The recycling itinerary of the 46 kDa mannose 6-phosphate receptor--Golgi to late endosomes--coincides with that of the 215 kDa M6PR

The intracellular distribution and trafficking of the 46 kDa mannose 6-phosphate (M6PR) receptor has been investigated in rat Clone 9 hepatocytes and NRK cells and compared to that of the 215 kDa M6PR. Antibodies were generated to a synthetic peptide corresponding to the last 15 amino acids of the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of the 46 kDa M6PR and used to localize it by immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase labeling. At steady state the 46 kDa M6PR was concentrated at its presumptive sorting site in the Golgi complex, mainly in middle and trans cisternae. In cells treated with chloroquine or NH4Cl, the receptor was found in swollen multivesicular endosomes as well as in Golgi cisternae. When chloroquine-treated cells were double labeled with antibodies to both the 215 and 46 kDa M6PR, all of the endosomes which contained detectable 46 kDa also contained 215 kDa receptor. Thus, after weak base treatment, the 46 kDa receptor is located in a compartment which corresponds to the delivery site of the 215 kDa receptor, previously identified as a late endosome (Woods, J. W., J. Goodhouse, M. G. Farquhar, Eur. J. Cell Biol. 50, 132-143 (1989]. We conclude that the intracellular itinerary of the 46 kDa M6PR is similar to that of the 215 kDa M6PR in that both receptors cycle between the Golgi complex and the same population of late endosomes (prelysosomes). However, the distribution of the two receptors along the recycling route varies under identical conditions in these two cell types.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Iterative fractionation of recycling receptors from lysosomally destined ligands in an early sorting endosome

To study the fusion and separation of endocytic compartments, we have used digital image analysis to quantify the accumulation of fluorescent ligands in endosomes during continuous endocytosis for periods of 1-20 min. Fluorescently labeled transferrin (Tf) and low density lipoproteins (LDL) were used as markers of recycling receptors and lysosomally directed ligands respectively. By measuring the intensity of individual endosomes, we found that the amount of LDL per endosome increases 30-40-fold between 1 and 10 min and then plateaus. In contrast, the amount of Tf per endosome reaches a steady state within 2 min at a level that is only three to four times that at 1 min. We used pulse-chase double label methods to demonstrate that Tf cycles through the compartment in which the LDL accumulates. When both Tf and LDL are added to cells simultaneously for 2 min, nearly all endosomes contain both labels. With 2-4 min further incubation in the absence of external ligands, LDL-containing compartments become depleted of Tf as Tf is directed to para-Golgi recycling endosomes. However, if Tf is added to the medium 2-4 min after a pulse with LDL, most of the LDL-containing endosomes become labeled with Tf. The data indicate that at least 30-40 endocytic vesicles containing both Tf and LDL fuse with an endosomal compartment over a period of 5-10 min. LDL accumulates within this compartment and Tf is simultaneously removed. Simple mathematical models suggest that this type of iterative fractionation can lead to very high efficiency sorting.     

Mannose-6-phosphate receptors for lysosomal enzymes cycle between the Golgi complex and endosomes

We have examined the distribution of mannose-6-phosphate (Man6P) receptors (215 kD) for lysosomal enzymes in cultured Clone 9 hepatocytes at various times after the addition or removal of lysosomotropic weak bases (chloroquine or NH4Cl). Our previous studies demonstrated that after treatment with these agents, Man6P receptors are depleted from their sorting site in the Golgi complex and accumulate in dilated vacuoles that could represent either endosomes or lysosomes (Brown, W. J., E. Constantinescu, and M. G. Farquhar, 1984, J. Cell Biol., 99:320-326). We have now investigated the nature of these vacuoles by labeling NH4Cl-treated cells simultaneously with anti-Man6P receptor IgG and lysosomal or endosomal markers. The structures in which the immunolabeled receptors are found were identified as endosomes based on the presence of endocytic tracers (lucifer yellow and cationized ferritin). The lysosomal membrane marker, lgp120, was associated with a separate population of swollen vacuoles that did not contain detectable Man6P receptors. When cells were allowed to recover from weak base treatment, the receptors reappeared in the Golgi cisternae of most cells (approximately 90%) within approximately 20 min, indicating that as the intra-endosomal pH drops and lysosomal enzymes dissociate, the entire population of receptors rapidly recycles to Golgi cisternae. When NH4Cl-treated cells were allowed to endocytose Man6P, a competitive inhibitor of lysosomal enzyme binding, the receptors also recycled to the Golgi cisternae, suggesting that lysosomal enzymes can dissociate from the receptors under these conditions (high pH + presence of competitive inhibitor). From these results it can be concluded that the intracellular itinerary of the 215-kD Man6P receptor involves its cycling via coated vesicles between the Golgi complex and endosomes, ligand dissociation is both necessary and sufficient to trigger the recycling of Man6P receptors to the Golgi complex, and endosomes rather than secondary lysosomes represent the junction where endocytosed material and primary lysosomes carrying receptor-bound lysosomal enzymes meet.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Evidence for nonvectorial, retrograde transferrin trafficking in the early endosomes of HEp2 cells

