Assessment of the mathematical issues involved in measuring the fractional synthesis rate of protein using the flooding dose technique

1993 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Chinkes ◽  
Judah Rosenblatt ◽  
Robert R. Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Intracellular Concentration ◽  
Upper And Lower Bounds ◽  
Constant Infusion ◽  
Synthesis Rate ◽  
Protein Synthesis Rate ◽  
Underlying Assumption ◽  
Fractional Synthesis Rate ◽  
Fractional Synthesis

1. The fractional synthesis rate of protein is commonly measured by either the constant infusion method or the flooding dose method. The two methods often give different results. 2. An underlying assumption of the traditional flooding dose formula is that the protein synthesis rate is not stimulated by the flooding dose. A new formula for calculation of the fractional synthesis rate is derived with the alternative assumption that the protein synthesis rate is stimulated by an amount proportional to the change in the intracellular concentration of the infused amino acid. The alternative formula is: where EB and EF are the enrichments of bound and free amino acid, respectively (atom per cent excess), and C=1-(EF/EI), where EI is the enrichment of the infusate. This approach defines the lowest possible value for the fractional synthesis rate. The traditional equation gives a maximal value for the fractional synthesis rate. 3. When data from the literature are considered, the fractional synthesis rate of muscle protein as calculated by the constant infusion technique falls between the values of fractional synthesis rate calculated by the two flooding dose formulae when leucine is the tracer, suggesting that a flooding dose of leucine exerts a stimulatory effect on the rate of protein synthesis, but that the increase is not as great as the increase in the intracellular concentration of leucine. 4. The precision of the formula for the calculation of fractional synthesis rate is limited by the accuracy of the underlying assumptions regarding the effect of the flooding dose on the fractional synthesis rate. At present, the best approach would appear to be the use of both equations to calculate the upper and lower bounds of the true fractional synthesis rate.

Measurement of human mixed muscle protein fractional synthesis rate depends on the choice of amino acid tracer

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (3) ◽  
pp. E666-E671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon I. Smith ◽  
Dennis T. Villareal ◽  
Bettina Mittendorfer
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Muscle Tissue ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Fat Free Mass ◽  
Synthesis Rate ◽  
Tissue Fluid ◽  
Fractional Synthesis Rate ◽  
Fractional Synthesis

The goal of this study was to discover whether using different tracers affects the measured rate of muscle protein synthesis in human muscle. We therefore measured the mixed muscle protein fractional synthesis rate (FSR) in the quadriceps of older adults during basal, postabsorptive conditions and mixed meal feeding (70 mg protein·kg fat-free mass−1·h−1 × 2.5 h) by simultaneous intravenous infusions of [5,5,5-2H3]leucine and either [ring-13C6]phenylalanine or [ring-2H5]phenylalanine and analysis of muscle tissue samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Both the basal FSR and the FSR during feeding were ∼20% greater ( P < 0.001) when calculated from the leucine labeling in muscle tissue fluid and proteins (fasted: 0.063 ± 0.005%/h; fed: 0.080 ± 0.007%/h) than when calculated from the phenylalanine enrichment data (0.051 ± 0.004 and 0.066 ± 0.005%/h, respectively). The feeding-induced increase in the FSR (∼20%; P = 0.011) was not different with leucine and phenylalanine tracers ( P = 0.69). Furthermore, the difference between the leucine- and phenylalanine-derived FSRs was independent of the phenylalanine isotopomer used ( P = 0.92). We conclude that when using stable isotope-labeled tracers and the classic precursor product model to measure the rate of muscle protein synthesis, absolute rates of muscle protein FSR differ significantly depending on the tracer amino acid used; however, the anabolic response to feeding is independent of the tracer used. Thus different precursor amino acid tracers cannot be used interchangeably for the evaluation of muscle protein synthesis, and data from studies using different tracer amino acids can be compared qualitatively but not quantitatively.

Comparison of Arterial-Venous Balance and Tracer Incorporation Methods for Measuring Muscle Fractional Synthesis and Fractional Breakdown Rates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua L Hudson ◽  
Matthew Cotter ◽  
David N Herndon ◽  
Robert R Wolfe ◽  
Elisabet Børsheim
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Constant Infusion ◽  
Synthesis Rate ◽  
Skeletal Muscle Protein ◽  
Breakdown Rates ◽  
Fractional Synthesis

