Abstract
1. In various tissues of normal animals, both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were formed from acetate almost to the same extent under aerobic conditions. The stimula-tory effect of oxygen was observed in the desaturation of palmitate in microsomal and supernatant preparations of normal rat liver. ATP and TPN were required thereby.
2. Synthesis of long chain fatty acids, both of saturated and unsaturated, from acetate was depressed in various tissues of diabetic animal. Liver preparations from the diabetic as well as from the fasted rats were less active in desaturating palmitic acid than the controls.
The author wishes to express his deep gratitude to Prof. M. Yasuda under whose direction this work has been carried out.
