Effect of Vitamin E-Deficiency on Protein Synthesis in Skeletal Muscle of the Rabbit. ∗

Summary

Normal and Vit. E-deficient rabbits were injected with glycine-1-C¹⁴ and sacrificed at time intervals ranging from 0.5 to 12 hours. Homogenates of skeletal muscle were fractionated by differential centrifugation, and specific activity of the subcellular protein fractions determined. In all subcellular fractions and at all time intervals the proteins of Vit. E-deficient animals had a much higher specific activity. The effect of Vit. E-deficiency on incorporation of glycine-C¹⁴ was approximately the same in all subcellular protein fractions. Compared with control animals the radioactivity of the nonprotein supernatant fraction rose and fell faster in muscle of Vit. E-deficient animals.