[Action of a dithiocarbamate (zinebe) on the liver biosynthesis of RNA and proteins in the rat (author's transl)].

Zineb (zinc ethylene bisdithiocarbamate) inhibits the transcriptional activity of an in vitro system functioning with either RNA polymerases of isolated rat liver nuclei or purified E. coli RNA polymerase. Zineb also inhibits the in vitro aminoacid incorporation mediated by a polysomal standard system, by interacting with some pH 5 enzyme components(s). When rats fed a balanced semi-synthetic diet containing zineb (5 200 mg/kg) for ten weeks, one may observe a decrease in the RNA and protein syntheses in liver. The consequences of the ingestion of small but repeated doses of zineb are discussed.