On protein deficiency in mice with special reference to liver nucleolar size

Summary Mice were starved for 2 days and then fed on either a protein-free diet or a 25 per cent casein diet for 7 days and then sacrificed. The former group, in contrast to the latter, decreased in weight during these 7 days and showed significantly lower weight absolute and relative (g/100 g initial body weight) of kidneys, liver and spleen. In the animals deprived of protein, the ratio between total liver nucleolar volume per nucleus and the nuclear volume was larger, than in the casein fed animals. The results suggest that the liver nucleolar apparatus reacts to a protein-free diet in principally the same way in mice as in rats.The investigation was supported by a grant from the Swedish Medical Research Foundation.