Zinc deficiency in the weanling rat: effects on liver composition and polysomal profiles

Some effects of zinc deficiency and inanition on post weanling development of the liver and on polysomal profiles were investigated. Failure to provide the weanling rat with adequate zinc resulted in anorexia, cyclical feeding, and growth retardation. Liver growth was also impaired, but was consonant with body size. Zinc deiciency resulted in a severe impairment of DNA accretion and a lowered concentration of RNA; protein alent to that for pair-fed controls, suggesting that the lowered protein concentration was largely due to inanition. In response to zinc deficiency, there was a smaller percentage of the total RNA on the gradient incorporated into the heaviest polysomal fraction. The amount of RNase activity did not appear to account for this altered polysomal distribution.