Growth of liver accompanied by an increased binding of aminoacyl-transfer ribonucleic acids.

Homogenates of rat liver obtained 3 or 14 days after partial hepatectomy were used to prepare the postmicrosomal pH5-supernatant fraction and to prepare salt-wash fractions of the 40S ribosomal subunits and the 80S ribosomes. The factor-dependent binding of methionyl-tRNAfMet to ribosomes and the elongation-factor-1-dependent binding of phenylalanyl-tRNA to ribosomes were both increased after 3 days of growth, but not after 14 days of growth. An activity inhibitory to phenylalanyl-tRNA binding that was located in ribosomal wash fractions was decreased after 14 days of growth. Since the decreased inhibitory activity was obtained from the ribosomes and was tested against ribosomes and excess of pH5-supernatant fraction from control rat liver, its action was separate from the phenylalanyl-tRNA binding activities of the pH5-supernatant fractions from sham-operated and regenerating liver.