scholarly journals An analysis of errors in estimation of the rate of protein synthesis by constant infusion of a labelled amino acid

1978 ◽  
Vol 176 (2) ◽  
pp. 402-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Garlick

Rates of protein synthesis in tissues can be calculated from the specific radioactivity of free and protein-bound amino acids at the end of a constant infusion of a labelled amino acid (Garlick, Millward & James (1973) Biochem. J. 136, 935–945]. The simplifying assumptions used in these calculations have been criticized [Madsen, Everett, Sparrow & Fowkes (1977) FEBS Lett. 79, 313–316]. A more detailed analysis using a programmable desk-top calculator is described, which shows that the errors introduced by the simplifying assumptions are small, particularly when the specific radioactivity of the free amino acid rises rapidly to a constant value.

1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (1) ◽  
pp. E103-E109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa A. Davis ◽  
Marta L. Fiorotto ◽  
Hanh V. Nguyen ◽  
Douglas G. Burrin

The flooding dose method, which is used to measure tissue protein synthesis, assumes equilibration of the isotopic labeling between the aminoacyl-tRNA pool and the tissue and blood free amino acid pools. However, this has not been verified for a phenylalanine tracer in an in vivo study. We determined the specific radioactivity of [3H]phenylalanine in the aminoacyl-tRNA and the tissue and blood free amino acid pools of skeletal muscle and liver 30 min after administration of a flooding dose of phenylalanine along with [3H]phenylalanine. Studies were performed in neonatal pigs in the fasted and refed states and during hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic-amino acid clamps. The results showed that, 30 min after the administration of a flooding dose of phenylalanine, there was equilibration of the specific radioactivity of phenylalanine among the blood, tissue, and tRNA precursor pools. Equilibration of the specific radioactivity of the three precursor pools for protein synthesis occurred in both skeletal muscle and liver. Neither feeding nor insulin status affected the aminoacyl-tRNA specific radioactivity relative to the tissue free amino acid specific radioactivity. The results support the assumption that the tissue free amino acid pool specific radioactivity is a valid measure of the precursor pool specific radioactivity and thus can be used to calculate protein synthesis rates in skeletal muscle and liver when a flooding dose of phenylalanine is administered.


1974 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward B. Fern ◽  
Peter J. Garlick

1. Rats were infused in vivo with [U-14C]glycine for periods of 2–6h, during which time the specific radioactivity of the free glycine in plasma and tissue approached a constant value. 2. Free serine also became labelled. The ratio of specific radioactivity of serine to that of glycine in the protein of liver, kidney, brain, jejunum, heart, diaphragm and gastrocnemius muscle was closer to the ratio in the free amino acid pool of the tissue than that of the plasma. 3. The kinetics of incorporation of [14C]glycine and [14C]serine into the protein of gastrocnemius muscle further suggested that the plasma free amino acids were not the immediate precursors of protein. 4. Infusion of rats with [U-14C]serine resulted in labelling of free glycine. The ratio of specific radioactivity of glycine to serine in the protein of liver, kidney, brain, jejunum and heart again suggested incorporation from a pool similar to the free amino acid pool of the tissue. 5. Rates of tissue protein synthesis calculated from the incorporation into protein of both radioactive glycine and serine, either infused or derived, were very similar when the precursor specific radioactivity was taken to be that in the total free amino acids of the tissue. Except for gastrocnemius muscle and diaphragm during the infusion of radioactive serine, the rates of tissue protein synthesis calculated from the specific radioactivity of the free glycine and serine in plasma differed markedly.


1970 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 337-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Muller ◽  
R. F. Cox ◽  
N. H. Carey

1. The effect of simultaneous injections of oestrogen benzoate and progesterone (0.5mg/day each) on immature chicken oviduct tissue pretreated with oestrogen benzoate (0.5mg/day) was studied. 2. After 3 days of treatment with both hormones, the weight of the tissue doubles as compared with tissue treated only with oestradiol benzoate. 3. The progesterone-induced weight increase had no effect on total DNA content of the tissue, but greatly increased the protein/DNA and RNA/DNA ratios. 4. Amino acid incorporation in vivo after progesterone treatment was elevated as measured by using 2h pulses of amino acids; this effect could be accounted for by observed alterations in the concentrations of free amino acids in the tissue. 5. With longer pulses of amino acid the specific radioactivity of total protein remained high in tissue treated with progesterone, at times when specific radioactivity of protein in oestrogen-treated animals was diminishing. 6. From a knowledge of the specific radioactivity of labelled amino acids in the free amino acid pool and in newly synthesized protein, the rate of protein synthesis was estimated in differently treated tissues. 7. The results suggest that progesterone treatment does not cause an increase in protein synthesis. It is concluded that the observed accumulation of oviduct protein is achieved via an effect of progesterone on protein catabolism.


