Regulation

The regulation of glycogen synthase is best considered in terms of:

• hepatic enzyme regulation
• skeletal muscle regulation

The key differences between the sites are:

• hepatic glycogen synthase is more closely related to the intracellular glucose concentration, which is in equilibrium with the plasma glucose concentration, than skeletal muscle glycogen synthase
• hepatic glycogen synthase is modulated more closely by both glycogen and insulin
• skeletal glycogen synthase is more sensitive to changes in intracellular calcium concentration

Glycogen synthase acts in opposition to glycogen phosphorylase; the interaction between the two physiological antagonists is considered in the submenu.