Membrane-bound 5'-nucleotidase inhibitor in Ehrlich ascites tumour cells and newborn mouse liver.

5'-Nucleotidase activity in Ehrlich ascites tumour cells was undetectable. The cell homogenate, when mixed with adult mouse liver homogenate, inhibited the 5'-nucleotidase activity of the latter, without affecting its p-nitrophenyl phosphate-hydrolysing activity. The inhibitor activity was enriched (6.8-fold) in a membrane fraction which was enriched in (Na+ + K+)-ATPase (14-fold) and alkaline phosphatase (8-fold). 5'-Nucleotidase activity in this membrane fraction could be detected only after separating the inhibitor activity from the enzyme on Sephadex G-50. The inhibitor activity was decreased by 27% when heat-treated, 33% when treated with 6 M urea and was almost completely lost when treated with trypsin. It was dialysable from a tubing with a molecular exclusion limit of 10,000, but was retained in a tubing with an exclusion limit of 3000. From these results we conclude that a small molecular weight protein inhibitor(s) of 5'-nucleotidase is present in the plasma membrane of Ehrlich ascites tumour cells. Also, the presence of such an inhibitor in the newborn mouse liver but not in the adult liver suggests that it may have some role in cellular ageing and cancer.