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Stimulation of Hepatic Protein Synthesis in Rats Fed an Adequate Protein Diet after a Low Protein Diet

Laboratory of Nutritional Biochemistry, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya, Japan

Studies were made on the contribution of aminoacyl RNA synthetase to hepatic protein synthesis in the livers of rats fed either a low or an adequate protein diet followed by an adequate protein diet. When rats were fed a 5% casein diet for 7 days and then a 25% casein diet for 1 day, they showed more rapid increases in body and liver weights than control rats which were fed a 25% casein diet throughout. Nitrogen analysis showed that the increase in liver weight was accompanied by an increase in TCA-insoluble nitrogen. On the basis of these observations the relation between the rate of protein synthesis and the activity of leucyl RNA synthetase was investigated. The rate of protein synthesis, measured in vitro using liver slices, was significantly higher 1 day after the diet change than in control rats. The leucyl RNA synthetase activity in these rats was also significantly higher than in control rats. These results suggest that the more rapid increase in liver protein in rats fed a 5% casein diet for 7 days followed by a 25% casein diet for 1 day than in control rats fed a 25% casein diet throughout may be due to enhanced aminoacyl RNA synthetase activity which level was found to be the same as that induced by the previous 5% casein diet for 7 days.

Manuscript received 23 March 1971.