Abstract Loss of muscle mass in response to injury or immobilization impairs functional capacity and metabolic health, thus hindering rehabilitation. Stable isotope techniques are powerful in determining skeletal muscle protein fluxes. Traditional tracer incorporation methods to measure muscle protein synthesis and breakdown are cumbersome and invasive to perform in vulnerable populations such as children. To circumvent these issues, a two-bolus stable isotope amino acid method has been developed; although, measured rates of protein synthesis and breakdown have not been validated simultaneously against an accepted technique such as the arterial-venous balance method. The purpose of the current analysis was to provide preliminary data from the simultaneous determination of the arteriovenous balance and two-bolus tracer incorporation methods on muscle fractional synthesis and breakdown rates in children with burns. Five were administered a primed-constant infusion of L-[ 15N]Threonine for 180 minutes (Prime: 8 µmol/kg; constant: 0.1 µmol·kg -1·min -1). At 120 and 150 minutes, bolus injections of L-[ring- 13C6]Phenylalanine and L-[ 15N]Phenylalanine (50 µmol/kg each) were administered, respectively. Blood and muscle tissue samples were collected to assess mixed muscle protein synthesis and breakdown rates. The preliminary results from this study indicate there is no difference in either fractional synthesis rate (mean ± SD; arteriovenous balance: 0.19 ± 0.17 %/h; tracer incorporation: 0.14 ± 0.08 %/h; P = 0.42) or fractional breakdown rate (arteriovenous balance: 0.29 ± 0.22 %/h; tracer incorporation: 0.23 ± 0.14 %/h; P = 0.84) between methods. These data support the validity of both methods in quantifying muscle amino acid kinetics; however, the results are limited and adequately powered research is still required.

scholarly journals Measuring Protein Synthesis Rate In Living Object Using Flooding Dose And Constant Infusion Methods

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-19
Author(s):  
Ulyarti Ulyarti
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Good Alternative ◽  
Constant Infusion ◽  
Synthesis Rate ◽  
Protein Synthesis Rate ◽  
Precursor Pool ◽  
Dose Method ◽  
Infusion Method

Constant infusion is a method used for measuring protein synthesis rate in living object which uses low concentration of amino acid tracers. Flooding dose method is another technique used to measure the rate of protein synthesis which uses labelled amino acid together with large amount of unlabelled amino acid.  The latter method was firstly developed to solve the problem in determination of precursor pool arise from constant infusion method.  The objective of this writing is to compare the results from several researches on measuring protein synthesis rate using flooding dose and constant infusion methods and to obtain the criteria or prerequisite on the type of sample and tracer for each method. The measurements of protein synthesis rate using both methods are presented and results from both methods are compared.  Both methods are eligible for measuring protein synthesis rate as long as the true precursor can be measured.  The uncertainties in determining the precursor in constant infusion method and the effect of flooding on the stimulation of protein are the limitation on using the two methods. Bolus injection which imitates the flooding dose method but using smaller dose of tracer can be a good alternative in measuring protein synthesis rate.

scholarly journals Comparison of bolus injection and constant infusion methods for measuring muscle protein fractional synthesis rate in humans

Metabolism ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 1562-1567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Demidmaa Tuvdendorj ◽  
David L. Chinkes ◽  
John Bahadorani ◽  
Xiao-jun Zhang ◽  
Melinda Sheffield-Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bolus Injection ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Constant Infusion ◽  
Synthesis Rate ◽  
Fractional Synthesis Rate ◽  
Fractional Synthesis

scholarly journals Contribution of whole-body protein synthesis to basal metabolism in layer and broiler chickens

1987 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Muramatsu ◽  
Y. Aoyagi ◽  
J. Okumura ◽  
I. Tasaki
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Broiler Chickens ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Synthesis Rate ◽  
Body Protein ◽  
Fractional Synthesis Rate ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Fractional Synthesis ◽  
Protein Synthesis And Degradation ◽  
Synthesis And Degradation

1. The effect of starvation on whole-body protein synthesis and on the contribution of protein synthesis to basal metabolic rate was investigated in young chickens (Expt 1). Strain differences between layer and broiler chickens in whole-body protein synthesis and degradation rates were examined when the birds were starved (Expt 2).2. In Expt 1, 15-d-old White Leghorn male chickens were used, while in Expt 2 Hubbard (broiler) and White Leghorn (layer) male chickens at 14 d of age were used. They were starved for 4 d, and heat production was determined by carcass analysis after 2 and 4 d of starvation. Whole-body protein synthesis rates were measured on 0, 2 and 4 d of starvation (Expt 1), and on 0 and 4 d of starvation (Expt 2).3. The results showed that starving reduced whole-body protein synthesis in terms of fractional synthesis rate and the amount synthesized. Whole-body protein degradation was increased by starvation both in terms of fractional synthesis rate and the amount degraded on a per kg body-weight basis.4. Reduced fractional synthesis rate of protein in the whole body was accounted for by reductions in both protein synthesis per unit RNA and RNA:protein ratio.5. In the fed state, whole-body protein synthesis and degradation rates, whether expressed as fractional rates or amounts per unit body-weight, tended to be higher in layer than in broiler chickens. In the starved state, the difference in the rate of protein synthesis between the two strains virtually disappeared, while the degradation rates were higher in layer than in broiler birds.6. Based on the assumed value of 3.56 kJ/g protein synthesized (Waterlow et al. 1978), the heat associated with whole-body protein synthesis in the starved state was calculated to range from 14 to 17% of the basal metabolic rate with no strain difference between layer and broiler chickens.

