title: Effect of protein malnutrition on glycoprotein synthesis by testes of 20-day-old rats.
abstract: The effects of protein malnutrition during the nursing period on glycoprotein biosynthesis by testes of 20-day-old rats was studied. Pregnant Wistar rats were housed individually. On the day of delivery they were divided into two groups: one was fed a control diet (25% casein) and the other a low-protein diet (8% casein) for a period of 20 days. Body and testis weights of pups suckled by the malnourished mothers were significantly lower than those of the pups suckled by normally-fed mothers. The seminiferous tubules o malnourished rats showed a significant decrease in diameter and in the stage of development of spermatogenesis. Whole testes of normally-fed 20-day-old rats showed significantly greater [2-3H]mannose incorporation into glycoproteins than did the testes of malnourished rats of the same age. The microsomes of normally-fed rats showed significantly higher GDP: mannose polyprenyl mannosyl transferase activity than did microsomes from malnourished rats, and this difference increased when exogenous dolichyl-phosphate was added to the incubation medium. These results indicate that protein malnutrition decreases GDP: mannose polyprenyl mannosyl transferase activity in the microsomes of testes from 20-day-old rats.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D001835:Body Weight; D004287:Dolichol Monophosphate Mannose / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D008861:Microsomes / Q000378:metabolism; D009929:Organ Size; D011488:Protein Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D004287:Dolichol Monophosphate Mannose