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We present the cDNA sequence of the rat amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) comprising the complete coding sequence of 765 amino acid residues. By alternative splicing of two exons, transcripts encoding for 753, 709 and 697 amino acids are also generated. The derived amino acid sequence displays a sequence identity to human APLP2 of approx. 92% and to murine CDEI binding protein of approx. 95%, but differs from both by a deletion of 2 amino acids and an insertion of 4 amino acids within the acidic domain.

The peroxisomal compartment in mouse liver was investigated using rate sedimentation of liver subfractions on sucrose density gradients. Treatment of mice with clofibrate, a hypolipidemic agent and peroxisome proliferator, resulted in the formation of small particles which were devoid of catalase and urate oxidase, but which were identified as peroxisomal on the basis of content of the clofibrate-induced peroxisomal beta-oxidation enzymes (fatty acyl-CoA oxidase, hydratase/dehydrogenase bifunctional protein, and thiolase) and the 68 kDa peroxisomal integral membrane protein. Immunoelectron microscopy confirmed the membrane-bound organellar nature and enzyme composition of these particles. These particles were absent in normal mice, and were increased to a maximal level within 2 days of clofibrate treatment. These data have been taken as indicative of a role of these particles in the mechanism of drug-induced peroxisome proliferation.

1. The influence of fibre-type and an exercise regimen on the turnover characteristics of proteins in mouse skeletal muscle has been studied. 2. Exercise induced a weight increase in most individual muscles and a decrease in lactate dehydrogenase activity which was more marked in white muscle than red. The coincident decrease in M-subunit activity was more noticeable in fast-twitch muscles than in slow-twitch types. 3. Exercise caused a considerable and consistent increase in the rate of degradation of total soluble proteins in individual muscles, with turnover being higher in muscles with a high red fibre content. 4. The response of lactate dehydrogenase to exercise varied considerably between individual muscles as indicated by the comparative rate constants for synthesis and degradation. In general, degradation was greater in muscle with a high slow-twitch or red fibre content. 5. Overall, a considerable redistribution of protein resources was observed during this physiological perturbation (exercise) with the main emphasis away from the pool of total soluble protein towards the myofibrillar constituents. Highly individualistic responses in relation to rates of synthesis and degradation were observed for the specific protein, lactate dehydrogenase, in the separate muscle of this animal.

1. The effects of protein concentration and ionic strength on the adsorption of the individual glycolytic enzymes to F-actin and F-actin--trypomyosin--troponin have been studied. 2. Appreciable association was demonstrated under conditions of physiological ionic strength and high protein concentration, and tropomyosin--troponin established as an important and generalized component of these interactions. 3. Phosphofructokinase, aldolase, pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase were strongly bound under these conditions, while triosephosphate isomerase, phosphoglycerate kinase, phosphoglycerate mutase, enolase and hexokinase displayed less adsorption to the structural proteins. 4. The influence of a number of parameters on the adsorption phenomena was examined. Ca2+ and fructose 1,6-diphosphate increased the adsorption of aldolase, lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase, while decreasing the adsorption of the enzymes of the constant-proportion group. 5. Of the other major enzymic components of skeletal muscle, creatine kinase, adenylate kinase and malate dehydrogenase showed no adsorption to F-actin--tropomyosin--troponin under the experimental conditions. Some adsorption was evident, however, in the case of aspartate aminotransferase, (NADP) isocitrate dehydrogenase and alpha-glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase. 6. These results have been discussed in relation to their functional significance and the roles of enzyme compartmentation in the cell.

