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. 1968 Dec;110(4):739–746. doi: 10.1042/bj1100739

The availability of carnitine acetyltransferase in mitochondria from guinea-pig liver and other tissues

P J Barker 1, N J Fincham 1, D C Hardwick 1,*
PMCID: PMC1187448  PMID: 5704822

Abstract

The carnitine acetyltransferase and glutamate dehydrogenase activities of guinea-pig liver and other tissues were estimated. Both enzymes are wholly mitochondrial, and can only be fully observed after disruption of the mitochondrion. Triton X-100 (0·1%) or freeze-drying revealed more activity than other methods tried. In mitochondria prepared and suspended in 0·25m-sucrose and in cell cytoplasm only small fractions of the total enzymic activity could be observed in guinea-pig liver: on average 7·5% of carnitine acetyltransferase and 5·5% of glutamate dehydrogenase. It is concluded that, in liver or mammary gland of goat, guinea pig or rat, little or no carnitine acetyltransferase is available in vivo to acetyl-CoA outside the mitochondrion.

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Selected References

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