Correlation of membrane-bound and free ribosomes in normal rat liver, Zajdela hepatoma rat liver and ascite cells proper]

The content of membrane-bound ribosomes in normal rat liver cells is 3 times as high as compared to that of free ribosomes. (K=membrane-bound ribosome RNAs divided by free ribosome RNAs=3, the opposite effect being observed in case of ascites hepatoma cells. A considerable increase in the free ribosome fraction in the liver of hepatoma-bearing rats occurs by the sixth day due to a decrease in the content of hepatoma-bearing rats occurs by the sixth day due to a decrease in the content of membrane-bound ribosomes (K=0.6). Similar, but less-pronounced changes were observed in liver cells of control animals after 48-hour starvation (K=0.9), simulating the condition occurring during the last days of tumour animals' life. Thus, changes in the rativ of membrane-bound to free ribosomes in liver during the ascites tumour growth are probably specifics and are not only due to anorexia in Zajdela hepatoma animals.