[Postmortem inhibition of RNA synthesis in the liver and skeletal muscles of rats].

RNA synthesis was studied at various postmortal periods in liver and sceletal muscle slices, incubated in Krebs-Ringer solution (pH 7.4) containing NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, KH2PO4, MgSO4, NaHCO3, glucose, normal horse blood serum, penicillin, heparin, mixture of 20 amino acids and 14C-uridine. The higher rate of postmortal inactivation of RNA synthesis was found in liver tissue as compared to muscles; decreased stability of total endogenous RNA from liver tissue was observed under conditions of autolysis. Various dynamics occurred in dissociation of endogenous RNA from sceletal muscles studied at early (6 hrs) and late (24 hrs) postmortal periods and maintained in Krebs-Ringer solution. As shown by analysis of newly formed RNA from liver tissue using disc electrophoresis, synthesis of high molecular RNA (28 S, 18 S) was primarily impaired in cases of postmortal inhibition of the synthesis; liver cells maintained their capacity for the synthesis of low molecular RNA within 3 hrs after death of the animals.