Glycogen debranching enzyme at Duke University suggest that the human AGL gene contains at minimum 2 promotor regions, sites where the transcription of the gene begins, that result in differential expression of isoform, different forms of the same protein, mRNAs in a manner that is specific for different tissues. When GDE activity is compromised, the body cannot effectively release stored glycogen, type III Glycogen Storage Disease (debrancher deficiency), an autosomal recessive disorder, can result. In GSD III glycogen breakdown is incomplete and there is accumulation of abnormal glycogen with short outer branches. Most patients exhibit GDE defiency in both liver and muscle (TypeIIIa),
Glycogen found that muscular tissue also contains glycogen. The empirical formula for glycogen of () was established by Kekulé in 1858. Glycogen synthesis is, unlike its breakdown, endergonic—it requires the input of energy. Energy for glycogen synthesis comes from uridine triphosphate (UTP), which reacts with glucose-1-phosphate, forming UDP-glucose, in a reaction catalysed by UTP—glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase. Glycogen is synthesized from monomers of UDP-glucose initially by the protein glycogenin, which has two tyrosine anchors for the reducing end of glycogen, since glycogenin is a homodimer. After about eight glucose molecules have been added to a tyrosine residue, the enzyme glycogen synthase progressively lengthens