Dietary protein intake and skeletal-muscle protein metabolism in rats. Studies with the ammonium chloride-wash fraction from crude polyribosomes of well-nourished and protein-depleted rats

Peptide elongation in rat kidney after cadmium administration

Rats received two injections (each 2.6 mg/kg body wt.) of CdCl2, and the kidneys were removed 24 h later. Postmicrosomal supernatant fractions of the homogenized kidneys were used as a source of elongation factors 1 and 2 in assays for [14C]phenylalanyl-tRNA binding to ribosomes and for peptide-bond synthesis. After purification of these preparations by precipitation with (NH4)2SO4 and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 and G-100, elongation factor 1 activity was significantly increased. A significant increase in the activity of purified elongation factor 2 was also found. The results are discussed in relation to the reported effects of CdCl2 and of HgCl2 on renal tissue.

Concentration of elongation factor 2 in rat skeletal muscle during protein depletion and re-feeding

Rat skeletal-muscle elongation factor 2 was assayed by causing it to react with NAD(+) by using fragment A of diphtheria toxin as the catalyst. Dietary protein restriction decreased the concentration of elongation factor 2 in homogenates of whole muscle. These decreases paralleled a decline in muscle RNA so that the number of molecules of elongation factor 2 per ribosome appeared to be independent of the diet. We conclude that elongation factor 2 is probably not the factor limiting the rate of muscle protein synthesis and is not responsible for the fall in the protein-synthetic rate in vivo observed in the muscles of animals whose dietary protein intake is inadequate.