ORNITHINE DECARBOXYLASE, FATTY-ACID SYNTHETASE, AND LIPID-LEVELS IN SELECTED ORGANS OF THE POSTNATAL DEVELOPING MALE MINIATURE PIG

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and fatty acid synthetase (FAS) activiti es were determined in tissues from male neonate and juvenile miniature swine (Hormel-Hanford strain) at various ages. ODC activity was measu red in liver, brain, kidney, pancreas, and spleen at one day and at 1, 4, 8, 12 and between 24 and 32 weeks. Hepatic FAS activity, total lip id, triglyceride, and total cholesterol were measured at 2, 8, 16, and 32 weeks. Generally, tissue ODC activity was highest in the spleen at all ages. Three postnatal patterns of ODC activity were observed for the different organs. The mean values of FAS activity, total lipid, an d cholesterol were highest at 8 weeks compared to other sampling perio ds.