Effects of ethanol and acetaldehyde on the maturation of hepatic secretory glycoproteins.
The effects of ethanol and acetaldehyde on the maturation and secretion of hepatic glycoproteins in cultured rat hepatocytes were analysed using a pulse-chase labelling method and autoradiography following two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. A spot for transferrin was detected at mol. wt 77,000 and pI 5.2-5.4 on the autoradiogram in the control culture. The spot for transferrin shifted to the more basic isoforms by treatment for 3 hr with monensin or tunicamycin. The spot for transferrin also shifted to the more basic side by treatment with acetaldehyde for 3 hr or by additional treatment for 3 hr following pretreatment with ethanol for 6 hr. However, the shift of transferrin was not observed following treatment with ethanol for 3 hr. These results suggest that glycosylation of secretory glycoproteins in the Golgi apparatus is inhibited by acetaldehyde, but not by ethanol itself, and that this inhibition may play an important role in the development of alcoholic liver disease.