Protein synthesis in the rat parotid gland in vitro was studied by measuring the incorporation of [3H]phenylalanine into trichloroacetic acid-insoluble proteins. In the unstimulated gland, the rate of incorporation was dependent on the phenylalanine concentration in the medium and proceeded linearly for up to 3h. 2. Adrenaline, carbamoylcholine, phenylephrine and ionophore A23187 inhibited the incorporation of [3H]phenylalanine into acid-insoluble protein; isoprenaline, dibutyryl cyclic AMP and 8-bromo-cyclic GMP were inactive. 3. Inhibition by adrenaline and carbamoylcholine but not by ionophore A23187 required extracellular Ca2+. 4. Both adrenaline and carbamoylcholine increased the magnitude of the acid-soluble [3H]phenylalanine pool at 10 micrometer extracellular phenylalanine, but had no effect if the phenylalanine concentration was increased to 200 micrometer. 5. There was no correlation between cellular ATP content and the observed inhibition of protein synthesis. 6. Our results suggest that both alpha-adrenergic and cholinergic receptors may play a role in the regulation of protein synthesis in the rat parotid gland, and that their effects are mediated by a rise in intracellular free Ca2+.
