Ecto-5'-nucleotidase regeneration after chemical modification of the plasma membrane.

Treatment of the C6 glioblastoma cell with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) resulted in the selective inactivation of ecto-5'-nucleotidase under conditions which maintained cell viability. Cells respond to ecto-enzyme inactivation by replacing 80% of lost activity within 24 hrs. A lag time of 4-6 hrs before ecto-5'-nucleotidase replacement began and its complete blockage by cycloheximide indicated that the source of replaced enzyme was de novo synthesis and not an intracellular pool. Release of 5'-nucleotidase activity into culture medium in the form of membraneous vesicles slowed during the active recovery period and then steadily increased with time as the plasma membrane enzyme level approached normal. TNBS did not exert a direct inhibitory action upon the exfoliative process as release of vesicular GM1 and protein were little affected. Decrease in exfoliated 5'-nucleotidase activity may be due to a selective conservation of the enzyme in the exfoliative process.