title: Intracellular distribution of lysozyme in rat alveolar type II epithelial cells.
abstract: This study investigated the intracellular distribution of lysozyme, a protein that is synthesized and secreted by rat alveolar type II epithelial (ATII) cells and alveolar macrophages, using a polyclonal antibody generated against purified rat lysozyme. Lysozyme was immunoprecipitated with this antibody from Triton X-100 lysates of ATII cells cultured on a basement membrane derived from Englebreth-Holme-Swarm mouse sarcoma (EHS) and radiolabeled with 35S-methionine. ATII cells cultured on EHS basement membrane for several days were fixed and labeled with antibodies to surfactant apoprotein A (SP-A) and lgp-120 (a lysosomal glycoprotein), or lysozyme and lgp-120, and studied by confocal microscopy. Organelles were identified that stained positively for either anti-lysozyme or anti-lgp-120; a second population of organelles contained both markers. Similarly, two populations of SP-A-containing organelles were identified; one contained the lysosomal glycoprotein lgp-120. In addition, confocal images demonstrated that both SP-A and lysozyme were secreted by ATII cells, as evidenced by the accumulation of secretory products within the lumen of the cyst-like aggregates. When the subcellular localization of SP-A and lysozyme was studied by analytical cell fractionation, two populations of organelles were identified that contained SP-A or lysozyme. The lighter population accounted for approximately 32% of SP-A and 33% of total intracellular lysozyme and was recovered in the same region of the gradient as secretory lamellar bodies. The more dense population co-localized with lysosomes and accounted for approximately 67% of both SP-A and lysozyme recovered. Western blots of cell fractions revealed intact lysozyme in all the cell fractions. The results of these experiments suggest that lysozyme has a similar intracellular distribution as surfactant apoprotein A in ATII cells. Lysozyme is found in fractions containing lamellar bodies where it is packaged for secretion, and in lysosomal fractions where it may undergo degradation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pennsylvania 15261.
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Phadke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003584:Cytological Techniques; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009113:Muramidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D011510:Proteolipids / Q000378:metabolism; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011510:Proteolipids; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D009113:Muramidase