The effect of phenylhydrazine on protein breakdown in rabbit reticulocytes.

In contrast to reticulocytes produced by bleeding reticulocytes produced by injections of phenylhydrazine exhibit a sizeable Antimycin A- and a large salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM)-resistant proteolysis. In their cytosol there exist both ATP-independent and ATP-dependent protease systems. The substrate of proteolysis are denatured and aggregated proteins arising from reactions of phenylhydrazine with cell constituents. In phenylhydrazine-induced reticulocytes there is an overlap between the basic biological process of maturation-dependent proteolysis of mitochondria and the breakdown of denatured and aggregated "abnormal" proteins.