A comparison of tRNA populations of rat liver and skeletal muscle during aging

Total tRNA extracted from liver as well as from skeletal muscle of young, adult and old female albino rats showed quantitative variation with age. The amount of liver total tRNA was maximum in adult rats when compared to that in young and old ones, whose levels were almost the same. Transfer RNA from skeletal muscle showed a different pattern with age. It was maximum in young rats and showed a gradual decline with age. Transfer RNAs were aminoacylated using homologous synthetase preparations to study their qualitative variation during aging, which followed the trend of quantitative variation in both the tissues. Arginyl and glutamyl-tRNAs were fractionated from both the tissues at the three ages. Isoacceptor profile of glutamyl-tRNAs showed neither tissue specificity nor age-related change, whereas a definite change was found in the case of arginyl-tRNA isoacceptors in the two tissues during aging.