IDENTIFICATION OF MYOSIN IN RABBIT HEPATOCYTES

A myosin-like protein was identified in isolated rabbit liver cells. It was extracted with high-ionic-strength buffer containing ATP, and purified by gel filtration in the presence of iodide. The myosin polypeptide was indistinguishable in size from the heavy chain of muscle myosin as determined by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels and gel filtration in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The hepatic myosin had an amino acid composition similar to that of muscle myosin, but lacked 3-methylhistidine. The Mg2+-ATPase of the myosin was not activated by muscle actin. At low ionic strength, in the presence of Mg2+, the protein aggregated to form bipolar filaments 0.3 .mu.m in length. A protein which resembled muscle actin in size and amino acid composition was extracted along with the myosin. Based on scans of stained sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels, the myosin content was estimated as 0.3%-0.4% of the cell protein. The actin-like component was present in approximately 10-fold excess by weight. This ratio suggests that the organization and function of myosin in the hepatocyte is very different from that in the muscle cell.