We have previously characterized the trafficking of transferrin (Tf) through HEp2 human carcinoma cells (Ghosh, R. N., D. L. Gelman, and F. R. Maxfield, 1994. J. Cell Sci. 107:2177-2189). Early endosomes in these cells are comprised of both sorting endosomes and recycling compartments, which are distinct separate compartments. Endocytosed Tf initially appears in punctate sorting endosomes that also contain recently endocytosed LDL. After short loading pulses, Tf rapidly sorts from LDL with first-order kinetics (t1/2 approximately 2.5 min), and it enters the recycling compartment before leaving the cell (t1/2 approximately 7 min). Here, we report a second, slower rate for Tf to leave sorting endosomes after HEp2 cells were labeled to steady state with fluorescein Tf instead of the brief pulse used previously. We determined this rate using digital image analysis to measure the Tf content of sorting endosomes that also contained LDL. With an 11-min chase, the Tf in sorting endosomes was 24% of steady-state value. This was in excess of the amount expected (5% of steady state) from the rate of Tf exit after short filling pulses. The excess could not be accounted for by reinternalization of recycled cell surface Tf, implying that either some Tf was retained in sorting endosomes, or that Tf was delivered back to the sorting endosomes from the recycling compartment. The former is unlikely since nearly all sorting endosomes contain detectable Tf after an 11-min chase, even though more than one third of the sorting endosomes were formed during the chase time. Furthermore, while observing living cells by confocal microscopy, we saw vesicle movements that appeared to be fluorescent Tf returning from recycling compartments to sorting endosomes. The slow rate of exit after steady-state labeling was similar to the Tf exit rate from the cell, suggesting an equilibration of Tf throughout the early endosomal system by this retrograde pathway. This retrograde traffic may be important for delivering molecules from the recycling compartment, which is a long-lived organelle, to sorting endosomes, which are transient.     

Receptor-mediated endocytosis of transferrin by Sertoli cells of the rat

Binding of 125I-transferrin (125I-Tf) to the plasma membrane of Sertoli cells and its endocytosis were analyzed by means of light- and electron-microscope quantitative radioautography. Five minutes after 125I-Tf was injected into the interstitial space of the testis, a strong labeling of the basal aspect of the seminiferous epithelium was observed in light-microscope radioautographs. Injection of the same dose of 125I-Tf plus a 200-fold excess of cold transferrin resulted in a marked diminution of the radioautographic reaction, indicating that the initial strong labeling with radiolabeled transferrin was specific. These results were consistent with the localization of immunoreactive fluorescence of transferrin receptor at the base of the seminiferous epithelium. In electron-microscope radioautographs of tubules collected at 5 min after injection, the membrane of Sertoli cells facing the basement membrane was well labeled with 125I-Tf. At 15 and 30 min, the plasma membrane was less intensely labeled, but the silver grains were then seen overlying multivesicular bodies with an electron-lucent matrix, identified as endosomes. This population of endosomes was always seen at a short distance from the basal membrane of Sertoli cells. At 90 min, no more labeling of the plasma membrane, endosomes, or any other cytoplasmic component was observed. Isolated seminiferous tubules and Sertoli cells labeled with 125I-Tf at 4 degrees C were rinsed and reincubated in a label-free medium at 37 degrees C for various periods of time from 5 to 90 min. A radioactive protein precipitated by trichloroacetic acid, presumably intact transferrin, was released from the tubules into the incubating medium; when measured, it was found to increase rapidly from 5 to 45 min and stabilize thereafter. These results suggest that transferrin was internalized by receptor-mediated endocytosis, reached endosomes, and then was released to the extratubular space. When native ferritin (NF), a tracer for fluid-phase endocytosis, was infused within the lumen of seminiferous tubules and 125I-Tf was simultaneously injected into the interstitial space, both markers rapidly reached different populations of endosomes. Endosomes labeled with NF, scattered throughout the cytoplasm, evolved with time into dense multivesicular bodies and secondary lysosomes, whereas radiolabeled transferrin reached only the endosomes located in the basal cytoplasm of Sertoli cells. The latter thus appeared to be principally involved in the uptake and recycling of transferrin.     