The single-biopsy approach in determining protein synthesis in human slow-turning-over tissue: use of flood-primed, continuous infusion of amino acid tracers

2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (11) ◽  
pp. E1330-E1339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Holm ◽  
Søren Reitelseder ◽  
Kasper Dideriksen ◽  
Rie H. Nielsen ◽  
Jacob Bülow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Continuous Infusion ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Synthesis Rate ◽  
Protein Synthesis Rate ◽  
Tissue Biopsy ◽  
Infusion Protocol

Muscle protein synthesis (MPS) rate is determined conventionally by obtaining two or more tissue biopsies during a primed, continuous infusion of a stable isotopically labeled amino acid. The purpose of the present study was to test whether tracer priming given as a flooding dose, thereby securing an instantaneous labeling of the tissue pools of free tracee amino acids, followed by a continuous infusion of the same tracer to maintain tracer isotopic steady state, could be used to determine the MPS rate over a prolonged period of time by obtaining only a single tissue biopsy. We showed that the tracer from the flood prime appeared immediately in the muscle free pool of amino acids and that this abundance could be kept constant by a subsequent continuous infusion of the tracer. When using phenylalanine as tracer, the flood-primed, continuous infusion protocol does not stimulate the MPS rate per se. In conclusion, the flood-primed, continuous infusion protocol using phenylalanine as tracer can validly be used to measure the protein synthesis rate in human in vivo experiments by obtaining only a single tissue biopsy after a prolonged infusion period.

scholarly journals Reducing plasma HIV RNA improves muscle amino acid metabolism

2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (1) ◽  
pp. E278-E284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin E. Yarasheski ◽  
Samuel R. Smith ◽  
William G. Powderly
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Metabolism ◽  
Acid Metabolism ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Synthesis Rate ◽  
Protein Synthesis Rate ◽  
Hiv Rna ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis Rate

We reported (Yarasheski KE, Zachwieja JJ, Gischler J, Crowley J, Horgan MM, and Powderly WG. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 275: E577–E583, 1998) that AIDS muscle wasting was associated with an inappropriately low rate of muscle protein synthesis and an elevated glutamine rate of appearance (Ra Gln). We hypothesized that high plasma HIV RNA caused dysregulation of muscle amino acid metabolism. We determined whether a reduction in HIV RNA (≥1 log) increased muscle protein synthesis rate and reduced Ra Gln and muscle proteasome activity in 10 men and 1 woman (22–57 yr, 60–108 kg, 17–33 kg muscle) with advanced HIV (CD4 = 0–311 cells/μl; HIV RNA = 10–375 × 103 copies/ml). We utilized stable isotope tracer methodologies ([13C]Leu and [15N]Gln) to measure the fractional rate of mixed muscle protein synthesis and plasma Ra Gln in these subjects before and 4 mo after initiating their first or a salvage antiretroviral therapy regimen. After treatment, median CD4 increased (98 vs. 139 cells/μl, P = 0.009) and median HIV RNA was reduced (155,828 vs. 100 copies/ml, P = 0.003). Mixed muscle protein synthesis rate increased (0.062 ± 0.005 vs. 0.078 ± 0.006%/h, P = 0.01), Ra Gln decreased (387 ± 33 vs. 323 ± 15 μmol·kg fat-free mass−1·h−1, P = 0.04), and muscle proteasome chymotrypsin-like catalytic activity was reduced 14% ( P = 0.03). Muscle mass was only modestly increased (1 kg, P = not significant). We estimated that, for each 10,000 copies/ml reduction in HIV RNA, ∼3 g of additional muscle protein are synthesized per day. These findings suggest that reducing HIV RNA increases muscle protein synthesis and reduces muscle proteolysis, but muscle protein synthesis relative to whole body protein synthesis rate is not restored to normal, so muscle mass is not substantially increased.

