title: Characterization of serum, liver, and intestinal sialyltransferases from rats treated with colchicine.
abstract: A modified high pressure liquid chromatographic method using lactose (Gal beta 1----4Glc) as an exogenous acceptor has been used to characterize the sialyltransferases known to increase in the serum of colchicine-treated rats. The results show a 10-fold increase of Gal beta 1----4GlcNAc alpha 2----6 sialyltransferase (alpha 2----6 ST), whereas the Gal beta 1----3GlcNAc alpha 2----3 sialyltransferase showed only 1.6-fold increase in the serum after 17 h of colchicine treatment. The sialyltransferase activity in serum using exogenous desialylated, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein as acceptor also showed an eightfold increase. In liver homogenate and Golgi membrane, the sialyltransferase activity when assayed with desialylated alpha 1-acid glycoprotein as acceptor showed a slight decrease after 4 h, but returned to normal level after 17 h. A similar trend was seen when the two transferases were assayed with lactose as acceptor. The antiserum to rat alpha 2----6 ST inhibited the sialyltransferase activity in serum, liver, and jejunal incubation medium. Jejunal sections from rats treated with colchicine for 4 h in presence of heated serum showed a decrease of sialyltransferase, with consequent increase of the alpha 2----6 ST enzyme activity in the medium. This result suggests that intestinal tissue could be a source of increased serum enzyme activity in colchicine treatment.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003078:Colchicine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D007106:Immune Sera; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007583:Jejunum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012799:Sialyltransferases / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007106:Immune Sera; D012799:Sialyltransferases; D003078:Colchicine