Modulation of receptor cycling by neuron-enriched endosomal protein of 21 kD

Although correct cycling of neuronal membrane proteins is essential for neurite outgrowth and synaptic plasticity, neuron-specific proteins of the implicated endosomes have not been characterized. Here we show that a previously cloned, developmentally regulated, neuronal protein of unknown function binds to syntaxin 13. We propose to name this protein neuron-enriched endosomal protein of 21 kD (NEEP21), because it is colocalized with transferrin receptors, internalized transferrin (Tf), and Rab4. In PC12 cells, NEEP21 overexpression accelerates Tf internalization and recycling, whereas its down-regulation strongly delays Tf recycling. In primary neurons, NEEP21 is localized to the somatodendritic compartment, and, upon N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) stimulation, the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate receptor subunit GluR2 is internalized into NEEP21-positive endosomes. NEEP21 down-regulation retards recycling of GluR1 to the cell surface after NMDA stimulation of hippocampal neurons. In summary, NEEP21 is a neuronal protein that is localized to the early endosomal pathway and is necessary for correct receptor recycling in neurons.     

Second messengers regulate endosomal acidification in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts.

Acidification of the endosomal pathway is important for ligand and receptor sorting, toxin activation, and protein degradation by lysosomal acid hydrolases. Fluorescent probes and imaging methods were developed to measure pH to better than 0.2 U accuracy in individual endocytic vesicles in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. Endosomes were pulse labeled with transferrin (Tf), alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M), or dextran, each conjugated with tetramethylrhodamine and carboxyfluorescein (for pH 5-8) or dichlorocarboxyfluorescein (for pH 4-6); pH in individual labeled vesicles was measured by ratio imaging using a cooled CCD camera and novel image analysis software. Tf-labeled endosomes acidified to pH 6.2 +/- 0.1 with a t1/2 of 4 min at 37 degrees C, and remained small and near the cell periphery. Dextran- and alpha 2M-labeled endosomes acidified to pH 4.7 +/- 0.2, becoming larger and moving toward the nucleus over 30 min; approximately 15% of alpha 2M-labeled endosomes were strongly acidic (pH less than 5.5) at only 1 min after labeling. Replacement of external Cl by NO3 or isethionate strongly and reversibly inhibited acidification. Addition of ouabain (1 mM) at the time of labeling strongly enhanced acidification in the first 5 min; Tf-labeled endosomes acidified to pH 5.3 without a change in morphology. Activation of phospholipase C by vasopressin (50 nM) enhanced acidification of early endosomes; activation of protein kinase C by PMA (100 nM) enhanced acidification strongly, whereas elevation of intracellular Ca by A23187 (1 microM) had no effect on acidification. Activation of protein kinase A by CPT-cAMP (0.5 mM) or forskolin (50 microM) inhibited acidification. Lysosomal pH was not affected by ouabain or the protein kinase activators. These results establish a methodology for quantitative measurement of pH in individual endocytic vesicles, and demonstrate that acidification of endosomes labeled with Tf and alpha 2M (receptor-mediated endocytosis) and dextran (fluid-phase endocytosis) is sensitive to intracellular anion composition, Na/K pump inhibition, and multiple intracellular second messengers.     

