Genetics of obesity of Zucker rats and Koletsky rats.

The breeding data on Zucker rats and on Koletsky rats confirm that the obesity in these two strains of rats is inherited recessively and results from single gene mutations. Mating a Zucker heterozygote to a Koletsky heterozygote produced obese F1 progeny. Inter-stock breeding results indicate that the obesity in the Zucker-Koletsky hybrid stock is also inherited in a recessive manner. The gene that controls obesity in the Zucker rats, fatty (fa), and the gene that controls obesity in the Koletsky rats, f, are thus alleles at the same locus. We propose that f be renamed fak until it can be proven that fa and fak are identical.     

Regeneration and transplantation of muscles in old rats and between young and old rats.

In order to compare the regenerative ability of skeletal muscle between young (5 month) and old (26 month) rats, sliced or intact extensor digitorum longus muscles were freely autografted into young and old rats and also reciprocally grafted from young to old inbred animals and vice versa. Sixty days after grafting, the transplants were analyzed for contractile and histochemical properties. There was a relative similarity between the contraction times of both normal control muscles and of all groups of transplants, although the contraction time tended to be prolonged and histochemical fiber pattern was more often found to be uniform in grafts of senescent animals. All groups of transplants possessed histochemically heterogeneous fiber types at 60 days. The experiments demonstrate that skeletal muscle in old rats possesses a substantial degree of regenerative ability and that the free tranpllantation of entire muscles in old animals is feasible.     

Disposition of dapsone and monoacetyldapsone in rats.

Female Buffalo and Lewis rats receiving 1.0 mg DDS/kg ip exhibited higher plasma levels of DDS and its monoacetylated metabolite, MADDS, than did male rats of each strain receiving the same dose. The fraction of the total measured drug in plasma as MADDS at 8 hr in female rats of both strains ranged from 43 to 62% compared with a range of 28-31% in male rats. Plasma half times of disappearance (T1/2) of DDS ranged from 5.0 to 6.8 hr and were not different among sexes and strains. Deacetylation of MADDS to DDS occurred when equimolar doses of MADDS were administered. An approach to a steady state of acetylation-deacetylation was indicated by comparing the percentage MADDS of the total drug in plasma in the respective sexes and strains receiving both drugs. T1/2 values of MADDS were significantly lower than values for DDS in Lewis rats. They were not different in Buffalo rats. Protein binding studies in plasma from rats receiving 5.0 mg DDS or 5.8 mg MADDS/kg showed 67-72% binding of DDS and 91% binding of MADDS. These in vivo observations were confirmed by in vitro binding studies. Comparison of these results with those of earlier studies in mice and man indicates that the rat is a better model of man than is the mouse for studies on the disposition of DDS.     

Gangliosides in blood serum of normal rats and Morris hepatoma 5123tc-bearing rats.

The effects of malignancy upon blood serum ganglioside patterns were investigated. Lipids extracted from the blood serum of Morris hepatoma 5123tc-bearing rats were characterized by severalfold increases in the content of hematosides, monosialogangliosides and disialogangliosides, as compared with lipids extracted from the serum of normal rats. However, the content of trisialogangliosides in lipids extracted from the serum of cancer-bearing rats substantially decreased. In general, the change in the profile of gangliosides in blood serum reflects, but is less pronounced, than that observed in the comparison of Morris hepatoma tissue to normal liver tissue.     

The biliary excretion of enterokinase in rats. Studies in normal, chronic ethanol-maintained and cirrhotic rats.

The excretion of catalytically active human or pig enterokinase in hepatic bile after intravenous administration to normal rats or rats that had been maintained on 20% (v/v) ethanol for 1 year showed similar kinetics to that described for other serum-derived bile proteins. The half-life in serum was 2.5 min or less, and most of the enzyme was excreted within 45 min of administration. This was maintained when up to six successive doses were given at 90 min intervals. The mean amount excreted per dose was independent of the dose number and varied from 0.8% to 2.1% in the normal animals and 1.2% to 2.0% in the chronic ethanol-maintained animals. When three doses of enzyme were given at 30 min intervals, the total amount of active enterokinase recovered in bile was dose-dependent and was consistently higher in the rats drinking 20% (v/v) ethanol. The serum half-life of enterokinase in rats made cirrhotic by inhalation of carbon tetrachloride vapour was extended to 6 min or more. The amount of active enzyme recovered in bile was at least 50% less than in weight-matched normal rats, and excretion was not complete 2h after intravenous administration. The possible significance of these findings in liver and pancreatic disease is discussed.     

Leucine and tryptophan metabolism in rats.

The rate of tryptophan metabolism in isolated liver cells from animals fed on a high-leucine diet was greater than for cells from control animals. Leucine inhibited tryptophan metabolism and tryptophan uptake in isolated liver cells, probably by competing for membrane transport. Leucine had no effect on tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase in vitro. 4-Methyl-2-oxovalerate increased tryptophan oxidation in incubations containing albumin, by displacing bound tryptophan and increasing the availability of the amino acid to the cell. The results suggest that, under extreme conditions, when the availability of tryptophan is low, leucine may be pellagragenic.     

Glycosuria and maternal licking in rats.

