Summary
The authors studied the behaviour of two acid hydrolases (phosphatase and proteinase) in the liver of the larval form (ammocoetes), of the starved larva, and of the adult lamprey (Lampetra zanandreai, Vladykov). In the homogenates of liver of ammocoetes in 0.25 M sucrose the enzymatic activities are largely sedimentable (phosphatase 67%; proteinase 56%). In the starved ammocoetes and in the adult lamprey the percentage of sedimentable activity gradually falls (phosphatase 46% and proteinase 52% in the starved ammocoetes; phosphatase 44% and proteinase 49% in the adult lamprey) whilst there is a corresponding gradual increase in free activity (phosphatase: from 24% in the normal ammocoetes to 39% in the starved ammocoetes and 50% in the adult lamprey; proteinase: from 25% in the normal ammocoetes to 35% in the starved ammocoetes and 54% in the adult lamprey). The action of detergent Triton X-100 causes an equal distribution of hydrolases activity in the three conditions of the liver.
Only 25% of the sedimentable acid glycerophosphatase is accessible to the substrate in the ammocoetes, whilst in the starved ammocoetes and in the adult lamprey accessibility rises to 80%.
The results we have discussed show that at metamorphosis and during fasting the lysosomes undergo such changes as to determine an actual intracellular release of the acid hydrolases studied.
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This work is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Giuseppe Zanandrea S. J., who greatly helped us with his advice.
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Autuori, F., Bertolini, B. A study of some acid hydrolases in the liver of the larval and adult lamprey. Zeitschrift für Zellforschung 68, 818–829 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00343933
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00343933