Decreased protein synthesis in rats during a single short-term immobilization

Abstract

The effect of short-term immobilization on protein synthesis was investigated in various tissues of the rat. Male, Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 140–150 g, were immobilized by wrapping them into plaster bandages for 3 h and treated with [3H]tyrosine or [14C]histidine to measure the rate of incorporation of the amino acid into tissue proteins. The labeling of proteins in various tissues of the immobilized rats, examined after the administration of radioactive amino acid, was markedly decreased. A detailed analysis of the experimental data provided evidence that the depressed incorporation of the radioactivity into proteins reflected a real and generalized decrease in protein synthesis in various tissues.