Electrophoretic mobility of microsomes from rat liver.

The electrophoretic mobilities of rough and smooth microsomes were studied using free electrophoresis in a sucrose gradient. Rough microsomes have a higher net negative surface charge but removal of the ribosomes decreases their mobility to that of smooth microsomes. Treatment with neuraminidase and phospholipases C and D does not affect the mobility of total smooth microsomes, but this mobility is increased by approximately 20% after trypsin and papain treatment and by approximately 12% after phospholipase A treatment. Further treatment of trypsin-digested smooth microsomes with phospholipase C re-establishes the original mobility. This effect is not caused by the removal of lipid phosphate groups, but by the liberation of negatively charged protein species that are normally buried under trypsin-sensitive proteins. Low concentrations of trypsin also solubilize enzyme proteins from smooth liver microsomes of phenobarbital-treated rats, but the electrophoretic mobility is not increased, indicating structural differences between induced and control membranes.