1970 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1171-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. V. Sane ◽  
Saul Zalik

Studies with acetate-2-14C showed that leaves of light-grown seedlings of the mutant were less efficient in the synthesis of protein particularly at the 6-day stage. The synthesis of leucine from labeled acetate was also lower in the mutant at this stage. Metabolism of leucine-U-14C confirmed the lower rate of protein synthesis in light by the mutant at the 6-day stage whereas, in the dark, protein synthesis in the two lines was similar. There was essentially no difference in the use of labeled glycine by the two lines. Free and protein amino acids accounted for over 75% of the label. Glycine was rapidly converted to serine, which contained over 65% of the label in the free amino acid fraction but less than 50% of the label in the protein fraction. Evidence for the existence of two separate pools of serine was obtained. Only 3 to 5% of the label from glycine was detected in chlorophyll.Administration of δ-aminolevulinic acid increased chlorophyll synthesis in the mutant in the same proportion as it did in the normal. It was, therefore, concluded that inadequate production of δ-aminolevulinic acid or its precursors was not responsible for the virescent character of the mutant. Rather it seems that the mutation caused a partial inhibition of synthesis of chlorophyll holochrome protein which accounted for the slower accumulation of chlorophyll in the mutant.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 657-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Celik ◽  
Alper Şen ◽  
İsmail Koyuncu ◽  
Ataman Gönel

Aim and Objective:: To determine the mechanisms present in the etiopathogenesis of nasal polyposis. It is not clear whether amino acids contribute in a causal way to the development of the disease. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the plasma-free amino acid profile in patients with nasal polyposis and to compare the results with a healthy control group. Materials and Methods:: This was a prospective controlled study that took place in the Otolaryngology Department at the Harran University Faculty of Medicine between April 2017 and April 2018. Plasmafree amino acid profile levels were studied in serum samples taken from a patient group and a healthy control group. Patients who were diagnosed with bilateral diffuse nasal polyposis and were scheduled for surgical interventions were included in this study. Individuals whose age, gender, and body mass index values were compatible with that of the patient group and who did not have any health problems were included in the control group. All the participants whose levels of plasma-free amino acid were thought to be affected by one or more of the following factors were excluded from the study: smoking and alcohol use, allergic rhinitis presence, the presence of acute or chronic sinusitis, a history of endoscopic sinus surgery, unilateral nasal masses, a history of chronic drug use, systemic or topical steroid use in the last three months for any reason, and liver, kidney, hematological, cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological, or psychiatric disorders or malignancies. Results: In patients with nasal polyposis, 3-methyl histidine (3-MHIS: nasal polyposis group (ng) = 3.22 (1.92 – 6.07); control group (cg) = 1.21 (0.77 – 1.68); p = 0.001); arginine (arg: ng = 98.95 (70.81 – 117.75); cg = 75.10 (54.49 – 79.88); p = 0.005); asparagine (asn: ng = 79.84 (57.50 – 101.44); cg = 60.66 (46.39 – 74.62); p = 0.021); citrulline (cit: ng = 51.83 (43.81 – 59.78); cg = 38.33 (27.81 – 53.73); p = 0.038); cystine (cys: ng = 4.29 (2.43 – 6.66); cg = 2.41 (1.51 – 4.16); p = 0.019); glutamic acid (glu: ng = 234.86 (128.75 – 286.66); cg = 152.37 (122.51 – 188.34); p = 0.045); histidine (his: ng = 94.19 (79.34 – 113.99); cg = 74.80 (62.76 – 98.91); p = 0.018); lysine (lys: ng = 297.22 (206.55 – 371.25); cg = 179.50 (151.58 – 238.02); p = 0.001); ornithine (ng = 160.62 (128.36 – 189.32); cg = 115.91 (97.03 – 159.91); p = 0.019); serine (ser: ng = 195.15 (151.58 – 253.07); cg = 83.07 (67.44 – 92.44); p = 0.001); taurine (tau: ng = 74.69 (47.00 – 112.13); cg = 53.14 (33.57 – 67.31); p = 0.006); tryptophan (trp: ng = 52.31 (33.81 – 80.11); cg = 34.44 (25.94 – 43.07); p = 0.005), homocitrulline (ng = 1.75 (1.27 – 2.59); cg = 0.00 (0.00 – 0.53); p = 0.001); norvaline (ng = 6.90 (5.61 – 9.18); cg = 4.93 (3.74 – 7.13); p = 0.021); argininosuccinic acid (ng = 14.33 (10.06 – 25.65); cg = 12.22 (5.77 – 16.87) p = 0.046); and plasma concentrations were significantly higher than in the healthy control group (p <0.05). However, the gamma-aminobutyric acid (gaba: ng = 0.16 (0.10 – 0.24); cg = 0.21 (0.19 – 0.29); p = 0.010) plasma concentration was significantly lower in the nasal polyposis group than in the healthy control group. Conclusion: In this study, plasma levels of 15 free amino acids were significantly higher in the nasal polyposis group than in the healthy control group. A plasma level of 1 free amino acid was found to be significantly lower in the nasal polyposis group compared to the healthy control group. Therefore, it is important to determine the possibility of using the information obtained to prevent the recurrence of the condition and to develop effective treatment strategies. This study may be a milestone for studies of this subject. However, this study needs to be confirmed by further studies conducted in a larger series.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-43
Author(s):  
Awatsaya Chotekajorn ◽  
Takuyu Hashiguchi ◽  
Masatsugu Hashiguchi ◽  
Hidenori Tanaka ◽  
Ryo Akashi

