Lysosomes of cardiac and skeletal muscle: resolution by zonal centrifugation

The application of zonal centrifugation to the analysis of homogenates of cardiac and skeletal muscle permits selection of fractions that are enriched in markers for lysosomes, sarcolemma, sarcoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria. The method of disruption of normal and pathological tissue alters significantly the distribution of total protein and peaks of enzymatic activity on the gradient. Total activities of cathepsin, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, beta-glucuronidase, and para-nitrophenylphosphatase are distributed at different concentrations of sucrose on the gradient. Beta-Glucuronidase appears to "mark" the sarcoplasmic reticulum, as well as lysosomes, of skeletal muscle, para-Nitrophenylphosphatase, a common marker of acid phosphatase of lysosomes, is enriched in those fractions of cardiac muscle containing the highest specific activity of ouabain-inhibited Na-K-ATPase. Thus, these two enzymes appear to have a localization in at least two separate organelles. On the other hand, these results may indicate the isolation of several "populations" of lysosomes that are associated constantly with distribution peaks of other organelles. In any event, attempts to correlate changes in structure of organelles of normal and pathological specimens of tissue with functional impairment, e.g., Ca2+ uptake, activity of Na-K-ATPase, etc., must include consideration of dual localization of enzymatic markers or cross contamination by populations of other organelles.