Liver autophagy in the influenza B virus model of Reye's syndrome in mice

✍ Scribed by Beulah M. Woodfin; Larry E. Davis

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 286 KB
• Volume: 31
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0730-2312
• DOI: 10.1002/jcb.240310404

✦ Synopsis

Biochemical evidence is presented for the autophagic destruction of liver mitochondria in the influenza B virus model of Reye's syndrome in mice. Separation of lysosomes and autophagic vacuoles from mitochondria was accomplished by prior treatment of the mice with Triton WR-1339, resulting in uptake of detergent by these organelles (tritosomes), reducing their densities. The organelles were banded in a discontinuous sucrose gradient. Total protein in the heavy tritosomal fraction increased from 1-2% in controls to 7-8% in virus-treated animals. Omithine carbamoyl transferase (OCTase), a mitochondrial marker, increased from 2-3 % (controls) to 11-15 % (virus-treated), and glucose-6-phosphatase, a marker for endoplasmic reticulum, increased from 1-2% (controls) to 8-10% (virustreated). P-Galactosidase, a soluble enzyme in the lysosome, and OCTase also increase in the cell extract fraction following virus treatment, indicating that there was turnover of heavy lysosomal contents.