Internalization and degradation of macrophage Fc receptors bound to polyvalent immune complexes

We have studied the Fc receptor-mediated pinocytosis of immunoglobulin G (IgG)-containing immune complexes by mouse macrophages. IgG complexes were formed from affinity-purified rabbit dinitrophenyl IgG and dinitrophenyl modified BSA at molar ratios of 2.5-10:1. Both the specificity of binding and the fate of internalized receptors were analyzed using monoclonal and polyclonal anti-Fc receptor antibodies. Based on the susceptibility of surface-bound ligand to release by proteolysis, we have found that at 37 degrees C, 125I-labeled IgG complexes were rapidly internalized (t1/2 less than 2 min) and delivered to lysosomes; acid-soluble 125I was detectable in the growth medium within 5-10 min of uptake. However, kinetic evidence indicated that Fc receptors were not efficiently re-used for multiple rounds of ligand uptake. Instead, macrophages that were exposed continuously to saturating concentrations of IgG complexes exhibited a selective and largely irreversible removal of Fc receptors from the plasma membrane. This loss of surface receptors correlated with an increased rate of receptor turnover, determined by immune precipitation of Fc receptors from 125I-labeled macrophages. Thus, in contrast to the results obtained in the accompanying paper (I. Mellman, H. Plutner, and P. Ukkonen, 1984, J. Cell Biol. 98:1163-1169) using a monovalent ligand, these data indicate that the interaction of Fc receptors with polyvalent complexes leads to the degradation of both ligand and receptor following their delivery to lysosomes.     

Azithromycin,a lysosomotropic antibiotic,has distinct effects on fluid-phase and receptor-mediated endocytosis,but does not impair phagocytosis in J774 macrophages

Pretreatment of J774 mouse macrophages by the dicationic macrolide antibiotic, azithromycin (AZ), selectively inhibited fluid-phase endocytosis of horseradish peroxidase and lucifer yellow, but not phagocytosis of latex beads. AZ delayed sequestration of receptor-bound transferrin and peroxidase-anti-peroxidase immune complexes into cell-surface endocytic pits and vesicles, but did not slow down the subsequent rate of receptor-mediated endocytosis. AZ down-regulated cell surface transferrin receptors, but not Fc gamma receptors, by causing a major delay in the accessibility of internalized transferrin receptors to the recycling route, without slowing down subsequent efflux, resulting in redistribution of the surface pool to an intracellular pool. Acidotropic accumulation of AZ was associated with an extensive vacuolation of late endosomes/lysosomes, and these compartments became inaccessible to horseradish peroxidase and immune complexes, but not to latex beads. The inhibitory profile of AZ cannot be solely accounted for by vacuolation and interference with acidification. AZ may help in dissecting various steps of the endocytic apparatus such as lateral mobility of receptors at the plasma membrane, formation of clathrin-independent endocytic vesicles, orientation of transferrin receptors into the recycling route, and fusogenicity with lysosomes.     

Recycling of epidermal growth factor-receptor complexes in A431 cells: identification of dual pathways

The intracellular sorting of EGF-receptor complexes (EGF-RC) has been studied in human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells. Recycling of EGF was found to occur rapidly after internalization at 37 degrees C. The initial rate of EGF recycling was reduced at 18 degrees C. A significant pool of internalized EGF was incapable of recycling at 18 degrees C but began to recycle when cells were warmed to 37 degrees C. The relative rate of EGF outflow at 37 degrees C from cells exposed to an 18 degrees C temperature block was slower (t1/2 approximately 20 min) than the rate from cells not exposed to a temperature block (t1/2 approximately 5-7 min). These data suggest that there might be both short- and long-time cycles of EGF recycling in A431 cells. Examination of the intracellular EGF-RC dissociation and dynamics of short- and long-time recycling indicated that EGF recycled as EGF-RC. Moreover, EGF receptors that were covalently labeled with a photoactivatable derivative of 125I-EGF recycled via the long-time pathway at a rate similar to that of 125I-EGF. Since EGF-RC degradation was also blocked at 18 degrees C, we propose that sorting to the lysosomal and long-time recycling pathway may occur after a highly temperature-sensitive step, presumably in the late endosomes.     

