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Energetics of Protein Synthesis in Mice with a Major Gene for Growth

Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616

The effect of the level of food intake on protein synthesis rate in carcass, liver, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and heart, kidneys and lungs (HKL) was determined in male mice with a major gene for rapid postweaning gain (line Ch) and normal controls (line CH) at 31 d of age. In both lines of mice, food restriction lowered carcass, HKL and liver absolute protein synthesis rates (ASRs) while GIT protein ASR was not affected by food intake. As a result, whole-body protein ASR increased with increasing food intake. It was estimated that heat production from protein synthesis (H_rpsE) was responsible for 8.3 and 10.8% of the maintenance energy requirement of CH and Ch mice, respectively. It was also calculated that H_rpsE represents 19.4 and 18.3% of the heat increment of growth of CH and Ch mice, respectively. Energetic efficiencies of protein deposition in CH and Ch mice were 58.6 and 66.7%, respectively.

KEY WORDS: • mice • growth • food intake • protein synthesis

¹ On leave from Canadian Department of Agriculture, Research Station, Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada. Present address: Department de Zootechnie, Universite Laval, Quebec, Canada.

² To whom reprint requests should be addressed.

Manuscript received 19 November 1986. Revision accepted 1 September 1987.