Composition of mitochondrial preparations in relation to intracellular localization of azoprotein in the mouse.

Abstract

Conclusions and SummaryThese studies substantiate previous reports that a relatively large proportion of injected labeled protein is found in the mitochondrial fraction of homogenized liver(8). Failure to demonstrate in this fraction the azoprotein which was added to the whole liver homogenate indicates that an in vivo process is involved and that simple adsorption of the azoprotein by mitochondria does not occur. Results of microscopic study of wafers, made by centrifuging mitochondrial fractions, indicate that the intracytoplasmic granules of azoprotein seen in sections from injected animals(1-3,5) are found predominantly in such mitochondrial fractions. However, the facts that injected India ink particles occur in a similar proportion in such fractions, that the azoprotein granules do not take various mitochondrial stains, and that other impurities can be demonstrated in such preparations, indicate that such mitochondrial fractions do not consist only of mitochondria. This conclusion has also been expr...