Protein and energy metabolism in the pre-implantation cattle embryo

There is no information on the metabolism of the cattle embryo during the period from day 8 to 16 a period of greatest embryonic loss. In this study the rate of protein synthesis and phosphorylation was measured in 13 to 15 day old cattle embryos. The rate of glucose utilisation and amino acid uptake/efflux by day 14 to 16 embryos was also measured. Protein synthesis and phosphorylation activity when expressed per unit of protein decreased with increasing embryo size and age. Similarly the rate of glucose utilisation was greatest for the earlier day 14 embryos. Embryos differed in their requirement for different amino acids. The pattern of uptake/efflux was similar to that of the earlier day 7 embryo. This study suggests that the metabolic rate of cattle embryos expressed per unit of protein content tends to decrease with increasing age and size from the initial burst of activity at day 13 around the time that expansion of the embryo begins.