Receptor-mediated endocytosis of immunoglobulin-coated colloidal gold particles in cultured mouse peritoneal macrophages

Endocytosis of immunoglobulin G (IgG)-coated colloidal gold particles in cultured mouse peritoneal macrophages was studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. At 4 degrees C, the tracers adhered to the plasma membrane and accumulated in coated pits located in the bottom of furrows or deep invaginations on the cell surface. In the presence of an excess of unlabeled mouse IgG, cellular binding of the tracer was reduced by 80 to 90%. After warming to 37 degrees C, surface-bound tracer particles were rapidly ingested and transported to small and large vesicles lacking membrane coat. From here, they were then passed over to multivesicular bodies and lysosomes characterized by their content of myelin-like figures and other inclusions. Double-labeling experiments with IgG-coated colloidal gold particles of two different sizes (20 and 5 nm diameter) indicated that the plasma membrane was depleted of binding sites after uptake of a polyvalent ligand. The restoration of the binding capacity was a slow process requiring ongoing protein synthesis. On the basis of these observations, a model for endocytosis of immune complexes in macrophages is presented. It includes the following four steps: IgG-containing macromolecular aggregates bind to specific receptors in the plasma membrane. These appear to be preclustered in coated pits or able to move laterally within the membrane even at 4 degrees C. The receptor-ligand complexes are internalized and transferred sequentially to larger uncoated vesicles or endosomes, multivesicular bodies, and lysosomes with inclusions of varying appearance. Receptors and ligands are degraded within the lysosomes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

EGF receptor residues leu(679), leu(680) mediate selective sorting of ligand-receptor complexes in early endosomal compartments

Dileucine-based motifs have been shown to regulate endosomal sorting of a number of membrane proteins. Previously, we have shown that the dileucine motif Leu(679), Leu(680) in the juxtamembrane domain of the human epidermal growth factor receptor is involved in the endosome-to-lysosome transport of ligand-receptor complexes. Substitution of alanine residues for Leu(679), Leu(680) led to a reduction in ligand-induced receptor degradation without affecting internalization. In the current study, we have further characterized ligand-dependent intracellular sorting of EGF receptors containing a L679A, L680A. Immunocytochemical studies reveal that although mutant receptors redistribute from the cell surface to transferrin receptor-positive endocytic vesicles similar to wild-type following ligand stimulation, their accumulation in Lamp-1-positive late endosomes/lysosomes is retarded compared to wild-type. Kinetic analysis of (125)I-EGF trafficking shows that reduced accumulation of internalized mutant receptors in Lamp-1-positive vesicles is due to rapid recycling of ligand-receptor complexes from early endocytic compartments. In addition, the fraction of intracellular (125)I-EGF that is transported to late endocytic compartments in cells with mutant receptors is not as efficiently degraded as it is in cells with wild-type receptors. Furthermore, wild-type receptors in endocytic vesicles isolated by Percoll gradient fractionation are more resistant to in vitro digestion with proteinase K than mutant receptors. We propose that mutant receptors interact inefficiently with lysosomal sorting machinery, leading to their increased recycling. Our results are consistent with a model in which the Leu(679), Leu(680) signal facilitates sequestration of ligand-receptor complexes into internal vesicles of multivesicular endosome-to-lysosome transport intermediates.     

Antigen processing and intracellular Ia. Possible roles of endocytosis and protein synthesis in Ia function

Anti-I-A mAb and monovalent Fab fragments were used to explore the cellular distribution and endocytosis of I-A in peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) and TA3 B lymphoma-hybridoma cells. TA3 cells contained 1.6 x 10(5) I-A sites/cell, 22 to 35% of which were intracellular. This intracellular pool was cycloheximide resistant. PEC contained 1.8 x 10(5) I-A sites/cell, 25 to 40% of which were intracellular. Upon adherence, however, the intracellular pool of I-A in PEC dropped to 2 to 11% of the total cellular I-A. Ag processing by TA3 cells was unaffected 3 h after abrogation of protein synthesis with cycloheximide, suggesting that newly synthesized I-A is not necessary for Ag processing in TA3 cells (post-synthetic processing and transport of I-A to the plasma membrane were complete by 2 h in TA3 cells with or without cycloheximide, as assessed by sequential immunoprecipitation of surface and intracellular I-A). In adherent PEC, however, cycloheximide markedly inhibited Ag processing, suggesting depletion of factors necessary for Ag processing. Ag processing may involve binding of processed Ag peptides to intracellular Ia derived to varying degrees from both endocytosis and new biosynthesis. To explore the possibility of I-A recycling, I-A endocytosis was demonstrated using mAb and monovalent Fab probes; internalization occurred within 5 min and peaked by 10 to 15 min with 15 to 35% of bound antibody in an intracellular compartment, resistant to an acid wash. Subcellular density gradient fractionation demonstrated that I-A and transferrin were processed exclusively in an endosomal fraction of relatively light density, whereas ligands of the mannose receptor were processed in light endosomes and in a distinct, denser population of endosomes, and accumulated in lysosomes. Thus, I-A appears to be internalized into a specific population of endosomes that may play a central role in Ag processing.     

