Interaction of rat liver lysosomal membranes with actin

Membranes were prepared from lysosomes purified 80-fold by centrifugation in a discontinuous metrizamide gradient. When salt-washed membranes were combined with rabbit muscle actin, an increase in viscosity could be measured using a falling ball viscometer. The lysosomal membrane-actin interaction was actin- and membrane-concentration dependent and appeared to be optimal under presumed physiological conditions (2 mM MgCl2, 1 mM MgATP, neutral pH, and free calcium concentration less than 10(-8) M). The actin cross-linking activity of the membrane was optimal at pH 6.4. The interaction was maximal between 10(-7) and 10(-9) M free calcium ions and inhibited by approximately 50% at concentrations of calcium greater than 0.5 x 10(-7) M. The actin-lysosomal membrane interaction was destroyed if the membranes were pretreated with Pronase, or if the membranes were purified in the absence of protease inhibitors. The interaction was not destroyed if membranes were washed with high salt or extracted with KCl and urea. In addition, a sedimentation assay for the actin-lysosomal membrane interaction was also performed to corroborate the viscometry data. The results suggest the existence of an integral lysosomal membrane actin-binding protein.