Receptor-mediated endocytosis of transferrin and recycling of the transferrin receptor in rat reticulocytes

At 4 degrees C transferrin bound to receptors on the reticulocyte plasma membrane, and at 37 degrees C receptor-mediated endocytosis of transferrin occurred. Uptake at 37 degrees C exceeded binding at 4 degrees C by 2.5-fold and saturated after 20-30 min. During uptake at 37 degrees C, bound transferrin was internalized into a trypsin- resistant space. Trypsinization at 4 degrees C destroyed surface receptors, but with subsequent incubation at 37 degrees C, surface receptors rapidly appeared (albeit in reduced numbers), and uptake occurred at a decreased level. After endocytosis, transferrin was released, apparently intact, into the extracellular space. At 37 degrees C colloidal gold-transferrin (AuTf) clustered in coated pits and then appeared inside various intracellular membrane-bounded compartments. Small vesicles and tubules were labeled after short (5-10 min) incubations at 37 degrees C. Larger multivesicular endosomes became heavily labeled after longer (20-35 min) incubations. Multivesicular endosomes apparently fused with the plasma membrane and released their contents by exocytosis. None of these organelles appeared to be lysosomal in nature, and 98% of intracellular AuTf was localized in acid phosphatase-negative compartments. AuTf, like transferrin, was released with subsequent incubation at 37 degrees C. Freeze-dried and freeze-fractured reticulocytes confirmed the distribution of AuTf in reticulocytes and revealed the presence of clathrin-coated patches amidst the spectrin coating the inner surface of the plasma membrane. These data suggest that transferrin is internalized via coated pits and vesicles and demonstrate that transferrin and its receptor are recycled back to the plasma membrane after endocytosis.     

Relations between the intracellular pathways of the receptors for transferrin, asialoglycoprotein, and mannose 6-phosphate in human hepatoma cells

We compared the intracellular pathways of the transferrin receptor (TfR) with those of the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) and the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (MPR)/insulin-like growth factor II receptor during endocytosis in Hep G2 cells. Cells were allowed to endocytose a conjugate of horseradish peroxidase and transferrin (Tf/HRP) via the TfR system. Postnuclear supernatants of homogenized cells were incubated with 3,3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and H2O2. Peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of DAB within Tf/HRP-containing endosomes cross-linked their contents to DAB polymer. The cross-linking efficiency was dependent on the intravesicular Tf/HRP concentration. The loss of detectable receptors from samples of cell homogenates treated with DAB/H2O2 was used as a measure of colocalization with Tf/HRP. To compare the distribution of internalized plasma membrane receptors with Tf/HRP, cells were first surface-labeled with 125I at 0 degrees C. After uptake of surface 125I-labeled receptors at 37 degrees C in the presence of Tf/HRP, proteinase K was used at 0 degrees C to remove receptors remaining at the plasma membrane. Endocytosed receptors were isolated by means of immunoprecipitation. 125I-TfR and 125I-ASGPR were not sorted from endocytosed Tf/HRP. 125I-MPR initially also resided in Tf/HRP-containing compartments, however 70% was sorted from the Tf/HRP pathway between 20 and 45 min after uptake. To study the accessibility of total intracellular receptor pools to endocytosed Tf/HRP, nonlabeled cells were used, and the receptors were detected by means of Western blotting. The entire intracellular TfR population, but only 70 and 50% of ASGPR and MPR, respectively, were accessible to endocytosed Tf/HRP. These steady-state levels were reached by 10 min of continuous Tf/HRP uptake at 37 degrees C. We conclude that 30% of the intracellular ASGPR pool is not involved in endocytosis (i.e., is silent). Double-labeling immunoelectron microscopy on DAB-labeled cells showed a considerable pool of ASGPR in secretory albumin-positive, Tf/HRP-negative, trans-Golgi reticulum. We suggest that this pool represents the silent ASGPR that has been biochemically determined. A model of receptor transport routes is presented and discussed.     

