Localization of an endogenous ADP-ribose acceptor, p33, in polymorphonuclear cell granules in chicken liver...

We investigated immunohistochemically the localization of p33, an endogenous substrate protein for an arginine-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase in chicken liver. Polymorphonuclear-pseudo-eosinophilic granulocytes (heterophils) in interlobular connective tissues of the liver were exclusively and strongly stained with the antibody against p33. Strong reactivity was associated with granules in cytoplasm of the heterophils. When the chicken liver nuclear fraction was washed, the transferase activity was released into the 600 x g supernatant fraction while a nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase was retained in the pellet fraction. These results indicate that p33 and probably also ADP-ribosyltransferase, found in the liver nuclear fraction [Tanigawa et al. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 2022-2029, Mishima et al. (1988) Eur. J. Biochem. 179, 267-273], originate from interlobular heterophils of the chicken liver.