Mevalonate-derived proteins in liver regeneration.

Sixteen hours after partial hepatectomy in the rat, the synthesis of mevalonate (MVA) is not committed to produce cholesterol and only partially utilized for dolichol formation. In order to investigate the fate of MVA in this replicative system, slices of the remaining liver were incubated with 5-3H-MVA. Labeled proteins from whole liver and purified nuclei were analyzed after extensive delipidation and separation by SDS-PAGE. Many MVA-derived proteins were identified at 16 hours, while only two labelled peptides were detectable at 24 hours. The radioactivity was localized in covalently bound lipid moieties. A highly labeled 26 kD peptide was detectable in the nucleus at 16 hours, suggesting its involvement in the cell cycle progression.