Fate of plasma membrane during endocytosis. III. Evidence for incomplete breakdown of immunoglobulins in lysosomes of cultured fibroblasts

Abstract

Rat embryo fibroblasts, when cultured in the presence of control rabbit immunoglobulins (C IgG), doubly labeled by (3)H-acetylation (A) and then conjugated with flourescein (F), take up FAC IgG continuously for at least 72 h. They return the major part of their intake back to the medium in the form of breakdown products of very low molecular weight. Gel filtration and immunological analyses of cells and medium at various times indicate that essentially all the FAC IgG molecules taken up undergo digestion of their Fc part, but that the Fab part of only about three-fourths of the molecules is degraded. The rest remains stored intracellularly in the form of F(ab')2-type fragments that slowly dissociate into Fab'-type fragments.