Transport of acid phosphatase to lysosomes does not involve passage through the cell surface

In foregoing studies, we reported that LGP107, a major lysosomal membrane glycoprotein in the rat liver, distributes in and circulates continuously throughout the endocytic membrane system (endosomes, lysosomes and plasma membrane), in hepatocytes (1,2). In the present study we examined whether acid phosphatase (APase), an enzyme that is transported to lysosomes as a transmembrane protein, passes through the cell surface during intracellular transport, because transport of newly synthesized APase to lysosomes involves the passage of endosomes containing a ligand which is internalized via receptors on the cell surface and is finally dispatched to lysosomes for degradation (3). When localization of APase in rat hepatocytes was investigated by immunoelectron microscopy, APase was found to be localized in lysosomes and endosomes, but not in coated pits on the cell surface, which are positive for LGP107, and from which antibodies for LGP107 are internalized. Further, unlike LGP107, newly synthesized APase was not detected in plasma membranes isolated from livers of rats given [35S]methionine, and when cultured hepatocytes were exposed to 125I-labeled anti APase IgG at 37 degrees C, there was no transfer of the antibody to lysosomes even after 24 h incubation. Therefore, these results indicate that intracellular movement of APase does not involve cell surface passage in rat hepatocytes, and clearly differs from the recent report that human APase is transported to lysosomes via the cell surface in BHK cells transfected with its cDNA (4).     

Recycling of photoaffinity-labeled insulin receptors in rat adipocytes. Dissociation of insulin-receptor complexes is not required for receptor recycling

We have used an iodinated, photoreactive analog of insulin, 125I-B2(2-nitro-4-azidophenylacetyl)-des-PheB1-insulin, to covalently label insulin receptors on the cell surface of isolated rat adipocytes. Following internalization of the labeled insulin-receptor complexes at 37 degrees C, we measured the rate and extent of recycling of these complexes using trypsin to distinguish receptors on the cell surface from those inside the cell. The return of internalized photoaffinity-labeled receptors to the cell surface was very rapid at 37 degrees C proceeding with an apparent t 1/2 of 6 min. About 95% of the labeled receptors present in the cell 20 min after the initiation of endocytosis returned to the cell surface by 40 min. Recycling was slower at 25 and 16 degrees C compared to 37 degrees C and essentially negligible at 12 degrees C or in the presence of energy depleters. Addition of excess unlabeled insulin had no effect on the recycling of photoaffinity-labeled insulin receptor complexes, whereas monensin, chloroquine, and Tris partially inhibited this process. These data indicate that dissociation of insulin from internalized receptors is not necessary for insulin receptor recycling. Furthermore, agents which have been shown to prevent vesicular acidification inhibit the recycling of insulin receptors by a mechanism other than prevention of ligand dissociation.     

"Synchronized" endocytosis and intracellular sorting in alveolar macrophages: the early sorting endosome is a transient organelle

Incubation of alveolar macrophages in hypoosmotic K(+)-containing buffers results in persistent cell swelling and an inability to undergo regulatory volume decrease. We demonstrate that cells incubated in hypo- K+ show an inhibition of endocytosis without any observed alteration in recycling. The inhibition of endocytosis affected all forms of membrane internalization, receptor and fluid phase. Both increased cell volume and the inhibition of endocytosis could be released upon return of cells to iso-Na+ buffers. The ability to synchronize the endocytic apparatus allowed us to examine hypotheses regarding the origin and maturation of endocytic vesicles. Incubation in hypo-K+ buffers had no effect on the delivery of ligands to degradative compartments or on the return of previously internalized receptors to the cell surface. Thus, membrane recycling and movement of internalized components to lysosomes occurred in the absence of continued membrane influx. We also demonstrate that fluorescent lipids, that had been incorporated into early endosomes, returned to the cell surface upon exposure of cells to hypo-K+ buffers. These results indicate that the early sorting endosome is a transient structure, whose existence depends upon continued membrane internalization. Our data supports the hypothesis that the transfer of material to lysosomes can best be explained by the continuous maturation of endosomes.     

