Ischemia modifies protein distribution in gerbil brain subcellular fractions

This work deals with changes in sedimentation of proteins in subcellular fractions isolated from the ischemic brain of Mongolian gerbils. We analysed protein content and the activity of marker enzymes in P2, S2, M and S3 subfractions isolated after 10 min ischemia, ischemia combined with apnea or 1 h later, after recirculation. On the basis of protein balance, the distribution of marker enzymes and electrophoretic analysis of proteins in brain subfractions it was shown that in ischemia some fraction of proteins which are normally cytosolic and microsomal, cosediment with the crude mitochondrial pellet. This effect, aggravated in ischemia complicated by apnea, is reversible and after 1 h recirculation the protein distribution in the brain normalizes completely.