Glucose has to be phosphorylated to activate glycogen synthase, but not to inactivate glycogen phosphorylase in hepatocytes

2-Deoxyglucose and 5-thioglucose, in the same fashion as glucose, cause the inactivation of the rat hepatocyte glycogen phosphorylase and the activation of glycogen synthase. However, 6-deoxyglucose and 1,5-anhydroglucitol inactivate phosphorylase without increasing the activation state of glycogen synthase. With 3-O-methylglucose no changes in the activity of these enzymes occurred. These results…