title: Binding of alpha 2-macroglobulin to hepatocytes: mechanism of in vivo clearance.
abstract: The binding of 125I-labeled human alpha 2-macroglobulin-methylamine to adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture was studied at 4 degrees C. Cells which had been in culture for 4 hours exhibited steady state ligand binding after 1 hour, a receptor number of 22,400 receptors per cell, and a dissociation constant of 0.6 nM. Adult rat hepatocytes exhibited a significant decrease in receptor number with increased time in primary culture with less than 10% of the initial number of receptors remaining after 2 days (p less than 0.01). In autopsy studies of mice injected intravenously with 125I-labeled alpha 2-macroglobulin-methylamine, greater than 90% of the cleared ligand was found in the liver. Autoradiography of the liver demonstrated that 80% of the ligand was cleared by hepatocytes. It is concluded that the hepatocytes are the primary pathway for clearance from the circulation of receptor recognized alpha 2-macroglobulin.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Ney
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Michalopoulos
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Pizzo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003080:Cold Temperature; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D026503:Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-1; D051381:Rats; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D026503:Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-1; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins