Polysome profiles in awake and estivating snails (Otala lactea)

The land snail, Otala lactea, like many other organisms, depresses its metabolism in the face of environmental stress. Due to the extent of this depression, a decrease in the rate of protein synthesis is likely to be involved. In an attempt to quantitate changes in the rate of protein synthesis during metabolic depression in O. lactea we have determined polysome profiles from the hepatopancreas of awake and estivating snails. In both estivating and awake snails, the majority of ribosomes were present as monosomes and there was no evidence of qualitative changes with the state of the snail.