Fatty acid metabolism; conversion of acetoacetate to citrate in animal tissues, studied with isotopic carbon.

In Paper V of this series (1) it was found that the citrate which accumulates during the oxidation of W-tagged acetoacetate by rat kidney in the presence of oxalacetate had a high content of isotopic carbon, thus confirming the participation of tricarboxylic acids in the oxidation of fatty acid intermediates. The present study represents a continuation of the investigation of this reaction with the objects of determining (a) to whatextent acetoacetate contributes to citrate formation under anaerobic conditions, (b) whether acetoacetate is converted to citrate in other tissues besides kidney (2), and (c) to what extent the appearance of isotopic carbon in the citrate could be attributed to assimilation of COZ.