Incorporation of methionine sulfur into tissue proteins of guinea pigs with vitamin E deficiency

Abstract

Examination of methionine-S35 incorporation into the tissue proteins demonstrated that to prevent secondary metabolic disturbances, associated indirectly with E-avitaminosis, an increased amount of vitamin A (8,000 I. U. a week instead of 2,000 I. U.) should be included into the E vitamin devoid diet of guinea pigs. However, this did not eliminate distinct E avitaminosis phenomena, notably the development of muscular dystrophy. In this connection there was a rise in specific radioactivity of muscular proteins in the experimental animals. Evidently, this was largely due to changes in the labeled methionine penetration into the cells of the skeletal musculature during E-avitaminosis, since according to the relative specific radioactivity data there was no difference between the proteins of control and those of the animals with E-avitaminosis.