Alteration in the Ribonucleic Acids in Rat Liver Induced by a Methionine-Free Total Parenteral Nutrition Solution

The effect of infusion of a methionine-free total parenteral nutrition solution for 7 d on ribonucleic acids in liver of rats were investigated. The control solution contained leucine, valine, isoleucine, lysine, phenyialanine, threonine, tryptophan, arginine, histidine, glycine, methionine, glucose and vitamins and minerals. Deprivation of a methionine is known to increase the activity of RNA polymerase I. Infusing the methionine-free solution resulted in the accumulation of RNA molecules larger than 28S in the liver nuclei and resulted in a higher rate of rRNA synthesis than in rats infused with the control solution. A methionine deficiency did not impede either the processing of 45S pre-rRNA or transport of 28S and 18S rRNA into cytoplasm. When rats were infused with the methionine-free solution for 7 d followed by the control solution for 2 d, the level of RNA in the nucleus as well as the rate of RNA polymerase I were similar to the levels in rats receiving the control solution for 9 d. There were no significant changes in the rate of DNA synthesis due to nutritional manipulations.