Release of soluble resident as well as secretory proteins from HepG2 cells by partial permeabilization of rough-endoplasmic-reticulum membranes.

Secretory proteins migrate from the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi complex at different rates. Selective retention of specific proteins to rough-ER membrane constituents could explain this phenomenon. We have permeabilized HepG2 cells with low concentrations of saponin. Release of newly synthesized proteins was studied after brief labelling in the presence of 35S]methionine. The efflux of several secretory proteins was studied at various saponin concentrations; a 2-fold higher saponin concentration was required to release transferrin compared with that required to release albumin and orosomucoid. Glucosidase II, a soluble resident protein of the ER, is released at the same saponin concentration as albumin. Saponin did not destroy the membrane skeleton structure; at the concentrations used, the integral membrane protein G of vesicular-stomatitis virus remained fully associated with the cells.