Poster Presentation ESA-SRB-ANZBMS 2024 in conjunction with ENSA

Recent research on liver glycogen α particle fragility (#513)

Ziyi Wang 1 , Liang Wang 2 , Robert Gilbert 1 3 4 , Mitchell Sullivan 5 6
  1. Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD, Australia
  2. Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  3. Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
  4. Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
  5. Glycation and Diabetes, Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland-Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  6. School of Health, The university of sunshine coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia

Glycogen is a crucial energy storage molecule in the human body, characterized by its highly branched polymer structure. In the liver, glycogen exists not only as small beta particles but also as larger alpha particles formed by the aggregation of beta particles. The stability of hepatic glycogen alpha particles may have a potential link to blood glucose homeostasis. This poster aims to update the latest research on the structural features of hepatic glycogen alpha particles, including an exploration of mechanisms underlying glycogen fragility in diabetes and whether this fragility is associated with hydrogen bonds and proteins. By utilizing various hydrogen bond disruptors, we investigate changes in the functional groups of hepatic glycogen in diabetic mice. The vulnerability of mammalian glycogen is related to its synthesis period, with key proteins potentially influencing this fragility. We review glycogen structural changes in healthy mice across diurnal cycles and compare them with glycogen structures in diabetic mice and humans. Finally, we briefly explore whether there is a potential link between the structure of alpha glycogen and liver diseases, including liver cancer.