Protein synthesis in human foetal brain & liver.

ABSTRACT

Anthropometric measurements were carried out on 772 normal human foetuses in Medical Termination of Pregnancy Clinics in Calcutta. Foetal brain constituted 14 per cent of body weights from 9 to 24 wk of gestation. The protein content/g of the foetal livers increased during 9-24 wk of gestation whereas that of the brain decreased slightly during this period. The rate of incorporation of 14C-leucine into 16,000 x g supernatant fractions of human foetal liver increased with progress of gestation. In foetal cerebrum and midbrain, the incorporation rate increased from 13 to 20 wk of gestation and then decreased. 16,000 x g pellet fractions of human foetal liver showed an increase of leucine incorporation with progress of gestation. However, the rate of incorporation in the foetal cerebrum was nearly the same at different periods of gestation.