Protein metabolism in the black bear before and during hibernation

During 3 to 5 months of hibernation, the American black bear does not defecate, urinate, or require food or water. Although the bear loses 15 to 25% of its body weight during this period, there is no significant change in its lean body mass. No net accumulation of the usual nitrogenous products of protein catabolism can be demonstrated in the dormant bear, and there is a decrease in urea production during hibernation. Because of these findings, it has been hypothesized that the black bear can alter its protein metabolism during hibernation by some unknown mechanism. During this study, the metabolis rate of protein turnover in four adult male black bears was measured before, during, and after hibernation, using 125I-labeled serum albumin from black bears as an indicator protein and 14C-labeled leucine as an indicator amino acid. For albumin during both phases, the disappearance rate of labeled albumin from serum was measured over 2 weeks and its turnover rate was calculated from these data. For [14C]leucine, the amino acid was injected during and after hibernation and its appearance in total proteins of plasma was measured. The results using labeled albumin revealed a threefold increase in turnover of protein during hibernation compared with protein turnover before hibernation. Leucine data supported these findings; more labeled leucine was incorporated in plasma proteins during hibernation than in the active state in spring. There were no significant changes in hematocrit, serum albumin concentration, thyroxin, or thyroxine-binding globulin between active and dormant periods, although triiodothyronine tended to decrease during hibernation. We speculate that increased protein turnover suggests a strongly acting protein-anabolic mechanism that would tend to compete with other catabolic pathways for amino acids. Another consequence of this increased protein turnover would be thermogenesis. This may have helped prevent any undue decrease in body temperature. It is notable that the body temperature of the dormant bear is appreciably higher than that of other hibernating animals.