AREGU March 47/3

McAllister, T. A., J. R. Thompson, and S. E. Samuels. Skeletal and cardiac muscle protein turnover during cold acclimation in young rats. Am. J. Physiol. Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 278: R705–R711, 2000.—The effect of long-term cold exposure on skeletal and cardiac muscle protein turnover was investigated in young growing animals. Two groups of 36 male 28-day-old rats were maintained at either 5°C (cold) or 25°C (control). Rates of protein synthesis and degradation were measured in vivo on days 5, 10, 15, and 20. Protein mass by day 20 was ,28% lower in skeletal muscle (gastrocnemius and soleus) and ,24% higher in heart in cold compared with control rats (P , 0.05). In skeletal muscle, the fractional rates of protein synthesis (ksyn) and degradation (kdeg) were not significantly different between cold and control rats, although ksyn was lower (approximately 226%) in cold rats on day 5; consequent to the lower protein mass, the absolute rates of protein synthesis (approximately 221%; P , 0.05) and degradation (approximately 213%; P , 0.1) were lower in cold compared with control rats. In heart, overall, ksyn (approximately 112%; P , 0.1) and kdeg (approximately 122%; P , 0.05) were higher in cold compared with control rats; consequently, the absolute rates of synthesis (approximately 144%) and degradation (approximately 154%) were higher in cold compared with control rats (P , 0.05). Plasma triiodothyronine concentration was higher (P , 0.05) in cold compared with control rats. These data indicate that long-term cold acclimation in skeletal muscle is associated with the establishment of a new homeostasis in protein turnover with decreased protein mass and normal fractional rates of protein turnover. In heart, unlike skeletal muscle, rates of protein turnover did not appear to immediately return to normal as increased rates of protein turnover were observed beyond day 5. These data also indicate that increased rates of protein turnover in skeletal muscle are unlikely to contribute to increased metabolic heat production during cold acclimation.