Effect of chronic ethanol consumption on the cellular and subcellular distribution of gamma-glutamyltransferase in rat liver.

After 6 weeks of chronic ethanol consumption hepatic gamma-glutamyl-transferase and -hydrolase activities increased compared with pair-fed controls. There was no change in 5'-nucleotidase activity. It was found that the increase in gamma-glutamyltransferase activity occurred exclusively in the parenchymal cells although the principal cellular localisation for this enzyme is the biliary tract in both control and ethanol-fed rats. In both groups of animals the gamma-glutamyltransferase activities were localised by analytical subcellular fractionation techniques to soluble, plasma membrane and canalicular fractions, but the plasma membrane activity was selectively increased in the ethanol-fed rats.