Isolation of inclusion bodies from rabbit lung parenchyma

✍ Scribed by Lee Hoffman

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1972
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 576 KB
• Volume: 79
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9541
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.1040790107

✦ Synopsis

The mitochondrial-plus-lysosomal fraction of rabbit lung parenchyma was studied by equilibrium density centrifugation in continuous sucrose density gradients (specific gravity 1.035 to 1.250). High concentrations of lyso-soma1 marker enzymes were found both in a broad band at density 1.15-1.18, a density typical for lysosomes, and in a band at density 1.061.07. This light density band also had the highest specific activity of phospholipid, which thinlayer and gas-liquid chromatography showed to be primarily lecithin with a high content of palmitic acid residues. Electron microscopy of material from the light density band showed a homogeneous array of particles which bear a strong resemblance to the inclusion bodies of the type I1 alveolar epithelial cell as seen in electron micrographs of rabbit lung tissue sections. These data suggest that the light density band is a n isolation of intact type I1 alveolar epithelial cell inclusion bodies, which previous studies have implicated as the storage site of the phospholipid moiety of pulmonary surfactant.