THE RESPIRATION OF BROWN ADIPOSE TISSUE AND KIDNEY OF THE HIBERNATING AND NON-HIBERNATING GROUND SQUIRREL

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Abstract
The brown adipose tissue of the ground squirrel respired faster than the white adipose tissue and than other tissues of high metabolic activity; the O2 consumption of the fat-free tissue was 17.1 [plus or minus] 3.65 cmm. per mg. of dry wt. The R.Q. was 050. The anaerobic glycolysis in the absence of glucose was 4.0 cmm. CO2; on addition of glucose it rose to 6.0. The tissue oxidized succinate, pyruvate, lactate, citrate, [alpha]-ketoglutarate, fatty acids, and amino acids. The respiration was almost completely abolished by HCN. The tissue contained cytochrome c, and the activity of its cytochrome oxidase was 14% that of the heart. The diphos-phothiamine content of the tissue was 18 [gamma] per g., 3 times that of the liver. The ascorbic acid content was 0.111 mg. per g. 1/3 that of the liver. While the respiration of the kidney at the temp, of hibernation was only 15% that of the respiration at 38[degree], the respiration of the brown adipose tissue was still 36%. In hibernation, therefore, while all the other tissues reduce their metabolism to a minimum, the brown adipose tissue retains 1/3 of its optimum activity.

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