Effect of glucose, pyruvate, and insulin on protein synthesis in explanted mouse uteri

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Abstract
Uteri from ovariectomized mice were cultured on buffer-base medium that contained DL-leucine-I-C14 (0.11 [mu]c/ml) [plus or minus] glucose, pyruvate, succinate, or hexose, with or without insulin. Explants were placed on C14 medium directly, or were precultured for 4 days on basal medium and transferred to C14-medium. Glucose, pyruvate, and succinate effected increases of 29, 37, and 51% in the incorporation of leucine -I -C14 into the protein of the retrogressed uterus; insulin stimulated C14 incorporation if pyruvate (but not if glucose or succinate) was included in the medium. In uteri precultured for 4 days, D-glucose and D-mannose gave similar increases, D-fructose a smaller increase; insulin and pyruvate had no effect. Thus, oxidizable substrate must be included in order to obtain the synthesis of net amounts of protein in explanted uteri over an 8-hr. period; pyruvate supports the action of insulin under conditions where glucose and succinate do not; and loss of ability to utilize pyruvate and respond to insulin after 4 days on the basal medium most likely represents a serious deterioration in the energy -generating capacity of the uterine cells.