Tissue fractionation and catecholamines--IV. Adenosine triphosphatase in chromaffin granules: a distribution artefact

Tissue fractionation was used as an analytical tool to study the subcellular distribution of an adenosine triphosphatase activated by Mg2+ in adrenal medullae of the pig and ox and in whole adrenals of the rat. By measuring adenosine triphosphatase and various enzymes in the fractions obtained by differential centrifugation, the distribution pattern of adenosine triphosphatase was found to differ markedly from that of markers like catecholamines, dopamine beta-hydroxylase or cytochrome oxidase. In the pig and ox the distribution of inosine diphosphatase paralleled that of adenosine triphosphatase. After equilibration through sucrose density gradients, no adenosine triphosphatase activity was detected in the chromaffin granules in the rat. However, in bovine adrenal medullae, a large part of the adenosine triphosphatase activity equilibrated in that area of the gradient in which the chromaffin granules were found. This adenosine triphosphatase distribution pattern was an artefact produced by applying a too concentrated sample to the gradient. When a more diluted sample of bovine tissue was used no adenosine triphosphatase activity was found to be associated with the chromaffin granules. The present results lead to a reconsideration of the role of the adenosine triphosphatase in some processes in which the chromaffin granules are involved. Moreover, the degree of purity of many chromaffin granule preparations is again questioned.