Acylation of bovine rhodopsin by [3H]palmitic acid.

Bovine retinas or preparations of rod outer segments incorporate [3H]palmitic acid into rhodopsin. The incorporation is both time- and temperature-dependent. The major product retains the chromatographic and electrophoretic properties of rhodopsin and remains photosensitive as demonstrated by alteration of its chromatographic behavior upon exposure to light. The incorporated radioactivity resists extraction with organic solvents and is not dissociated from the protein by detergents or under the denaturing conditions of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Radioactive free fatty acid can, however, be released by alkaline hydrolysis. Hydroxylamine treatment yields a mixture of the free fatty acid and the fatty acyl hydroxamate. These results demonstrate the formation of an ester bond between [3H]palmitic acid and rhodopsin. Cycloheximide fails to inhibit the incorporation. This finding along with the ability of rod outer segments to support the incorporation point to the acylation of rhodopsin as a late post-translational event.