Computer analysis of double labeling: ultrastructural distribution of vasoactive intestinal peptide and transferrin in human colon cancer cells

Transferrin (Tf) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) were labeled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and 125I, respectively. To determine whether two simultaneously incubated ligands are conveyed by the same population of endosomal vesicles in human colon carcinoma cells (HT-29), we used an analysis system derived from the cross-fire method for quantitation of autoradiographic data. This system permitted the collection of data and the statistical calculations required by the double labeling of the cells. HRP-labeled Tf organelles were chosen as reference structures of the endosomal apparatus and taken as the conventional source of the radiolabeling. Our data established from the co-localization hypothesis strongly suggest that after a 30-sec (T 1/2) and a 10-min (T10) internalization at 37 degrees C, VIP and Tf share in major part the same endocytic pathway and even the recycling route to the cell surface. At T10, most of the radiolabeling was located inside the tubulovesicular network, and we also detected slight radiolabeling inside the vesicles recycling Tf. The number of double-labeled endosomes involved in ligand traffic were advantageously observed with our computer-assisted analysis system.     

ARF6 Targets Recycling Vesicles to the Plasma Membrane: Insights from an Ultrastructural Investigation

We have shown previously that the ADP- ribosylation factor (ARF)-6 GTPase localizes to the plasma membrane and intracellular endosomal compartments. Expression of ARF6 mutants perturbs endosomal trafficking and the morphology of the peripheral membrane system. However, another study on the distribution of ARF6 in subcellular fractions of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells suggested that ARF6 did not localize to endosomes labeled after 10 min of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) uptake, but instead was uniquely localized to the plasma membrane, and that its reported endosomal localization may have been a result of overexpression. Here we demonstrate that at the lowest detectable levels of protein expression by cryoimmunogold electron microscopy, ARF6 localized predominantly to an intracellular compartment at the pericentriolar region of the cell. The ARF6-labeled vesicles were partially accessible to HRP only on prolonged exposure to the endocytic tracer but did not localize to early endocytic structures that labeled with HRP shortly after uptake. Furthermore, we have shown that the ARF6-containing intracellular compartment partially colocalized with transferrin receptors and cellubrevin and morphologically resembled the recycling endocytic compartment previously described in CHO cells. HRP labeling in cells expressing ARF6(Q67L), a GTP-bound mutant of ARF6, was restricted to small peripheral vesicles, whereas the mutant protein was enriched on plasma membrane invaginations. On the other hand, expression of ARF6(T27N), a mutant of ARF6 defective in GDP binding, resulted in an accumulation of perinuclear ARF6-positive vesicles that partially colocalized with HRP on prolonged exposure to the tracer. Taken together, our findings suggest that ARF activation is required for the targeted delivery of ARF6-positive, recycling endosomal vesicles to the plasma membrane.     

Herpes Simplex Virus gD and Virions Accumulate in Endosomes by Mannose 6-Phosphate-Dependent and -Independent Mechanisms

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) glycoprotein D (gD) is modified with mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) and binds to M6P receptors (MPRs). MPRs are involved in the well-characterized pathway by which lysosomal enzymes are directed to lysosomes via a network of endosomal membranes. Based on the impaired ability of HSV to form plaques under conditions in which glycoproteins could not interact with MPRs, we proposed that MPRs may function during HSV egress or cell-to-cell spread (C. R. Brunetti, R. L. Burke, B. Hoflack, T. Ludwig, K. S. Dingwell, and D. C. Johnson, J. Virol. 69:3517–3528, 1995). To further analyze M6P modification and intracellular trafficking of gD in the absence of other HSV proteins, adenovirus (Ad) vectors were used to express soluble and membrane-anchored forms of gD. Both membrane-bound and soluble gD were modified with M6P residues and were localized to endosomes that contained the 275-kDa MPR or the transferrin receptor. Similar results were observed in HSV-infected cells. Cell fractionation experiments showed that gD was not present in lysosomes. However, a mutant form of gD and another HSV glycoprotein, gI, that were not modified with M6P were also found in endosomes in HSV-infected cells. Moreover, a substantial fraction of the HSV nucleocapsid protein VP6 was found in endosomes, consistent with accumulation of virions in an endosomal compartment. Therefore, it appears that HSV glycoproteins and virions are directed to endosomes, by M6P-dependent as well as by M6P-independent mechanisms, either as part of the virus egress pathway or by endocytosis from the cell surface.     

