The hydrolysis of membrane-bound phosphatidylinositol in rat liver microsomal fraction by the soluble phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase from rat brain was markedly stimulated by oleic acid or arachidonic acid. The stimulation did not require added calcium, although it was abolished by EDTA. Lysophosphatidylcholine also totally suppressed the stimulation. A possible role for the fatty acid ...

Salt-extracted microsomal membranes (K-RM) contain an activity that is capable of releasing the signal recognition particle (SRP)-mediated elongation arrest of the synthesis of secretory polypeptides (Walter, P., and G. Blobel, 1981, J. Cell Biol., 91:557-561). This arrest-releasing activity was shown to be a function of an integral microsomal membrane protein, termed the SRP receptor (Gilmore,...

The UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) system fulfils a pivotal role in the biotransformation of potentially toxic endogenous and exogenous compounds. Here we report that the activity of UGT in rat liver is stimulated by UDP-xylose. This stimulation was found in native microsomal vesicles as well as in the intact endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, as studied in permeabilized hepatocytes, indic...

The effects of metals on subcellular organelle functions have been reviewed in relation to carcinogenesis. Perturbations of the normal uptake and metabolism of carcinogens can arise through changes in microsomal enzyme activities, membrane permeabilities, and cell turnover. Metal effects on heme-dependent oxidative functions are well documented and are primarily manifested by increased heme deg...

5-Lipoxygenase-activating protein (FLAP) and leukotriene C4 (LTC4) synthase, two proteins involved in leukotriene biosynthesis, have been demonstrated to be 31% identical at the amino acid level. We have recently identified and characterized a novel member of the FLAP/LTC4 synthase gene family termed microsomal glutathione S-transferase II (microsomal GST-II). The open reading frame encodes a 1...

The 40-44 hydrophobic peptide segment, present in cytochrome bS obtained by nonhydrolytic means, but absent from lipase or trypsin-extracted cytochrome bg, has been found to be required for the binding of a loto 20-fold molar excess of cytochrome bs to liver microsomes. At saturation, the bound cytochrome bs constitutes nearly 20% of the total protein of the vesicle preparations. This extra bou...

The turnover of the plasma membrane proteins of hepatoma tissue culture cells was examined by three different methods--loss of polypeptides labeled in situ by lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination, loss of membrane polypeptides labeled with amino acid precursors, and loss from the membrane of fucose-labeled polypeptides. In both logarithmically growing and density-inhibited cells the proteins of...

N-acetylserotonin, the immediate precursor of melatonin in the tryptophan metabolic pathway in the pineal gland, has been reported to be an antioxidant. The aim of this work was to test the effect of N-acetylserotonin in stabilizing biological membranes against oxidative stress. Hepatic microsomal membranes from male adult rats were incubated with N-acetylserotonin (0.001-3 mM) before inducing ...

The lysosomal proprotease procathepsin L binds to mouse fibroblast microsomal membranes at pH 5, but mature active cathepsin L does not (McIntyre, G.F., and Erickson, A. H. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 15438-15445). This binding is not dependent on N-linked carbohydrate as procathepsin L synthesized in cells treated with tunicamycin still shows pH-dependent membrane association. These results sug...

1. The smooth-and rough-microsomal and the light and heavy plasma-membrane fractions of mouse liver homogenates were prepared and characterized by using biochemical markers. 2. The hexosamine/protein ratio was threefold higher in the plasma membranes than in the smooth-microsomal fraction. Glucosamine was bound only to protein, and galactosamine was attached mainly to lipids. 3. [(3)H]-Leucine ...