Stimulation of protein and plasma albumin synthesis in a cell-free system from livers of nephrotic rats

Abstract

An accelerated hepatic synthesis of plasma proteins in rats with nephrosis, produced by means of anti-kidney sera, has been demonstrated in the intact animal (1), the isolated, perfused liver (2), and in liver slices (3). We have now investigated the incorporation of labeled amino acids into microsomal protein by an anaerobic microsome-supernatant fluid system similar to that employed by Campbell et al (4). The microsome-supernatant fluid system from nephrotic liver has been found to be about twice as active as that from the control. The RNA content of mcirosomes from nephrotic liver was elevated; the ratio of RNA to protein was increased from 0.12 in the control to 0.20 in the nephrotic microsomes. However, the increase in activity of the nephrotic system appeared to be largely due to the 100,000 g supernatant fraction.