Biosynthesis and turnover of carnitine acetyltransferase in rat liver.

Male Wistar rats were fed on a diet with and without di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) for 2 weeks. Carnitine acetyltransferase in the liver was increased about 100-fold by administration of DEHP. The results of in vivo experiments showed that the incorporation of L-[4,5-3H]leucine into the enzyme was 12-fold higher and the half-life of the labeled enzyme was elongated by a factor 4.6. The results of in vitro translation experiments with total hepatic RNA in a rabbit reticulocytelysate system and the results concerning the synthesis of the enzyme in isolated hepatocytes indicate that the translatable mRNA for the enzyme was increased upon administration of DEHP and that the enzyme is synthesized as a precursor (Mw = 69,000) larger than the mature enzyme (Mw = 67,500). RNA in the free polysomes directed the synthesis of the enzyme precursor five times more actively than RNA in membrane-bound polysomes.