative participation by the phosphogluconate pathway in embryo heart homogenates occurs at about 5 to 7 days of incubation. Heart homogenates from adult chicks catabolize glucose almost entirely by the glycolytic-Krebs cycle pathway, with negligible participation by the phosphogluconate pathway.