Alkaline phosphodiesterase activity of goat brain cortex ribosomes

Mescaline-induced changes of brain-cortex ribosomes. Role of sperimidine in counteracting the destabilizing effect of mescaline of brain-cortex ribosomes

1. The effect of spermidine on the mescaline-induced changes of brain-cortex ribosomes was studied by adding spermidine during the treatment of goat brain-cortex slices with mescaline. 2. Mescaline treatment of brain-cortex slices removed a portion of the endogenous spermidine from ribosomes and this removal was significantly prevented when spermidine was present during mescaline treatment. 3. Spermidine present during mescaline treatment of brain-cortex slices counteracted, to some extent, the destabilizing effect of mescaline on ribosomes with respect to heat denaturation. 4. Mescaline treatment of brain-cortex slices made ribosomes more susceptible to breakdown, releasing protein and RNA, and resulting in loss of ribosomal enzymic activities. However, spermidine present during mescaline treatment counteracted moderately the mescaline-induced ribosomal susceptibility to breakdown and ribosomal loss of enzymic activities. 5. Ribosomes of mescaline-treated cortex slices were rapidly degraded by ribonuclease and trypsin. However, if spermidine was present during mescaline treatment of brain-cortex slices the rates of degradation diminished.

Mescaline-induced changes of brain-cortex ribosomes. Effect of mescaline on the stability of brain-cortex ribosomes

1. During the action of mescaline sulphate on goat brain-cortex slices the ribosomal particles become susceptible to breakdown, releasing protein, RNA, acidsoluble nucleotides and ninhydrin-positive materials, resulting in loss of ribosomal enzyme activities. 2. Ribosomes of the mescaline-treated cortex slices undergo rapid degradation in the presence of trypsin and ribonuclease. 3. Mescaline does not alter the chemical and nucleotide compositions or the u.v.-absorption characteristics of ribosomal particles, however.