Early change in skeletal muscle protein synthesis after limb immobilization of rats

1979 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 974-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. W. Booth ◽  
M. J. Seider
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Control Level ◽  
Constant Infusion ◽  
Initial Time ◽  
Synthesis Rate ◽  
Protein Synthesis Rate ◽  
Limb Immobilization

The atrophy of skeletal muscle accruing from disuse, or limb immobilization, is caused by a decreased rate of protein synthesis and an increased rate of protein degradation. Currently, little information is available regarding the initial time of the decline in the rate of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle. The purpose of the present study was to determine, as precisely as possible, the time at which the protein synthesis rate first begins to decline in skeletal muscle, utilizing immobilized limbs of rats for a model. A constant-infusion technique employing [14C]tyrosine was used to estimate protein synthesis rates. During the first 6 h of immobilization, a significant decline of 37% in the fractional rate of protein synthesis from the control level of 5.7%/day was observed. These results suggest that very early changes are occurring in molecular events that regulate protein synthesis in disused or immobilized skeletal muscle.

Measurement of plasma protein synthesis rate in infant pig: an investigation of alternative tracer approaches

1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (1) ◽  
pp. R221-R227 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Jahoor ◽  
D. G. Burrin ◽  
P. J. Reeds ◽  
M. Frazer
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Plasma Protein ◽  
Apolipoprotein B ◽  
Plasma Proteins ◽  
Low Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Synthesis Rate ◽  
Protein Synthesis Rate ◽  
Isotopic Equilibrium ◽  
Fractional Synthesis

To devise a new method to measure plasma protein synthesis, we tested the hypothesis that, when [U-13C]glucose is used to produce [U-13C]alanine, plasma pyruvate and alanine will be in isotopic equilibrium with the alanine used to synthesize plasma proteins. The incorporation of labeled leucine, lysine, and alanine into very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) apolipoprotein B (apoB)-100, albumin, and fibrinogen was measured in seven infant pigs by infusing [U-13C]glucose, [2H3]leucine, and [2H4]lysine. The plateau enrichments of plasma alanine (2.29 +/- 0.29), pyruvate (2.5 +/- 0.33), and apoB-alanine (2.33 +/- 0.25) were not different. The fractional synthesis rates of fibrinogen and albumin calculated using the isotopic enrichments of apoB-bound lysine, leucine, and alanine as the precursor were similar to those based on plasma alanine. These results suggest that the intrahepatic precursor alanine pool and plasma alanine were in isotopic equilibrium. Thus plasma protein synthesis can be measured by infusing [U-13C]glucose and using plasma alanine as precursor.

Ventricular pacing attenuates but does not reverse cardiac atrophy and an isomyosin shift in the rat heart

1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (6) ◽  
pp. H2149-H2154 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Geenen ◽  
A. Malhotra ◽  
P. M. Buttrick ◽  
J. Scheuer
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Protein Content ◽  
Rat Heart ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Synthesis Rate ◽  
Fractional Synthesis Rate ◽  
Cardiac Atrophy ◽  
Wet Weight ◽  
Fractional Synthesis

The heterotopically transplanted rat heart (TH) undergoes rapid muscle atrophy and a concurrent shift from alpha- to beta-myosin heavy chain (MHC) by 1 wk after surgery. In the current experiments, TH were continuously paced (420 beats/min) for 1 wk beginning 24 h after surgery or for 1 wk beginning 14 days after surgery to determine the role of increased heart rate in preventing or reversing cardiac atrophy. Left ventricular (LV) wet weight (283 vs. 256 mg paced vs. nonpaced) and protein content (32 vs. 23 mg paced vs. nonpaced, P < 0.05) were significantly elevated in TH paced 1 wk after surgery but were unchanged (211 vs. 198 mg and 24 vs. 23 mg LV wet wt and protein content, respectively) in TH paced 2 wk after surgery. Total cardiac protein synthesis in the TH paced immediately after surgery was increased compared with the corresponding nonpaced hearts (5.6 vs. 4.0 mg.mg LV wet wt-1.day-1, P < 0.05), while in the TH, where pacing was initiated 2 wk after surgery, it was unchanged (3.6 vs. 3.7 mg.mg LV wet wt-1.day-1). Fractional synthesis rate was elevated in TH and was not altered by pacing. Pacing the TH also attenuated the shift in alpha-MHC in the first 7 days after surgery but did not reverse the shift 2 wk later. The increase in protein synthesis combined with an unchanged fractional synthesis rate suggests that pacing attenuates cardiac mass by decreasing protein degradation and that once the atrophic process is established, neither synthesis rate nor isomyosin shift can be altered by continuous pacing.

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