Phospholipid asymmetry in rough- and smooth-endoplasmic-reticulum membranes of untreated and phenobarbital-treated rat liver.

Phospholipase C was used as a probe for the distribution of phospholipids about the membrane of rough and smooth microsomal fractions from normal and phenobarbital-treated rat liver. All membranes exhibited an asymmetric distribution, with phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine concentrated in the inner leaflet of the bilayer and phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin concentrated in the outer leaflet. The only phospholipid showing a significant difference in distribution between fractions was phosphatidylcholine, which was shifted towards the outer leaflet in the smooth microsomal fraction compared with the rough microsomal fraction, and towards the outer leaflet in both rough and smooth microsomal fractions from phenobarbital-treated liver compared with the same preparations from untreated rat liver. Apart from this small change, the asymmetric distribution of phospholipids was conserved in microsomal fractions which had proliferated in response to phenobarbital and in which the protein composition had changed.