FIG. 1.

Hypothesis: glucose-regulated gene expression in the liver is a mechanism for intracellular homeostasis of phosphorylated intermediates. When the hepatocyte is challenged with elevated glucose, the increase in the concentrations of phosphorylated intermediates represses enzymes that catalyze the entry of substrate into the phosphometabolite pool (Gck and Pck1) and induces enzymes (G6pc and Pklr) that catalyze depletion of phosphorylated intermediates. Gckr is the inhibitor protein of Gck.