The extent of binding of glycolytic enzymes to the particulate fraction of homogenates was measured in sheep hind muscles after electrical stimulation. As compared to the control muscles, stimulation led to significant increases in the amount of phosphofructokinase, aldolase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase bound to the particulate fraction. The binding of other glycolytic enzymes was not significantly altered. A servey of different hind limb muscles at variable rates of stimulation revealed that each muscle exhibited its own characteristic response pattern in terms of the level of increased enzyme binding. Generally, an increased stimulation rate led to greater enzyme adsorption. The increase in enzyme binding was rapidly reversible for it was shown that the amount of enzyme bound quickly returned to control values when the muscles were allowed to recover in the live anaesthetised animal following cessation of stimulation. Those muscles which exhibited increased enzyme binding were characterised by a marked loss of glycogen and accumulation of lactate suggesting that accelerated glycolytic flux was a necessary condition for the observation of increased enzyme binding. In support of this, enzyme adsorption was observed to the greatest on stimulation of ischemic muscles, whereas in trained muscles, or muscles with depleted glycogen stores induced by prior adrenalin treatment, the increased enzyme binding response was greatly diminished. It is concluded that the variable binding of key glycolytic enzymes has a role to play in the regulation of glycolytic behaviour in skeletal muscle.

Membranes were prepared from peroxisomes which had been isolated from the livers of normal mice and from mice treated with clofibrate (a hypolipidemic drug and peroxisome proliferator). Phospholipid analysis of these membranes revealed that clofibrate treatment resulted in a decrease in the membrane content of phosphatidylcholine, the most abundant phospholipid, and a concomitant increase in the amount of lysophosphatidylcholine, this latter component reaching a level of almost 6% of the total membrane phospholipid. The concentrations of other phospholipids in these membranes were not significantly altered. The parallel analysis of microsomal membranes demonstrated an analogous increase in the level of lysophosphatidylcholine following clofibrate treatment. In control experiments with microsomal membranes employing quinacrine, an inhibitor of phospholipase A2, the increased lysophosphatidylcholine concentration was still observed in clofibrate-treated animals. As well, a decrease in the proportion of microsomal phosphatidylcholine with clofibrate treatment was seen when quinacrine was used. Fatty acid analysis of the phosphatidylcholines from peroxisomal membranes showed some minor changes, including an increase in one component tentatively identified as docosahexaenoic acid, in clofibrate-treated animals. Overall, these data demonstrate that clofibrate causes a marked perturbation of the phospholipid composition of peroxisomal membranes, and are interpreted as indicating that the main site of action of the drug is the deacylation-reacylation cycle between phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine.

A method is described for the purification of troponin from beef skeletal muscle. The resultant preparation differs from the troponin of rabbit skeletal muscle in that it contains at least two forms of the tropomyosin-binding component, Troponin-T: these are designated as the 37 000 and 40 000 dalton forms of Troponin-T on the basis of sodium dodecyl sulphate gel electrophoresis. Either of these Troponin-T forms may be used to reconstitute troponin by mixing with the appropriate amounts of the calcium-binding (Troponin-C) and and actomyosin ATPase-inhibitory (Troponin-I) components. These reconstituted troponins are shown to interact with tropomyosin and also to confer full calcium sensitivity on actomyosin ATPase. Despite the existence of proteolysis in troponin preparations, the experimental evidence indicates that the smaller form of Troponin-T is not derived from the 40 000 dalton species by limited degradation. Although both species of Troponin-T have been found routinely in troponin from beef skeletal muscle, only the larger form is detected in troponin preparations from beef cardiac muscle. Further studies are required in order to clarify the functional significance and differential distribution of these multiple forms of Troponin-T.

1. The suitability of a combined application of the techniques of affinity chromatography, double labelling and gel electrophoresis in the determination of the turnover characteristics of the lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes (L-lactate:NAD+ oxidoreductase EC 1.1.1.27) in rat tissues has been studied. 2. Affinity chromatography was established as affording the advantages of rapidity, high yield and purity to such studies, and the double-labelling procedure was modified to encompass the differential decay kinetics in the separate rat tissues. In addition, a convenient method for the resolution and separate collection of radioactively labelled isoenzymes has been described. 3. Using this methodology, comparative turnover values for the isoenzymes of lactate dehydrogenase and for total soluble protein have been determined. 4. The comparability of these results with other methodologies, and the advantages of this approach in facilitating broad comparative studies on turnover are discussed.