Low concentrations of primaquine inhibit degradation but not receptor-mediated endocytosis of asialoorosomucoid by HepG2 cells

Asialoorosomucoid (ASOR) is internalized and degraded by HepG2 cells after binding to the asialoglycoprotein (ASGP) receptor, internalization through the coated pit/coated vesicle pathway, and trafficking to lysosomes. Primaquine, an 8-aminoquinoline antimalarial compound, inhibits ASOR degradation at concentrations greater than 0.2 mM by neutralizing intracellular acid compartments. This leads to alterations in surface receptor number, receptor-ligand dissociation, and receptor recycling. We have investigated the effects of primaquine on 125I-ASOR uptake and degradation as a function of primaquine concentration and duration of exposure. Concentrations below those required for neutralization of acidic compartments block 125I-ASOR degradation in HepG2 cells and lead to intracellular ligand accumulation. This effect is maximal at 80 microM primaquine. The intracellular 125I-ASOR is undegraded, dissociated from the ASGP receptor, and contained within vesicular compartments distinct from lysosomes, plasma membrane, or endosomes. In addition, the effect of 80 microM primaquine on 125I-ASOR degradation is very slowly reversible (greater than 6 h), in contrast to primaquine's rapidly reversible effect on receptor recycling and ligand uptake (10 min). Furthermore, the effect is ligand-specific. 125I-asialofetuin, another ASGP receptor ligand, is internalized and degraded in lysosomes at normal rates in HepG2 cells exposed to 80 microM primaquine. These findings indicate that primaquine has multiple effects on the uptake and degradation of ligand occurring in the endosome-lysosome pathway. These effects of primaquine differ in their concentration-dependence, site of action, reversibility, and ligand selectivity.     

Inhibitors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase cause defects in the postendocytic sorting of beta2-adrenergic receptors

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors have been shown to affect endocytosis or subsequent intracellular sorting in various receptor systems. Agonist-activated beta(2)-adrenergic receptors undergo desensitization by mechanisms that include the phosphorylation, endocytosis and degradation of receptors. Following endocytosis, most internalized receptors are sorted to the cell surface, but some proportion is sorted to lysosomes for degradation. It is not known what governs the ratio of receptors that recycle versus receptors that undergo degradation. To determine if phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases regulate beta(2)-adrenergic receptor trafficking, HEK293 cells stably expressing these receptors were treated with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors LY294002 or wortmannin. We then studied agonist-induced receptor endocytosis and postendocytic sorting, including recycling and degradation of the internalized receptors. Both inhibitors amplified the internalization of receptors after exposure to the beta-agonist isoproterenol, which was attributable to the sorting of a significant fraction of receptors to an intracellular compartment from which receptor recycling did not occur. The initial rate of beta(2)-adrenergic receptor endocytosis and the default rate of receptor recycling were not significantly altered. During prolonged exposure to agonist, LY294002 slowed the degradation rate of beta(2)-adrenergic receptors and caused the accumulation of receptors within rab7-positive vesicles. These results suggest that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors (1) cause a misrouting of beta(2)-adrenergic receptors into vesicles that are neither able to efficiently recycle to the surface nor sort to lysosomes, and (2) delays the movement of receptors from late endosomes to lysosomes.     

Inhibition of the acidification of endosomes and lysosomes by the antibiotic concanamycin B in macrophage J774.

The antibiotic concanamycin B was found to inhibit oxidized-low-density-lipoprotein(LDL)-induced accumulation of lipid droplets in the macrophage J774 at a concentration of 5-10 nM. Concanamycin B inhibited cholesteryl-ester synthesis from [14C]oleate by 50% at 14 nM without affecting the synthesis of triacylglycerol and polar lipids. Degradation of internalized oxidized 125I-LDL was inhibited by about 80% in cells treated with 25 nM concanamycin B, while cell-surface binding of oxidized 125I-LDL at 4 degrees C, uptake of surface-bound oxidized 125I-LDL and microsomal acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase activity were not significantly affected by the antibiotic at 25 nM. When J774 cells were treated with 25 nM concanamycin B at 37 degrees C for 60 min, there was a reduction of about 50% in the activity of cell-surface receptors. This reduction appeared to be due to partial trapping of the receptors within the cells. Concanamycin B significantly inhibited ATP-dependent acidification of endosomes and lysosomes of the J774 cells at a concentration of 4 nM. Since acidic condition of these organelles is required for receptor recycling and hydrolysis of lipoproteins, the results demonstrate that concanamycin-B inhibition of oxidized-LDL-induced accumulation of lipid droplets and cholesteryl esters in macrophages J774 is associated with reduced ATP-dependent acidification of these organelles.     

