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Membrane traffic at the hepatocyte's sinusoidal and canalicular surface domains
Author(s) -
Evans W. Howard
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840010515
Subject(s) - hepatocyte , microbiology and biotechnology , endoplasmic reticulum , membrane , golgi apparatus , bone canaliculus , cell membrane , epithelial polarity , chemistry , biophysics , receptor , biology , biochemistry , anatomy , in vitro
Traffic in the environs of regions of the hepatocyte's plasma membrane is heavy. A fuller understanding of the nature and control of this membrane traffic depends on the appreciation of the hepatocyte's plasma membrane. This conglomerate consists of a receptor‐rich and metabolically dynamic blood‐sinusoidal domain which is separated from the bile canalicular domain by a lateral domain which participates in cell‐cell interactions (1, 2). The rapid receptor‐mediated endocytotic uptake and processing of membrane receptor‐ligand complexes occurring against a background of hepatic secretion is a key step in understanding relationships between intracellular membrane compartments and the maintenance of differentiated plasma membrane domains. The fate of a wide range of interiorized ligands appears to be decided upon transfer to a Golgi‐endoplasmic reticulum lysosomal (GERL) locus where a processing decision is made leading to release of ligands in an intact form into sinusoids or bile canaliculi, or to degradation. This review discusses properties of receptor‐binding sites for hormones and metabolites which are located primarily at the sinusoidal plasma membrane, the biogenesis of this membrane, and the various traffic routes of membrane‐ligand complexes traversing the hepatocyte interior.