title: Internalization of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) by rat pancreatic cells in vivo and in vitro.
abstract: The uptake of the lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) by the rat pancreas was studied after intraperitoneal injection of FITC-labelled WGA. Strong fluorescence was seen in the interstitial space of the pancreatic parenchyma and on the basolateral surface of acinar cells after one h. Two or four h after injection there was also a fluorescence inside the acinar cells. After intraparenchymal injection of colloidal gold-labelled WGA into the pancreatic gland in situ or in vitro incubation of isolated rat pancreatic acinar cells with WGA-gold, an internalization of the lectin by receptor mediated endocytosis was observed electron microscopically. Clathrin-coated pits or vesicles could not be observed. The results suggest a direct uptake of WGA from the peritoneum into the gland by diffusion and its binding as well as internalization by the pancreatic acinar cells.
authors: Department of Pathology, University of Rostock, Germany.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Wirth
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Schwuchow
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Jonas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004705:Endocytosis; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D017979:Gold Colloid / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010179:Pancreas / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D014909:Wheat Germ Agglutinins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017979:Gold Colloid; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen; D014909:Wheat Germ Agglutinins; C047939:fluorescein isothiocyanate-wheat germ agglutinin; C051777:wheat germ agglutinin-gold; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate