Influence of ultralow temperatures on the translating activity of cell-free extracts of different origins.

The influence of various systems of freezing (-196 degrees C) and thawing on the protein-synthesizing activity of cell-free extracts from Krebs II ascites carcinoma of the rat liver and from wheat germ was studied. It was established that the biosynthesis of proteins, stimulated by exogenous templates, is decreased in the case of slow systems of freezing and warming of cell-free extracts from Krebs II ascites carcinoma. Similar results were obtained in an investigation of the endogenous protein-synthesizing activity of a cell-free extract from the rat liver and Krebs II ascites carcinoma. No significant decrease in the translating activity of the cell-free extract from wheat germ was observed in the investigated systems of freezing and warming. It was shown that the greatest sensitivity to the action of low temperatures is possessed by a cell-free extract from Krebs II ascites carcinoma.