Maternal anogenital licking (MAGL) has been studied to understand the mechanism of maternal behaviour. The present study showed that rats had glycosuria at the concentration of 18-20 mg/dl and glucose was the preference of postpartum rats. MAGL increased on suckling rats separated for 24 h. However, wiping anogenital region attenuated the increase of MAGL. Therefore, glucose preference of postpartum rats may be involved in MAGL.     

Environmental temperature and choline requirement in rats. I. Choline deficiency in rats at various temperatures

Rats were maintained at 2 degrees, 21 degrees, and 33 degrees for 3 weeks on a choline-supplemented or a choline-deficient diet. In contrast to the findings of some other workers, choline deficiency produced fatty livers at all temperatures. The ratio of the total liver lipid to the total food intake was the same in all choline-supplemented rats. In choline-deficient rats this ratio was always higher and varied directly with temperature.     

Investigations of erythropoiesis in newborn rats. Erythropoiesis in newborn rats in physiological conditions.

Erythropoiesis was investigated in suckling rats from the 1st to the 19th day of life when the use of 59Fe. In 2-day and 5-day old rats it was less intensive than in later days. The haemopoietic processes were most intensive between the 7th and 14th day of life. Following this period the activity gradually decreased.     

Effect of diazinon in male rats. Histopathological and biochemical studies.

Mild structural and functional changes were observed in liver and testes of rats after a single intraperitoneal administration of diazinon (21.6 mg/kg). Kidney, however, showed no pathological lesion. Attempts are made to correlate the pathological changes in these organs with the activity of succinic dehydrogenase, adenosine triphosphatase and alkaline phosphatase.     

Interaction of late pregnancy and lactation in rats.

The effect of pregnancy on lactation was studied during the third week of lactational pregnancy in postpartum pregnant rats with a delay in implantation of only 1 day (1d-LP rats). In an experimental design in which the suckling litter was prevented from consuming solid food, lactational performance was estimated by weighing the ten-pup suckling litters on days 16-21 of lactation or by measuring maternal weight loss after a nursing spell on day 21. In 1d-LP rats, food consumption as well as lactational performance was lower than it was in nonpregnant lactating rats (L rats) and pregnant-lactating rats with a normal long delay of implantation of at least 6 days (LP rats). The time spent by the pups sucking at the nipples was not different among the three groups, but the number of milk ejections was diminished in 1d-LP dams. Restriction of daily food supply during days 16 to 21 of lactation diminished lactational performance more strongly in 1d-LP rats than it did in L rats; 1d-LP rats conserved protein stores and mobilized fewer minerals than did L rats. The weight and composition of the litter in vitro were not affected by the food restriction. In pregnant-lactating rats (LP and 1d-LP rats), the number of early resorptions was increased in comparison with pregnant rats, showing that lactation can affect the earlier stages of pregnancy. It was concluded that late pregnancy does not affect nursing behaviour, but suppresses lactation by restricting maternal food intake and mobilization of maternal stores. Measurements in serum indicate a causative role for oestradiol, but not for leptin.     

Metabolism of verruculogen in rats.

Radiolabeled verruculogen was detected in a wide range of body tissues 6 min after intravenous administration, but after a further 20 min it was mainly being excreted via the biliary route. In isolated liver perfusion, [14C]verruculogen was rapidly taken up by the liver and metabolized completely, principally to the related tremorgen TR-2 but also to a desoxy derivative of verruculogen. In addition, a smaller amount of an isomer of TR-2 was detected. These metabolic products were excreted in the bile.     

Comparative studies on lipogenesis and cholesterogenesis in lipemic BHE rats and normal Wistar rats.

The BHE strain of rat is characterized by early hyperinsulinemia and maturity onset hyperlipemia and hyperglycemia. Since we have previously shown that insulin is required for the coordinate regulation of a number of lipogenic enzymes in rat liver, a comparative study of the hepatic activities of the rate-limiting enzymes of lipid synthesis and the in vivo rates of fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis in the liver and the adipose tissue has been conducted in BHE and Wistar rats. In the liver, BHE rats had 25–28% higher acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthetase activities as measured in vitro but a 100% greater rate of fatty acid synthesis in vivo as compared to Wistar animals. These results strongly suggest that factors other than the amount of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, such as allosteric effectors, must be operating in vivo, thereby facilitating the carboxylase to function at its maximal capacity in BHE rats. Such a regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis by allosteric modifiers of acetyl-CoA carboxylase is already known, although the mechanism of this regulation is not fully understood. BHE rats also exhibited a twofold greater rate of fatty acid synthesis in the adipose tissue compared to the Wistar rats. Thus, increased lipogenic capacity and increased lipogenesis in BHE rats are consistent with early hyperinsulinemia in this strain. Furthermore, BHE rats had 71% more 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase activity with a 97% greater rate of cholesterol synthesis as compared to Wistar rats. In contrast, cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activity was only 20% greater in BHE rats compared to Wistar rats, suggesting that the BHE rat does not have the capacity to degrade cholesterol to bile acids at a rate commensurate with the increased rate of cholesterol synthesis. This difference in synthesis versus degradation might account for the hypercholesterolemia which occurs in BHE rats, but not in Wistar rats.     

Creatine metabolism of uremic rats.

The effect of guanidine hydrochloride on creatine metabolism of uremic rat was studied. Significant changes were observed in the creatine profiles of liver, kidney and muscle as a function of guanidine hydrochloride.