Transfer of M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors to clathrin-derived early endosomes following clathrin-independent endocytosis

Upon agonist stimulation, many G protein-coupled receptors such as beta(2)-adrenergic receptors are internalized via beta-arrestin- and clathrin-dependent mechanisms, whereas others, like M(2) muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs), are internalized by clathrin- and arrestin-independent mechanisms. To gain further insight into the mechanisms that regulate M(2) mAChR endocytosis, we investigated the post-endocytic trafficking of M(2) mAChRs in HeLa cells and the role of the ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6) GTPase in regulating M(2) mAChR internalization. Here, we report that M(2) mAChRs are rapidly internalized by a clathrin-independent pathway that is inhibited up to 50% by expression of either GTPase-defective Arf6 Q67L or an upstream Arf6 activator, Galpha(q) Q209L. In contrast, M(2) mAChR internalization was not affected by expression of dominant-negative dynamin 2 K44A, which is a known inhibitor of clathrin-dependent endocytosis. Nevertheless, M(2) mAChRs, which are initially internalized in structures that lack clathrin-dependent endosomal markers, quickly localize to endosomes that contain the clathrin-dependent, early endosomal markers early endosome autoantigen-1, transferrin receptor, and GTPase-defective Rab5 Q79L, which is known to swell early endosomal compartments. These results suggest that M(2) mAChRs initially internalize via an Arf6-associated, clathrin-independent pathway but then quickly merge with the clathrin endocytic pathway at the level of early endosomes.     

Transport from late endosomes to lysosomes, but not sorting of integral membrane proteins in endosomes, depends on the vacuolar proton pump

Endocytosed proteins are sorted in early endosomes to be recycled to the plasma membrane or transported further into the degradative pathway. We studied the role of endosomes acidification on the endocytic trafficking of the transferrin receptor (TfR) as a representative for the recycling pathway, the cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (MPR) as a prototype for transport to late endosomes, and fluid-phase endocytosed HRP as a marker for transport to lysosomes. Toward this purpose, bafilomycin A1 (Baf), a specific inhibitor of the vacuolar proton pump, was used to inhibit acidification of the vacuolar system. Microspectrofluorometric measurement of the pH of fluorescein-rhodamine-conjugated transferrin (Tf)-containing endocytic compartments in living cells revealed elevated endosomal pH values (pH > 7.0) within 2 min after addition of Baf. Although recycling of endocytosed Tf to the plasma membrane continued in the presence of Baf, recycled Tf did not dissociate from its receptor, indicating failure of Fe3+ release due to a neutral endosomal pH. In the presence of Baf, the rates of internalization and recycling of Tf were reduced by a factor of 1.40 +/- 0.08 and 1.57 +/- 0.25, respectively. Consequently, little if any in TfR expression at the cell surface was measured during Baf treatment. Sorting between endocytosed TfR and MPR was analyzed by the HRP-catalyzed 3,3'- diaminobenzidine cross-linking technique, using transferrin conjugated to HRP to label the endocytic pathway of the TfR. In the absence of Baf, endocytosed surface 125I-labeled MPR was sorted from the TfR pathway starting at 10 min after uptake, reaching a plateau of 40% after 45 min. In the presence of Baf, sorting was initiated after 20 min of uptake, reaching approximately 40% after 60 min. Transport of fluid-phase endocytosed HRP to late endosomes and lysosomes was measured using cell fractionation and immunogold electron microscopy. Baf did not interfere with transport of HRP to MPR-labeled late endosomes, but nearly completely abrogated transport to cathepsin D- labeled lysosomes. From these results, we conclude that trafficking through early and late endosomes, but not to lysosomes, continued upon inactivation of the vacuolar proton pump.     

Morphological characterization of the pathway of endocytosis and intracellular processing of transferrin and alpha-fetoprotein in human T lymphocytes stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA)

Covalent conjugates of transferrin (Tf) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) have been used to follow, at the ultrastructural level, the uptake and the intracellular pathway of these proteins in peripheral blood human lymphocytes stimulated by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) to blast formation. Both proteins enter specifically the cells via vesicles (60-70 nm in diameter) and endosomes. They are then observed in multivesicular bodies and tubular vesicular elements in the Golgi region. AFP is thus found in the same subcellular compartments as Tf and is probably also recycled, as most of the 125I-labeled protein leaves the cells undegraded. Unstimulated lymphocytes do not internalize significantly AFP-HRP. The uptake of a noncovalent conjugate of AFP-HRP and [3H]-arachidonic acid [3H-(20:4)] is usually poor, at 37 degrees C, in unstimulated lymphocytes as well as, at 4 degrees C, in lymphocytes stimulated for 72 h. Stimulated lymphocytes incubated at 37 degrees C with the radioactive conjugate show a heavy labeling of cell organelles and more particularly of lipid droplets. AFP could regulate the intracellular delivery of fatty acid molecules.     

