title: Sugar uptake by fluid-phase pinocytosis and diffusion in isolated rat hepatocytes.
abstract: Measurements of sugar pinocytosis (fluid-phase endocytosis of radiolabelled sucrose, lactose and raffinose) in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes are disturbed by sugar diffusing into the cells through plasma-membrane blebs. Non-pinocytic entry may be even more pronounced at 0 degrees C, and is a major contributor to 'background' radioactivity. By electrodisruption of the plasma membrane, a distinction can be made between pinocytotically sequestered sugar and free sugar that has entered the cytosol by diffusion. Pinocytosis proceeds at a rate of 2%/h (relative to the intracellular fluid volume), whereas the rate of sucrose entry by diffusion is more than twice as high. Three pinocytotic compartments are distinguishable in isolated hepatocytes: (1) a rapidly recycling compartment, which is completely destroyed by electrodisruption, and which may represent pinocytic channels continuous with the plasma membrane; (2) a non-recycling (or very slowly recycling) electrodisruption-resistant compartment, which allows accumulation of the lysosomally hydrolysable sugar lactose, and which therefore must represent non-lysosomal vacuoles (endosomes?); (3) a lysosomal compartment (non-recycling, electrodisruption-resistant), which accumulates raffinose and sucrose, but which hydrolyses lactose. The last two compartments can be partially resolved in metrizamide/sucrose density gradients by the use of different sugar probes.
authors: Department of Tissue Culture, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo.
authors: P B
authors: PB
authors: Gordon
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Høyvik
authors: P O
authors: PO
authors: Seglen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007785:Lactose / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010873:Pinocytosis; D011887:Raffinose / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000378:metabolism; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism; D014633:Valine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D013395:Sucrose; D014633:Valine; D007785:Lactose; D011887:Raffinose