Cathepsin D of mouse leukemia L1210 cells. Unusual intracellular localization and biochemical properties.

Mouse leukemia L1210 cells contain lysosomes, but cathepsin D, a typical lysosomal enzyme, has an unusual localization. After fractionation of homogenates of L1210 cells by isopycnic density gradient centrifugation, most of the activity for all of the acid hydrolases studied, except cathepsin D, is sedimentable and shows a similar density distribution around a peak having a modal density of 1.16. In contrast, much more of the total activity for cathepsin D is not sedimentable, while the sedimentable activity has a distribution around a peak at a higher density of 1.18. After chromatography on Sephadex G-100 of cell extracts, two molecular weight forms of cathepsin D are found. One has an apparent molecular weight of approx. 45,000, similar to rat liver cathepsin D, while the apparent molecular weight of the second form is approx. 95,000. Both forms are 4-5 times more active than rat liver cathepsin D. The high molecular weight L1210 cathepsin D converts to the low molecular weight form with no loss in activity after treatment with beta-mercaptoethanol. In all respects the unusual intracellular localization and molecular weight forms of cathepsin D in mouse leukemia L1210 cells are similar to the situation found for rat thoracic duct lymphocytes.