Influence of food deprivation and adrenal steroids on DNA synthesis in various mammalian tissues.

The DNA content of skeletal muscle increases as young rats grow. Food deprivation prevented this increase: total DNA remained constant, while muscle weight and RNA decreased. Diaphragms isolated from fasted rats incorporated [3H]thymidine into DNA far more slowly than tissues from fed rats. Incorporation returned to control levels on refeeding. Fasting for 24 or 48 h also markedly reduced [3H]thymidine incorporation by slices of liver, kidney, and brain. The factors responsible for this inhibition of DNA synthesis were investigated. Amino acids, insulin, or serum from fed or fasted rats failed to alter thymidine incorporation by muscle. Injection of hydrocortisone into normal rats reduced incorporation into kidneys, liver, and muscle within 4h. Incubation of hemidiaphragms with hydrocortisone suppressed [3H]thymidine incorporation within 2-3h. Adrenalectomy enhanced incorporation into DNA by diaphragm, liver, kidney, and brain. When fasted, adrenalectomized rats showed little or no suppression of [3H]thymidine incorporation and lost less weight than fasted controls. These data suggest that adrenal steroids are important in inhibiting DNA synthesis during normal growth and during fasting.