title: Internalization efficiency of the transferrin receptor.
abstract: Quantitative ultrastructural and biochemical methods have allowed us to obtain a coherent set of data on the internalization efficiency of the transferrin receptor (TfR). In confluent cell cultures we find that (1) the initial internalization rate of transferrin is approximately 10% per minute, and (2) around 10% of cell-surface TfRs are present in coated pits. From these data a lifetime of coated pits of ca. 1 min is derived. Furthermore, we show that coated pits constitute 1.1-1.4% of the plasma membrane area in confluent cell cultures. Thus, the TfR is concentrated six- to ninefold in coated pits compared to resident plasma membrane proteins. Moreover, we show that the concentration of TfRs in coated pits is cell density dependent, since only around 5% of the receptors are present in coated pits in low-density cultures. Correspondingly, the internalization of TfRs in high-density cell cultures is roughly twice as efficient as that in low-density cell cultures. The reduced TfR internalization efficiency at low cell density is accounted for by a concomitant decrease to 0.55% in the relative surface area occupied by coated pits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sandvig
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Deurs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D003034:Coated Pits, Cell-Membrane / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004705:Endocytosis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D011990:Receptors, Transferrin