EFFECTS OF THE NEUROTOXIN 3-ACETYLPYRIDINE ON LEVELS OF SOLUBLE-PROTEINS AND ENZYME-ACTIVITIES IN VARIOUS TISSUES OF JAPANESE-QUAIL

(1) The effects of the neurotoxin 3-acetylpyridine on the levels of so luble proteins and enzyme activities in various tissues of Japanese qu ail were investigated. (2) SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis show ed that in the brain the soluble proteins with a molecular mass corres ponding to 18 kDa were increased in quail treated with this toxin. The soluble liver proteins with the largest molecular masses (200, 120, 9 8, 80.5 and 58 kDa) were either missing or present at lower concentrat ions in the treated group compared to those in the controls while thos e of lower molecular mass (62, 55, 45, 36.5 and 24 kDa) were found to be present in higher concentrations. Similarly, treatment with 3-acety lpyridine tended to decrease the concentration of soluble proteins in pectoral muscle having a high molecular mass (160, 98, 60, 33, 30.5, 2 2 and 14 kDa) and to increase those having a low molecular mass (26, 2 0, 19.5 and 16 kDa). (3) There was a marked reduction in the treatment group in the concentration of NAD in pectoral muscle but not in other tissues. A similar observation was also made with total RNAs levels. (4) The specific activity of malic enzyme and glyceraldehyde-3-phospha te dehydrogenase was markedly reduced in the liver and pectoral muscle of the treatment group but was not affected in other tissues. The spe cific activity of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase was significantly l ower in the liver only, and that of lactic dehydrogenase and acetylcho linesterase was not affected in any of the tissues examined. (5) The r esults suggest that the metabolic actions of 3-acetylpyridine are quit e distinct from those shown by niacin deficiency and its analog such a s 6-aminonicotinamide. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser ved.