STUDIES ON THE ORGANIZATION OF THE BRUSH BORDER IN INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL CELLS

Abstract

Brush borders isolated from the epithelial cells of hamster jejunum have been dissociated by treatment with 1 M Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane into several subfractions which can be separated by means of centrifugation on glycerol density gradients. Investigation of the chemical specificity of disrupting agents suggests that the amino group of Tris, in its positively charged state, is involved. Five individual bands or fractions have been routinely recovered from density gradients. The distribution of alkaline phosphatase and maltase activities among these fractions has been studied and the results indicate that both enzymes are predominantly associated with one fraction which has been identified in a companion paper as being composed of the membranes of the brush border microvilli. A fibrillar material of unidentified origin has also been obtained from Tris-disrupted brush borders.