Phagocytosis of concanavalin A in normal and enucleated cultures of mammalian cells.

The fate of concanavalin A (Con A) bound to normal and enucleated L cells was followed at the ultrastructural level over a 20-h period. In both enucleates and normal cells the Con A is seen to be distributed in a uniform manner over the entire cell surface following a 30-min pulse with a low concentration of Con A. In the subsequent chase period the cells then aggregate the Con A and Con A sites into large clusters on the cell membrane. The cells then phagocytoze the Con A and large phagocytic vacuoles containing it are observed. Thus, enucleated cells are capable of phagocytozing Con A and its sites in the same manner as normal cells.