Receptor-mediated endocytosis of a chemoreceptor involved in triggering the discharge of cnidae in a sea anemone tentacle

Collodial gold coated with the glycoprotein, bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM-gold), was used to localize chemoreceptors known to be involved in triggering the discharge of cnidae in sea anemones. BSM-gold binds exclusively at the apical surface of the supporting cell, the cell adjacent to the cnidocyte (Watson and Hessinger, 1986). Subsequent to binding, BSM-gold is internalized into endosomes and then translocated to multivesicular bodies (MVBs) and lysosomes. At cold temperature (4 degrees C), BSM-gold appears in endosomes near the surface of the cell but not in endosomes located more medially in the cell, nor in MVBs or lysosomes. The kinetics and sequence of intracellular translocation of BSM-gold were studied by fixing animals at various intervals following incubation in BSM-gold. Unlike that for supporting cells adjacent to non-cnidocytes, the amount of gold at the surface of supporting cells adjacent to penetrant cnidocytes does not seem to change despite considerable internalization of the mucin-probe. Apparently, free receptors replace receptor-ligand complexes in a one-for-one fashion in these cells.     

Glucagon receptors in endothelial and Kupffer cells of mouse liver

To determine whether hepatic sinusoidal cells contain glucagon receptors and, if so, to study the significance of the receptors in the cells, binding of [125I]-glucagon to nonparenchymal cells (mainly endothelial cells and Kupffer cells) isolated from mouse liver was examined by quantitative autoradiography and biochemical methods. Furthermore, the pathway of intracellular transport of colloidal gold-labeled glucagon (AuG) was examined in vivo. Autoradiographic and biochemical results demonstrated many glucagon receptors in both endothelial cells and Kupffer cells, and more receptors being present in endothelial cells than in Kupffer cells. In vivo, endothelial cells internalized AuG particles into coated vesicles via coated pits and transported the particles to endosomes, lysosomes, and abluminal plasma membrane. Therefore, receptor-mediated transcytosis of AuG occurs in endothelial cells. The number of particles present on the abluminal plasma membrane was constant if the amount of injected AuG increased. Therefore, the magnitude of receptor-mediated transcytosis of AuG appears to be regulated by endothelial cells. Kupffer cells internalized the ligand into cytoplasmic tubular structures via plasma membrane invaginations and transported the ligand exclusively to endosomes and lysosomes, suggesting that the ligand is degraded by Kupffer cells.     

EGF induces receptor down-regulation with no receptor recycling in KB cells

Several ligands, including epidermal growth factor (EGF), have been found to negatively modulate or down-regulate their specific plasma membrane receptors. Using both 125I-EGF and a monoclonal antibody against the EGF-receptor (EGF-R1), we studied the down-regulation of the EGF-receptor in the human adenocarcinoma cell line KB. The results presented here demonstrate that incubating KB cells at 37 degrees C with EGF rapidly decreases the number of plasma membrane EGF-receptors. In addition, there is a concomitant rise of equal magnitude in the number of EGF molecules taken up. The latter result argues strongly that there is negligible recycling of the EGF-receptor in KB cells and that the major portion of internalized EGF-receptor complexes are transported to lysosomes and subsequently degraded. The fate of the EGF-receptor is markedly different from that of receptors not subject to down-regulation. The biochemical signals that operate to regulate such diverse receptor traffic in cells remains to be elucidated.     

