Abstract
1. Citrate inhibits the activities of phosphofructokinase from muscles and nervous tissues from different animals across the Animal Kingdom except for the insects. The enzymes from the flight muscle of nine different insects and the cerebral ganglion of the locust were investigated: no inhibition by citrate was observed. Inhibition was observed with the enzymes from both aerobic (e.g. pectoral muscle of pigeon) and anaerobic (e.g. fish muscle, pectoral muscle of the game birds) muscles. It is suggested that this inhibition is of physiological importance in decreasing the rate of glucose utilization in skeletal muscle of animals during starvation and/or prolonged exercise. 2. The rates of glucose utilization by the sartorius and gastrocnemius muscles of the frog were markedly decreased by ketone bodies. The latter elevated the glucose 6-phosphate and citrate contents of the gastrocnemius muscle, indicating that citrate inhibition of phosphofructokinase could be, in part, responsible for the decreased rate of glycolysis. 3. These findings provide evidence that the concept of the glucose-fatty acid-ketone-body cycle involves both aerobic and anaerobic skeletal muscle and nervous tissue from a wide range of animals except the insects. In the latter the concept of the cycle may not be applicable.