Explanation for the apparent inactivation of tyrosine aminotransferase in hepatoma cells by concanavalin A

Brief treatment of hepatoma cells in monolayer culture with concanavalin A causes a decrease in tyrosine aminotransferase specific activity that is thought to be a rapid, reversible inactivation of the enzyme (T.V. Gopalakrishnam and E.B. Thompson 1977 J. Biol. Chem. $\text{252}$, 2717–2725). We confirm this decrease, but attribute it to an increased leakage of cellular protein from concanavalin A-treated monolayer cultures during the harvesting procedure. If the cells are washed free of medium and lysed $\text{in}$,$\text{situ}$ by freezing and thawing them, or by treating them with buffer containing a nonionic detergent, equal amounts of tyrosine aminotransferase are found in concanavalin A-treated and untreated cells. If cells are harvested by scraping them from the substrate, some tyrosine aminotransferase is lost into the buffer used to collect the cells. Treatment of cells with concanavalin A markedly increases the amount of enzyme lost during this procedure, and results in a low enzyme content in the washed cells. No inactivation occurs, however, because the total amount of tyrosine aminotransferase present in the cell pellet and the wash buffer is equal for treated and untreated cells.     

Studies on highly metabolically active acetylation and phosphorylation of histones.

The capacity to effectively label tumor cell hostones using very short pulses of [3-H]acetate and [32-P]phosphate (1 to 10 min) has been developed. Four histone fractions F3, F2a1, F2a2, and F2b are extensively acetylated in short time periods. About 70% of the acetate accumulated on the histone during a short pulse is removed with a half-life of similar to 3 min. The rest of the metabolically active acetate is removed with a half-life of 30 to 40 min. Histones F2a1, F2a2, and F1 are acetylated at the NH2 terminus and this modification is metabolically stable. In short pulses, histones are labeled with 32-P in the order F2a2 greater than F1 greater than F3 greater than F2a1 greater than F2b. All fractions have a fairly rapid turnover time (t1/2 similar 20 to 40 min) except F1 phosphate which turns over some 5 times more slowly.