[Effect of experimental diabetes and its treatment with insulin on the translation of RNAs and protein synthesis in rat enterocytes].

We examined the effect of diabetes on protein synthesis in intestinal epithelial cells. Isolated enterocytes of diabetic rats display a marked decrease (50%) in 3H-leucine incorporation into intestinal proteins as compared to normal cells. Treatment of diabetics with insulin restores the level of protein synthesis up to normal values. Similarly, in vitro translation products of isolated RNA are much lower in diabetics than in normal or treated diabetics. It is concluded that in intestinal cells, insulin can play an important role in regulating the biosynthesis of proteins by modulating the translation of specific RNAs.