Cellular regulation of poly(ADP) ribosylation of proteins. I. Comparison of hepatocytes, cultured cells and liver nuclei and the influence of varying concentrations of NAD.

The in vitro rates (vinit) of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase of permeabilized rat hepatocytes and of nuclei, isolated from hepatocytes, did not differ significantly. Incubation beyond 3 min resulted in diminished poly(ADP) ribosylation in hepatocytes compared with nuclei, coinciding with high rates of plasma membrane-associated NAD-glycohydrolase. Cultured cells (Drosophila Kc cells, gliosarcoma 9L, human fibroblasts and mouse spleen lymphocytes) exhibit variations of NAD-glycohydrolase and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activities and the assessment of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity in permeabilized cells requires simultaneous assay of NAD-glycohydrolase. In rat liver nuclei during 10 min incubation with 500 microM NAD, 40% of NAD is consumed, 10% ADP-ribose is bound to proteins, and 20% ADP-ribose, 5% AMP and 2.7% adenosine are liberated. As determined by solvent partitioning (Jackowski, G & Kun, E, J biol chem 258 (1983) 12587) [1], the phenol-soluble protein-ADP-ribose fraction represents largely mono(ADP)-ribose protein adducts, whereas the H2O-soluble phase contains poly(ADP)-ribosylated proteins. The quantity of ADP-ribose protein adducts, the chain length of oligomers and the nature of apparent acceptor proteins in liver nuclei vary significantly with the concentration of NAD as substrate. At 500 microM NAD concentration the quantity of ADP-ribose containing adducts was in the nmol per mg DNA range, the polymers are long chains and the acceptor proteins predominantly non-histone proteins. At 0.1 microM NAD as substrate pmol quantities of monomeric ADP-ribose adducts per mg DNA were formed and the main acceptors were sharply discernable on the basis of molecular mass as histones, high mobility non-histone proteins, two protein groups of a mass of 66 and 44 kD respectively, and the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase enzyme protein of 119 kD mass. Whereas products in the presence of 0.1 microM NAD may indicate acceptors of highest reactivity, protein adducts formed in the presence of 500 microM NAD resemble a pattern found in vivo.