Properties of cerebral polyribosomes and membranes of the rough endoplasmic reticulum after ethanol dependence in rats.

Effects of physical dependence upon ethanol on the polyribosomal properties and the reconstitution of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) of the brain has been examined. The purified free polyribosomes (polysomes), membrane-bound polysomes, and a fraction of RER membrane that has been stripped of polysomes were isolated from rat brain. RNA yields, amino acid incorporation activities, and electron micrographs established the purity of stripped membranes, but no differences were detected following the ethanol treatment. For the polyribosomal fractions, the stability of the mRNA/ribosomal complex was decreased after ethanol dependence as was the in vitro translation of endogenous mRNA. In the reconstitution reaction, the incubation of membranes from ethanol-treated animals with either source of purified bound polysomes resulted in higher yields of protein than when control membranes were used. The above results suggest that ethanol dependence affects the properties of both the RNA and membrane components of the RER of brain.