The GTP/GDP cycling of rho GTPase TCL is an essential regulator of the early endocytic pathway

Rho GTPases are key regulators of actin dynamics. We report that the Rho GTPase TCL, which is closely related to Cdc42 and TC10, localizes to the plasma membrane and the early/sorting endosomes in HeLa cells, suggesting a role in the early endocytic pathway. Receptor-dependent internalization of transferrin (Tf) is unaffected by suppression of endogenous TCL by small interfering RNA treatment. However, Tf accumulates in Rab5-positive uncoated endocytic vesicles and fails to reach the early endosome antigen-1-positive early endosomal compartments and the pericentriolar recycling endosomes. Moreover, Tf release upon TCL knockdown is significantly slower. Conversely, in the presence of dominant active TCL, internalized Tf accumulates in early endosome antigen-1-positive early/sorting endosomes and not in perinuclear recycling endosomes. Tf recycles directly from the early/sorting endosomes and it is normally released by the cells. The same phenotype is generated by replacing the C terminus of dominant active Cdc42 and TC10 with that of TCL, indicating that all three proteins share downstream effector proteins. Thus, TCL is essential for clathrin-dependent endocytosed receptors to enter the early/sorting endosomes. Furthermore, the active GTPase favors direct recycling from early/sorting endosomes without accumulating in the perinuclear recycling endosomes.     

Lumenal labeling of rat hepatocyte early endosomes. Presence of multiple membrane receptors and the Na+,K(+)-ATPase.

We used lactoperoxidase-mediated iodination to investigate the lumenal polypeptide composition of rat hepatocyte endosomes. A chemical conjugate of asialoorosomucoid and lactoperoxidase that binds specifically to hepatocyte asialoglycoprotein receptors was perfused through isolated rat livers at 16 degrees C in the presence of mannan, resulting in the accumulation of ligand in early endosomes. Endosome containing low density vesicle fractions were subsequently isolated from sucrose gradients of microsomes, and the lactoperoxidase moiety was used to catalyze the iodination of lumenal-facing proteins. After gel electrophoresis, 125I-labeled early endosomes reproducibly showed a distinct 125I-polypeptide profile containing prominently labeled bands migrating at 43, 52, 58, 90, 110, 135, 230, and greater than 300 kDa. The asialoglycoprotein receptor (43-, 52-, and 58-kDa subunits) was by far the predominantly labeled protein even when iodinations were performed under conditions of receptor-ligand dissociation, and we conclude that it is the most abundant hepatocyte early endosomal protein. Furthermore, the iodination profile of the three asialoglycoprotein receptor subunits differed strikingly from their chemical amounts. Using immunoprecipitation, we directly identified the Na+,K(+)-ATPase; to our knowledge, this is the first biochemical evidence for the Na+,K(+)-ATPase in rat hepatocyte early endosomes. We also directly identified receptors for mannose 6-phosphate, epidermal growth factor, transferrin, and polymeric IgA in 125I-labeled early endosomes.     

Endocytosis and intracellular processing of transferrin and colloidal gold-transferrin in rat reticulocytes: demonstration of a pathway for receptor shedding