AbstractWild soybean (Glycine soja) is a valuable genetic resource for soybean improvement. Seed composition profiles provide beneficial information for the effective conservation and utilization of wild soybeans. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the variation in free amino acid abundance in the seeds of wild soybean germplasm collected in Japan. The free amino acid content in the seeds from 316 accessions of wild soybean ranged from 0.965 to 5.987 mg/g seed dry weight (DW), representing a 6.2-fold difference. Three amino acids had the highest coefficient of variation (CV): asparagine (1.15), histidine (0.95) and glutamine (0.94). Arginine (0.775 mg/g DW) was the predominant amino acid in wild soybean seeds, whereas the least abundant seed amino acid was glutamine (0.008 mg/g DW). A correlation network revealed significant positive relationships among most amino acids. Wild soybean seeds from different regions of origin had significantly different levels of several amino acids. In addition, a significant correlation between latitude and longitude of the collection sites and the total free amino acid content of seeds was observed. Our study reports diverse phenotypic data on the free amino acid content in seeds of wild soybean resources collected from throughout Japan. This information will be useful in conservation programmes for Japanese wild soybean and for the selection of accessions with favourable characteristics in future legume crop improvement efforts.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Fan ◽  
Jing Hong ◽  
Jun-Duo Hu ◽  
Jin-Lian Chen

Aim. Amino acid metabolism in cancer patients differs from that in healthy people. In the study, we performed urine-free amino acid profile of gastric cancer at different stages and health subjects to explore potential biomarkers for diagnosing or screening gastric cancer.Methods. Forty three urine samples were collected from inpatients and healthy adults who were divided into 4 groups. Healthy adults were in group A (n=15), early gastric cancer inpatients in group B (n=7), and advanced gastric cancer inpatients in group C (n=16); in addition, two healthy adults and three advanced gastric cancer inpatients were in group D (n=5) to test models. We performed urine amino acids profile of each group by applying ion chromatography (IC) technique and analyzed urine amino acids according to chromatogram of amino acids standard solution. The data we obtained were processed with statistical analysis. A diagnostic model was constructed to discriminate gastric cancer from healthy individuals and another diagnostic model for clinical staging by principal component analysis. Differentiation performance was validated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves.Results. The urine-free amino acid profile of gastric cancer patients changed to a certain degree compared with that of healthy adults. Compared with healthy adult group, the levels of valine, isoleucine, and leucine increased (P<0.05), but the levels of histidine and methionine decreased (P<0.05), and aspartate decreased significantly (P<0.01). The urine amino acid profile was also different between early and advanced gastric cancer groups. Compared with early gastric cancer, the levels of isoleucine and valine decreased in advanced gastric cancer (P<0.05). A diagnosis model constructed for gastric cancer with AUC value of 0.936 tested by group D showed that 4 samples could coincide with it. Another diagnosis model for clinical staging with an AUC value of 0.902 tested by 3 advanced gastric cancer inpatients of group D showed that all could coincide with the model.Conclusions. The noticeable differences of urine-free amino acid profiles between gastric cancer patients and healthy adults indicate that such amino acids as valine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, histidine and aspartate are important metabolites in cell multiplication and gene expression during tumor growth and metastatic process. The study suggests that urine-free amino acid profiling is of potential value for screening or diagnosing gastric cancer.