Acid wash in determining cellular uptake of Fab/cell-permeating peptide conjugates

Successful intracellular delivery of various bioactive molecules has been reported using cell-permeating peptides (CPPs) as delivery vectors. To determine the effects of CPPs on the cellular uptake of immunoglobulin Fab fragment, conjugates of a radio-iodinated Fab fragment with CPPs (CPP-(125)I-Fab) derived from HIV-1 TAT, HIV-1 REV, and Antennapedia (ANP) were prepared. These vectors are rich in basic amino acids, and their strong adsorption on cell surfaces often results in overestimation of internalized peptides. Cell wash with an acidic buffer (0.2M glycine-0.15M NaCl, pH 3.0) was thus employed in this study to remove cell-surface adsorbed CPP-(125)I-Fab conjugates. This procedure enabled clearer understanding of the methods of internalization of CPP-(125)I-Fab conjugates. The kinetics of internalization of REV-(125)I-Fab conjugate was rapid, and a considerable fraction of REV-(125)I-Fab was taken up by HeLa cells as early as 5 min after administration. It was also shown that cellular uptake of these conjugates was significantly inhibited in the presence of endocytosis/ macropinocytosis inhibitors, in the order REV-(125)I-Fab > or = TAT-(125)I-Fab > or = ANP-(125)I-Fab; this order was the same as for effectiveness of intracellular delivery. Simultaneous cell washing with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and this acidic buffer effectively separated the internalized conjugates from the cell-surface-adsorbed ones, and considerable differences were observed in these amounts dependent on the employed CPPs.     

Divergent fates of P- and E-selectins after their expression on the plasma membrane.

P-selectin and E-selectin are related adhesion receptors for monocytes and neutrophils that are expressed by stimulated endothelial cells. P-selectin is stored in Weibel-Palade bodies, and it reaches the plasma membrane after exocytosis of these granules. E-selectin is not stored, and its synthesis is induced by cytokines. We studied the fate of the two proteins after their surface expression by following the intracellular routing of internalized antibodies to the selectins. By immunofluorescent staining, P-selectin antibody was first seen in endosomes, then in the Golgi region, and finally in Weibel-Palade bodies. In contrast, the E-selectin antibody was detected only in endosomes and lysosomes. Subcellular fractionation of cells after 4 h chase confirmed the localization of P-selectin antibody in storage granules and of the E-selectin antibody in lysosomes. In AtT-20 cells, a mouse pituitary cell line, transfected with P- or E-selectin, only P-selectin was delivered to the endogenous adrenocorticotrophic hormone storage granules after endocytosis. Deletion of the cytoplasmic domain abolished internalization. In summary, after a brief surface exposure, internalized E-selectin is degraded in the lysosomes, whereas P-selectin returns to the storage granules from where it can be reused.     

Internalization and processing of transferrin and the transferrin receptor in human carcinoma A431 cells

The binding and subsequent intracellular processing of transferrin and transferrin receptors was studied in A431 cells using 125I-transferrin and a monoclonal antibody to the receptor (ATR) labeled with 125I and gold colloid. Using 125I-transferrin we have shown that, whereas at 37 degrees C uptake proceeded linearly for up to 60 min, most of the ligand that was bound was internalized and then rapidly returned to the incubation medium undegraded. At 37 degrees C, the intracellular half- life of the most rapidly recycled transferrin was 7.5 min. 125I-ATR displayed the same kinetics of uptake but following its internalization at 37 degrees C, it was partially degraded. At 22 degrees C and below, the intracellular degradation of 125I-ATR was selectively inhibited and as a result it accumulated intracellularly. Electron microscopy of conventional thin sections and of whole-cell mounts was used to follow the uptake and processing of transferrin receptors labeled with ATR- gold colloid complexes. Using a pulse-chase protocol, the intracellular pathway followed by internalized ATR gold-receptor complexes was outlined in detail. Within 5 min at 22 degrees C the internalized complexes were transferred from coated pits on the cell surface to a system of narrow, branching cisternae within the peripheral cytoplasm. By 15 min they reached larger, more dilated elements that, in thin section, appeared as irregular profiles containing small (30-50-nm diam) vesicles. By 30 min, the gold complexes were located predominantly within typical spherical multivesicular bodies lying in the peripheral cytoplasm, and by 40-60 min, they reached a system of cisternal and multivesicular body elements in the juxtanuclear area. At 22 degrees C, no other compartments became labeled but if they were warmed to 37 degrees C the gold complexes were transferred to lysosome- like elements. Extracting ATR-gold complexes with Triton X after a 30- min chase at 22 degrees C and purifying them on Sepharose-transferrin indicated that the internalized complexes remained bound to the transferrin receptor during their intracellular processing.     

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.