Endocytosis and intracellular processing of transferrin (Tf) and Tf receptors were examined in rat reticulocytes. Subcellular fractionation revealed that Tf enters a non-lysosomal endocytic compartment with a density between those of plasma membrane and lysosomes. After 20 min of uptake at (37 degrees C) 35 to 40% of cell-associated Tf was contained in this intermediate-density compartment. To test the fidelity of colloidal gold-Tf (AuTf) as a probe for Tf processing, reticulocytes were fractionated after uptake of 131I-Tf and 125I-AuTf. The subcellular distributions of the two ligands were indistinguishable by this method, a result suggesting that AuTf is processed similarly to Tf. Electron microscopy revealed that AuTf entered multivesicular endosomes (MVEs) as well as various small vesicles and tubular structures. In addition MVE exocytosis was observed with discharge of inclusion vesicles and associated AuTf. AuTf was bound to the outside of these vesicles both before and after exocytosis. These data suggest that Tf receptors are shed from developing reticulocytes by incorporation into the limiting membrane of inclusion vesicles, followed by discharge of these vesicles by MVE exocytosis. As further evidence of this process, we isolated inclusion vesicles after their discharge and found them to contain Tf receptors. Moreover, the rate of Tf receptor shedding by inclusion vesicle discharge matches Tf receptor loss rates closely enough to suggest that this is the primary path of receptor loss during reticulocyte development.     

Transferrin receptors recycle to cis and middle as well as trans Golgi cisternae in Ig-secreting myeloma cells

The recycling itinerary of plasma membrane transferrin receptors (TFR) was charted in IgG-secreting mouse myeloma cells (RPC 5.4) by tagging surface receptors with either bound anti-transferrin receptor antibodies (anti-TFR) or Fab fragments thereof and determining the intracellular destinations of the tagged receptors by immunocytochemistry. By immunofluorescence, TFR tagged with either probe were seen to be rapidly internalized and translocated from the cell surface to the juxtanuclear (Golgi) region. When localized by immunoperoxidase procedures at the electron microscopic level, the anti-TFR-labeled receptors were detected in all cisternae (cis, middle, and trans) of the Golgi stacks as well as in endosomes and trans Golgi reticular elements. There was no difference in the routing of TFR tagged with monovalent Fab and those tagged with divalent IgG. Tagged receptors were detected in Golgi stacks of approximately 50% of the cells analyzed. The position of the labeled cisternae within a given stack was found to be quite variable with cis and middle cisternae more often labeled at 5 min and trans cisternae at 30 min of antibody uptake. The finding that recycling plasmalemmal TFR can visit all or most Golgi subcompartments raises the likely possibility that any Golgi-associated posttranslational modification can occur during recycling as well as during the initial biosynthesis of plasmalemma receptors and other membrane proteins.     

ClC-3 chloride channels facilitate endosomal acidification and chloride accumulation

We investigated the involvement of ClC-3 chloride channels in endosomal acidification by measurement of endosomal pH and chloride concentration [Cl-] in control versus ClC-3-deficient hepatocytes and in control versus ClC-3-transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. Endosomes were labeled with pH or [Cl-]-sensing fluorescent transferrin (Tf), which targets to early/recycling endosomes, or alpha2-macroglobulin (alpha2M), which targets to late endosomes. In pulse label-chase experiments, [Cl-] was 19 mM just after internalization in alpha2M-labeled endosomes in primary cultures of hepatocytes from wild-type mice, increasing to 58 mM over 45 min, whereas pH decreased from 7.1 to 5.4. Endosomal acidification and [Cl-] accumulation were significantly impaired in hepatocytes from ClC-3 knock-out mice, with [Cl-] increasing from 16 to 43 mM and pH decreasing from 7.1 to 6.0. Acidification and Cl- accumulation were blocked by bafilomycin. In Tf-labeled endosomes, [Cl-] was 46 mM in wild-type versus 35 mM in ClC-3-deficient hepatocytes at 15 min after internalization, with corresponding pH of 6.1 versus 6.5. Approximately 4-fold increased Cl- conductance was found in alpha2M-labeled endosomes isolated from hepatocytes of wild-type versus ClC-3 null mice. In contrast, Golgi acidification was not impaired in ClC-3-deficient hepatocytes. In transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing ClC-3A, endosomal acidification and [Cl-] accumulation were enhanced. [Cl-] in alpha2M-labeled endosomes was 42 mM (control) versus 53 mM (ClC-3A) at 45 min, with corresponding pH 5.8 versus 5.2; [Cl-] in Tf-labeled endosomes at 15 min was 37 mM (control) versus 49 mM (ClC-3A) with pH 6.3 versus 5.9. Our results provide direct evidence for involvement of ClC-3 in endosomal acidification by Cl- shunting of the interior-positive membrane potential created by the vacuolar H+ pump.