When white blood cells are physically disrupted organelles a

When white blood cells are physically disrupted (organelles are released) in a blender containing distilled water and then added to an acidic buffer, the hydrolytic activity of the suspension is much greater than when organelles are released in a blender co ntaining an isotonic solution adn then added to the same acidic buffer. What does \"hydrolytic activity\" mean and why should the organelles released into the distilled water have higher hydrolytic activity under acid conditions than the organelles released into an isotonic solution?

It was discovered that a fraction of membrane proteins can be removed by immersing a membrane in an aqueous salt solution, whereas the remaining fraction of proteins can only be removed by immersing the membrane in a detergen solution or organic solvent which dissolves lipids. Which fraction contains the peripheral proteins and which fraction contains the integral proteins and why? What does this experiment say about the way peripheral and integral proteins are bound to membranes?

Solution

When White Blood Cells (WBCs) (or any cell) are physically disrupted, cell organells are released. These organelles are proteins which can be broken down into its basic component - Amino Acids. The process to breakdown a protein to its basic amino acids in presence of water is called Hydrolysis and the extent to which a protein can be hydrolysed is its Hydrolytic Activity.

This hydrolysis of proteins can be brought about by various methods which includes: Enzymatic activity, Change in temperature or Change in pH.

Now, the intracellular pH of WBCs is around 7.35 to 7.45, which is slightly basic than neutral.

Now, to compare the hydrolysis in Distilled Water Vs in Isotonic Solution, the pH of both needs to be considered.

Since, the second soltion is Isotonic, its pH is adjusted to match that of the WBC\'s. Hence, the hydrolytic activity is low as compared to distilled water which has pH 7.0. This pH of 7.0 is acidic compared to the pH of WBCs and hence acid hydrolysis is further enhanced.

Thank You!

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