Tissue Differences in Protein Synthesis of the Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)

Abstract

In a series of experiment to elucidate the rule of amino acid requirements in the fowls from small to large ones, the fractional synthesis rates (FSR) of protein were determined to collect basal data on protein and amino acid metabolism in budgerigars as a small bird. Twenty young adult budgerigars were injected with 0.1 ml/10 g body weight containing 40 μCi/100 μmol phenylalanine/ml in a wing vein, and killed at 2 and 10 min after the injection. The FSR in the whole body, liver, proventriculs and gizzard, intestine and breast muscle were determined. The FSR were not the same in all tissues, and estimated values were highest in the liver (104.7), and followed by the intestines (68.0), whole body (55.2), proventriculs+Gizzard (46.8), heart (35.8) and breast muscle (26.9%/day).