title: Endocytosis in renal proximal tubules. Experimental electron microscopical studies of protein absorption and membrane traffic in isolated, in vitro perfused proximal tubules.
abstract: The present study provides at least partly answers to some of the questions outlined in the introduction (see also Figs. 2 and 3): Endocytosis and intracellular transport of ferritin, HRP and insulin tracers (125I-insulin, native insulin and insulin-gold) was followed by use of EM-autoradiography, immunocytochemistry and cytochemistry. Proteins are internalized into endocytic vacuoles and transferred to the lysosomes for degradation. Tracers were not transferred to the Golgi apparatus. 125I-insulin is internalized by specific receptor mediated endocytosis from the apical plasma membrane, substantiating the hypothesis that specific endocytosis receptors are responsible for reabsorption of certain proteins. The binding sites are localized in endocytic invaginations and in the microvillus membrane. The binding sites in the invaginations are responsible for endocytosis, whereas the function of the microvilli binding sites is unclear, but they possess the ability to migrate in the plane of the microvillus membrane. Binding to specific binding sites and subsequent internalization of insulin takes place with high efficiency corresponding to more than 50% of the perfused load. Not all proteins are reabsorbed with high efficiency e.g. EGF which has similar molecular weight and pI is shown to be reabsorbed with substantially lower efficiency (about 4%). Binding and absorption efficiency of insulin may also change due to alterations in flow rate and perfused loads of protein: The load determines the magnitude of uptake and the flow rate determines the efficiency in binding and uptake. These changes are suggested to be caused by concomitant changes in the mean luminal concentration. The reabsorption process for insulin is efficient and of large capacity, and is only saturable (Michaelis-Menten kinetics) at very high concentrations of insulin. The proximal tubular internalization and degradation of 125I-insulin reach steady state rapidly. The processing can be described by a two-compartment model with t1/2 for transfer of 125I-insulin to lysosomes of 8.5 min and for lysosomal degradation of 72 min. 125I-PYY a linear peptide with similar molecular weight as EGF and insulin is not endocytosed but extracted with high efficiency (75% removed) by degradation by brush border peptidases and a substantial transtubular transport of TCA-precipitable PYY takes place by a paracellular route. A small vesicular transport of colloidal tracers was demonstrated constituting about 0.5% of the endocytosed amount. A method for covalently cross-linking insulin tracers to apical binding sites is described and evaluated. Recycling of apical binding sites was estimated to be very efficient and did not involve lysosomes or the Golgi apparatus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Anatomy, University of Aarhus.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D004705:Endocytosis / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007687:Kidney Tubules, Proximal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010477:Perfusion; D011485:Protein Binding; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins