A tubular endosomal fraction from rat liver: biochemical evidence of receptor sorting by default

We previously have isolated an endosomal fraction from rat liver, termed receptor-recycling compartment (RRC), which is highly enriched in recycling receptors and in the transcytotic polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR). We now have analyzed the RRC fraction by immunoisolation and found that no uniquely transcytotic elements were present, because recycling receptors and the pIgR were coisolated on the same elements. In addition, RRC was very rich in proteins previously shown to be associated with recycling endosomes, such as rab 11, cellubrevin, and endobrevin, but relatively poor in early endosome antigen 1. As RRC contains mainly tubules and small vesicles, our results indicate that it is enriched in elements of a tubular endosomal compartment involved in receptor sorting. Biochemical analysis showed that the density of recycling receptors and transcytotic pIgR in RRC membranes was similar to that in early endosome membranes. This observation supports the idea that increasing membrane surface area by endosome tubulation is the main mechanism to ensure efficient receptor sorting and, at the same time, locates RRC in a common step of the endocytotic system before final receptor segregation into distinct recycling and transcytotic pathways.