1980 ◽  
Vol 239 (6) ◽  
pp. G493-G496 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. Feldman ◽  
M. I. Grossman

Using intragastric titration in dogs with gastric fistulas, dose-response studies were carried out with liver extract and with a mixture of amino acids that matched the free amino acids found in liver extract. All solutions were adjusted to pH 7.0 and osmolality to 290 mosmol x kg-1. Doses are expressed as the sum of the concentrations of all free amino acids. At each dose studied (free amino acid concentration: 2.8, 5.6, 11, 23, and 45 mM), acid secretion in response to the free amino acid mixture was not significantly different from that of liver extract. The peak response to both liver extract and the free amino acid mixture occurred with the 23-mM dose and represented about 60% of the maximal response to histamine. The serum concentrations of gastrin after liver extract and the amino acid mixture were not significantly different. It is concluded that in dogs with gastric fistula, gastric acid secretion and release of gastrin were not significantly different in response to liver extract and to a mixture of amino acids that simulated the free amino acid content of liver extract.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (6) ◽  
pp. E877-E885 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Tauveron ◽  
D. Larbaud ◽  
C. Champredon ◽  
E. Debras ◽  
S. Tesseraud ◽  
...  

The experiment was carried out to clarify the roles of insulin and amino acids on protein synthesis in fed lactating goats (30 days postpartum). Protein synthesis in the liver and various skeletal muscles was assessed after an intravenous injection of a large dose of unlabeled valine containing a tracer dose of L-[2,3,4-3H]valine. The animals were divided into three groups. Group I was infused with insulin (1.7 mumol/min) for 2.5 h under glucose, potassium, and amino acid replacement. Group A was infused with an amino acid mixture to create stable hyperaminoacidemia for 2.5 h. Group C animals were controls. The fractional synthesis rates (FSR) were 31.5 +/- 2.2, 6.5 +/- 0.4, 4.3 +/- 0.8, 4.0 +/- 1.2, 3.9 +/- 1.2, and 3.6 +/- 0.4%/day (SD) in liver, masseter, diaphragm, anconeus, semitendinosus, and longissimus dorsi, respectively, for group C. Neither hyperinsulinemia in group I nor hyperaminoacidemia in group A had not affected by hyperinsulinemia but was stimulated by hyperaminoacidemia (+30%, P < 0.05). In contrast to previous experiments in which a labeled amino acid was constantly infused, this study revealed a stimulating effect of amino acids on protein synthesis in the liver but not in skeletal muscles. As previously observed in studies with the constant-infusion method, insulin had no effect on protein synthesis.


1980 ◽  
Vol 188 (1) ◽  
pp. 269-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clyde A. Watkins ◽  
D. Eugene Rannels

Compartmentalization of amino acid was investigated to define conditions required for accurate measurements of rates of protein synthesis in rat lungs perfused in situ. Lungs were perfused with Krebs–Henseleit bicarbonate buffer containing 4.5% (w/v) bovine serum albumin, 5.6mm-glucose, normal plasma concentrations of 19 amino acids, and 8.6–690μm-[U-14C]phenylalanine. The perfusate was equilibrated with the same humidified gas mixture used to ventilate the lungs [O2/CO2 (19:1) or O2/N2/CO2 (4:15:1)]. [U-14C]Phenylalanine was shown to be a suitable precursor for studies of protein synthesis in perfused lungs: it entered the tissue rapidly (t½, 81s) and was not converted to other compounds. As perfusate phenylalanine was decreased below 5 times the normal plasma concentration, the specific radioactivity of the pool of phenylalanine serving as precursor for protein synthesis, and thus [14C]phenylalanine incorporation into protein, declined. In contrast, incorporation of [14C]histidine into lung protein was unaffected. At low perfusate phenylalanine concentrations, rates of protein synthesis that were based on the specific radioactivity of phenylalanyl-tRNA were between rates calculated from the specific radioactivity of phenylalanine in the extracellular or intracellular pools. Rates based on the specific radioactivities of these three pools of phenylalanine were the same when extracellular phenylalanine was increased. These observations suggested that: (1) phenylalanine was compartmentalized in lung tissue; (2) neither the extracellular nor the total intracellular pool of phenylalanine served as the sole source of precursor for protein; (3) at low extracellular phenylalanine concentrations, rates of protein synthesis were in error if calculated from the specific radioactivity of the free amino acid; (4) at high extracellular phenylalanine concentrations, the effects of compartmentalization were negligible and protein synthesis could be calculated accurately from the specific radioactivity of the free or tRNA-bound phenylalanine pool.


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