Two major proteins with subunit molecular masses of 68 and 70 kDa were isolated from the integral membrane protein fraction of peroxisomes purified from mouse liver. The two proteins were shown to be distinct proteins by two criteria: first, immunoblot analysis demonstrated that antisera against the 68 kDa protein did not cross-react with the 70 kDa protein, and vice versa; and second, the partial peptide maps resulting from proteinase digestion of the proteins were different. Immunoblot analyses to test the specificities of the antisera demonstrated that only the expected molecular mass species in purified peroxisomes, and in membranes prepared from these organelles, were recognized; there was no identification of proteins from purified mitochondrial or microsomal fractions. The concentrations of both of these proteins were increased in livers of mice treated with clofibrate, a hypolipidemic drug and peroxisome proliferator, with the effect being greater for the 70 kDa component. The localization of the 68 kDa protein was shown to be completely integral to the peroxisome membrane. Although some 70 kDa protein was integral to the membrane, a significant proportion was released from the membrane by some procedures believed to detach peripheral proteins. The 70 kDa protein was also particularly susceptible to degradation during isolation - in particular, addition of EDTA to media used for isolation of peroxisomes resulted in membranes in which this protein was degraded to smaller immunoreactive fragments. These data have been discussed in relation to the significant clarification which they have provided of the status and characteristics of the major protein components of peroxisomal membranes.

1. In order to investigate the ontogenic and turnover characteristics of lactate dehydrogenase (L-lactate:NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.27) in the foetal mouse, activities of this enzyme and isoenzyme distributions have been measured during development, and the time sequence of incorporation of radioactive amino acids have been determined during the last weeks of gestation. 2. In the early foetal stages, the enzyme was present with low specific activity and in the form of lactate dehydrogenase-5 in all regions, but a marked increase in specific activity became evident about the seventeenth day of gestation, and was accompanied by the formation of tissue specific patterns of isoenzyme distribution. 3. Measurement of turnover parameters was undertaken by both double-label ([3H] and [14C]leucine) and pulse-chase ([3H]leucine) techniques. Both procedures provided indications that appreciable degradation may occur during embryogenesis, with general proteolysis proceeding at a faster rate than with lactate dehydrogenase, and with higher rates of degradation occurring in foetuses which were smaller than average. 4. This data has been discussed in relation to the regional variation in these characteristics and the significance to studies of growth and differentiation.

Two forms of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase were purified from bovine mammary gland by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, Sephadex G-200 gel filtration, affinity chromatography on Con A-Sepharose and preparative isoelectric focusing. The two forms, designated A and B on the basis of their binding to DEAE-cellulose at pH 7, were glycoproteins with different molecular weights as determined by gel filtration and sedimentation equilibrium analysis. The A form had a molecular weight of 118 000, while the B form had a molecular weight of 234 000. Both A and B forms of the purified enzyme showed the presence of two distinct subunits, having apparent molecular weights of 55 000 and 25 000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate-electrophoresis. Amino acid composition of the purified forms showed that a high degree of similarity existed between the two forms. However, the B form had slightly higher levels of serine and threonine than the A form. The structure and possible interrelationship of these two forms in the bovine mammary gland are discussed in relation to the structure of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase from other sources.

The uptake of radioactively labelled glycerol into the phospholipid fractions of mouse liver has been studied. The incorporation of phospholipid into peroxisomal and microsomal membranes was found to be rapid, and of a similar timescale, whereas mitochondrial membranes were appreciably slower in their uptake of label. Discernible differences were shown to exist between these membrane types in relation to phospholipid composition and lipid turnover. These data are interpreted as supportive of a model for peroxisomal biogenesis which involves formation of these organelles by a budding process from the smooth endoplasmic reticulum.