On the problem of linear incorporation of amino acids into cell protein

Summary Incorporation of amino acids into mammalian cell protein shows immediate linear kinetics when measured at intervals as small as 5 sec. Free amino acids equilibrate instantaneously across the cell membrane, acting as the precursor supply. Glycine, which does not initially show linear kinetics, may have a significant endogenous precursor supply, but this is not the acid-soluble pool.Acknowledgments. I thank the University of Aberdeen Medical Faculty Endowment Fund for support, and Mrs J. Robertson for technical assistance.