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Radioautographic studies with methionine-3H and cytidine-3H in protein-fed, protein-deprived and starved rats

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Summary

Male, growing rats were either fed on a protein-rich or a protein-free diet or starved. At various intervals before they were killed, they were given either cytidine-3H or methionine-3H subcutaneously. Radioautographs of several organs were prepared. Grain counts were performed on sections of liver, pancreas, kidney, adrenal, spleen, stomach, duodenum, heart, lung, striated muscle, testis, skin and cerebellum. They revealed inter alia an increased labelling, especially of ribose nucleic acid, in the liver during protein depletion and starvation. These changes were also found in the ribose nucleic acid labelling of nucleoli, nucleolus-associated chromatin and non-nucleolar nucleus in liver cell nuclei. Changes were also found in many other organs. The findings might be interpreted as signs of a shift of nucleic acid and protein synthesis during protein deprivation and starvation from less essential to more essential' organs. — Some aspects of the intracellular ribose nucleic acid and protein metabolism are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University of Lund, Sweden

    Unne Stenram

  2. Department of Pathology, University of Uppsala, Sweden

    Unne Stenram

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  1. Unne Stenram
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The investigation was supported by a grant from the Swedish Medical Research Foundation.

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Stenram, U. Radioautographic studies with methionine-3H and cytidine-3H in protein-fed, protein-deprived and starved rats. Z.Zellforsch 58, 107–124 (1962). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00406945

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00406945

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