Ethanol enhances desialylation of transferrin by liver endothelial cells in the rat.
Desialylated transferrin is emerging as a reliable index of alcoholism, and liver endothelial cells are known to partially desialylate transferrin. The effect of a single intraperitoneal injection of ethanol on the desialylation of transferrin in the rat was studied. In pulse-chase experiments, fully sialylated diferric transferrin labeled with 125I (protein moiety) or 3H (sialyl residues) was incubated with isolated, fractionated liver endothelial cells from rats that were given ethanol. The supernatants then were subjected to column chromatography using RCA120-agarose to separate and quantify the desialylated fraction of transferrin. Saline-treated animals served as controls. Incubation of the endothelial cells derived from the liver of ethanol-treated rats resulted in a 263% increase in desialylation level of transferrin. Our data indicate that administering ethanol in rats enhances the desialylation of transferrin by rat liver endothelial cells.
Mihas
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AA
Department of Medicine, VAMC, Jackson, Mississippi 39216.
Tavassoli
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M
D000818:Animals; D001212:Asialoglycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004727:Endothelium / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D014168:Transferrin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism*
D001212:Asialoglycoproteins; D012794:Sialic Acids; D014168:Transferrin; C017031:asialotransferrins; D000431:Ethanol; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid