Isolation of a Golgi-apparatus-enriched fraction from leukaemic cells

1. A Golgi-apparatus-enriched fraction was isolated from acute leukaemic lymphoblasts of AKR mice by using an homogenate stabilized with 1 mM-glutaraldehyde. 2. The isolated fraction, which was shown morphologically to be enriched in dictyosomes, possessed between 44- and 76-fold increase in specific activity, compared with the tumour homogenate, of UDP-galactose-glycoprotein galactosyltransferase and between 3- and10.5-fold increase in relative specific activity of UDP-N-acetygalactosamine-polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase. 3. Plasma membranes isolated from the leukaemic lymphoblasts also possessed glycoprotein galactosyltransferase activity, though in contrast with Golgi-apparatus-enriched material had no detectable polypeptide N-acetygalactosaminyltransferase. 4. The difficulties associated with maintaining the morphological integrity of the Golgi apparatus in subcellular fractionation are discussed.