Patients with von Gierke's disease (type I glycogen storage disease) have a deficiency of glucose-6-phosphatase. One of the most prominent symptoms of the disease is a protruding abdomen due to an enlarged liver. Explain why the liver is enlarged in patients with von Gierke's disease. (select all that apply)
| A. Glycogen breakdown is increased in the liver of patients with von Gierke's disease so that increased release of glucose is used for fat synthesis. | |
| B. Glycogen synthesis is elevated in the livers of patients with this disease. | |
| C. In the absence of this enzyme, glucose accumulates in the liver and is converted to glucose-1-phosphate, which is used for glycogen synthesis. | |
| D. The accumulation of glycogen enlarges the liver and causes the abdomen to protrude. | |
| E. In the absence of this enzyme, glycogen cannot be stored in the liver and so glucose is converted to fat in the liver making it enlarged. |