Organization of purpine degradation in the liver of a teleost (carp; Cyprinus carpio L.). A study of its subcellular distribution.

Carp liver was fractionated by differential and density gradient centrifugation and assayed for enzymes of purine catabolism. While urate oxidase is an exclusively peroxisomal enzyme, only a very small percentage of the enzymes xanthine oxidase, allantoinase and allantoicase is associated with subcellular or ganelle fractions. There is no general purine catabolizing subcellular compartment. There is some but not yet conclusive evidence for the assumption that urate oxidase is a membrane bound enzyme.