In cell-free protein-synthesizing systems containing an S30 extract from liver and brain cortex tissues of 22-day-old fetuses and of male WAG rats (1-900 days old), the minimal rate of protein synthesis was observed in the fetuses, while the maximal one - in 7-day-old animals. The difference in the rates of protein synthesis correlated with the minimal concentration of total tRNA in the former group and with its maximal concentration in the latter. In fetal tissues, an addition to cell-free systems of total tRNA isolated from homologous tissues of 7-day-old animals augmented protein synthesis up to a level observed in 7-day-old animals, whereas in the tissues of animals belonging to other age groups total tRNA had a far less pronounced stimulating effect which decreased with age. Fractionation of total tRNA and analysis of effects of individual tRNAs on protein synthesis demonstrated that the stimulating influence was induced by tRNA(2Arg), tRNA(4Arg) and tRNA(2Val) from brain cortex and by tRNA(2Leu), tRNA(5Leu), tRNA(2Val), tRNA(1Met) and tRNA(2Met) from liver.
The time of an average polypeptide chain synthesis, ts, in the liver and brain cortex of rats of various age--from the 17th day of prenatal life up to the 24th month of the postnatal period--was estimated. At the end of the prenatal period the value of t is much higher than in postnatal life. In newborns, the t value is minimal, showing a gradual increase during the postnatal development. Determination of an average molecular mass of newly synthesized polypeptides demonstrated that the increase of t in postnatal life is due to the decrease of the rate of polypeptide chain elongation.
