Purification and properties of the hepatic glutathione S-transferases of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

Salmon from salt water have three classes of soluble hepatic glutathione S-transferases which can be separated from cytosol by affinity chromatography and chromatofocusing. The classes have different substrate specificities and kinetic properties. All the enzymes are dimeric proteins. There are immunologically distinct subunits of Mrs 22.4, 23.0 and 24.0 kDa. Fish killed in August have enzymes with different apparent isoelectric points and subunit compositions than fish killed in February. The glutathione S-transferase activity of fresh-water salmon is similar to that of February salt-water fish except that the former binds less avidly to S-hexylglutathione-Sepharose 6B.

The substrate specificities and subunit compositions of the hepatic glutathione S-transferases of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri).

Chromatofocusing separated the glutathione S-transferases of trout liver cytosol into species termed cationic (eluted from pH 8-5) and anionic (eluted by 1.0 M NaCl at pH 5). The cationic enzymes were separated from cytosol by S-hexylglutathione affinity chromatography, ultrafiltration and chromatofocusing (pH 9-7) into 4 major (C1, C2, C4 and C5) and 3 minor fractions. The anionic material was not purified in this way because only 50% of the activity bound to the S-hexylglutathione column. The major cationic enzymes had similar half-saturation concentrations for GSH (0.2 mM) and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (0.4 mM); those of the anionic material were higher (0.7 mM, 1.9 mM respectively). The substrate specificities of the cationic enzymes C1 and C2 were similar (e.g., conjugation of bromosulphophthalein) as were those of C4 and C5 (e.g., conjugation of 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy) propane). The anionic material had a different specificity (e.g., rapid conjugation of p-nitrobenzyl chloride). SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed C1 and C2 to be homodimers of subunit Mr 22,400, C4 to be a heterodimer (Mr's 22,400 and 24,500), and C5 predominantly an Mr 22,400 homodimer.

The purification of the hepatic glutathione S-transferases of rainbow trout by glutathione affinity chromatography alters their isoelectric behaviour.

1. The basic glutathione S-transferases from rainbow-trout liver were more stable than the acidic ones. 2. The apparent pI values of these enzymes were lowered when they were eluted from a glutathione affinity column by reduced glutathione at pH 8.85. 3. The pI effect was not a function of the high pH alone, was diminished under conditions less favourable to glutathione oxidation, and did not occur when S-hexylglutathione affinity chromatography was used instead.

Distribution and some properties of the glutathione S-transferase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activities of rainbow trout.

1. Gills, kidney, intestinal caeca and liver of trout have glutathione S-transferase activity with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (200 500 nmol/min/mg protein), and reduced glutathione (0.5 2.0 mmol/kg tissue). 2. Only kidney and intestinal caeca have substantial gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity with gamma-glutamyl-rho-nitroanilide (2-9 nmol/min/mg protein). 3. Renal gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase is membrane-bound and has similar kinetic properties to its mammalian counterparts. 4. The data are consistent with the presence of a mercapturic acid pathway in trout.