Preparation and characterization of subfractions of bovine thyroid plasma membranes

Two subfractions of bovine thyroid plasma membranes, light membranes (L-membranes) and heavy membranes (H-membranes), were obtained by a discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation of plasma membranes. Electron microscopy of the plasma membrane and its subfractions showed that the H-membranes were very similar to the plasma membrane fraction, both contained junctional complexes, long membrane sheets, and vesicles. In contrast, the L-membranes consisted mainly of short membrane sheets and vesicles, and only a few junctional complexes. The H-membranes had greater adenylate cyclase activity which responded to thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) while this hormone had very little effect on the enzyme activity in the L-membranes. Despite the marked difference in TSH stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity in the H- and L-membrane fractions, specific binding of 125I-TSH was similar in both fractions. The L-membranes had higher specific activities of 5'-nucleotidase and Mg2+ATPase while (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and alkaline phosphatase activities were similar in the two subfractions. Protein kinase activity of H-membranes was not significantly stimulated by exogenous cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cAMP). Plasma membranes and H-membranes contained a substrate capable of being phosphorylated. Such phosphorylation was slightly increased by addition of soluble protein kinase. The phosphorylation of exogenous histone by protein kinase of plasma membranes and H-membranes was augmented by cAMP. In contrast, L-membranes had very little protein kinase activity even when exogenous histone was added. They were not a very good substrate for cytosolic protein kinase.