Isolated pancreatic acini from streptozocin-induced diabetic rats were used to study the role of insulin on the synthesis of specific cellular proteins. When acini were incubated with 0-100 nM insulin for 2 h and then pulsed with [35S]methionine, a dose-dependent increase in [35S]methionine incorporation into total cellular proteins was observed. When acinar cell lysates were subjected to gel electrophoresis, 12 major newly synthesized protein bands were resolved. Insulin (100 nM) increased the incorporation of [35S]methionine into all bands but with significantly different rates, varying from 84 to 216% of control. Next, specific antibodies to amylase, trypsin, ribonuclease, myosin, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were used to evaluate the biosynthesis of known proteins. Insulin stimulated labeled amino acid incorporation into amylase by 148% over control. Insulin stimulated the synthesis of trypsinogen to a similar degree, but ribonuclease synthesis showed a significantly smaller increase of 53% over control. Insulin stimulated myosin and LDH synthesis by 169 and 184%, respectively. A differential pattern of protein synthesis was also observed when acini were treated with two other stimulators of protein synthesis, cholecystokinin and hemin. Both of these stimulators had a reduced effect on ribonuclease synthesis compared with amylase and trypsinogen synthesis but failed to increase myosin synthesis. When the RNAs extracted from control acini and acini treated with 100 nM insulin were translated in vitro, the proteins synthesized were quantitatively similar. This study therefore indicates that insulin has translational effects on acinar protein synthesis, and these effects are nonparallel for various specific acinar cell proteins.