THE EFFECT OF PROTEIN DEPLETION ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF PROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN THE DOG

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Abstract
Adult dogs were depleted of up to 37% of total body protein by feeding them a diet free of protein, but adequate in calories, whereupon they showed clinical signs similar to those of kwashiorkor. At various stages of depletion S35-methionine was given intravenously, after which radioactivity measurements were made on plasma protein for 7 days, and urine for 21 days. Plasma volume was measured simultaneously with T-1824. The depleted dogs incorporated a larger proportion of the injected radioactivity into plasma protein, and excreted urine of a higher activity than did normal dogs. This effect was greater than could be explained by alteration in protein pool sizes. It suggests that the distribution of protein synthesis is altered during protein depletion so as to accentuate greatly the normal difference between the protein pools of high and low metabolic activity. The relevance of these findings to states of human malnutrition is discussed.