Studies on the Mechanism of Decrease in the Ribonucleic Acid Content in Liver Cells of Fasted Rats

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Abstract
Rats were fasted for different periods (1–9 days) and their body weight decreased by 10 to 45% of the initial weight. During starvation, the contents of nuclear RNA-P, ribosomal RNA-P and soluble RNA-P, expressed in μg P per μg DNP-P of the liver, decreased exponentially with loss of body weight and at approximately the same relative rates. During starvation the polysome profile alters and the polysome content decreases. On loss of up to 20–25% body weight, the activities of both the free and latent forms of alkaline RNase (units/μg DNA-P) are maintained. However, they decrease to 50% of the normal level on loss of 40–45% body weight. Acid RNase activity and activity of alkaline RNase inhibitor decrease with loss of body weight. The activity of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase [EC 2.7.7.6], prepared as an aggregate-enzyme, decreases nearly in parallel with decrease in levels of various RNA's during starvation. Starvation also results in decrease in the levels of ribonucleotides in liver cells.

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