[The characteristics of the internalization of normal and mutant receptors for the growth factor released by...

The platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a major mitogen in serum for connective tissue derived cells in culture. The influence of receptor structure on the ability of PDGF receptor to be internalized was studied using cell lines transfected with different PDGF-receptor constructions. CHO cell lines expressing either normal PDGF receptor (CHO wt cells) or truncated PDGF receptor, lacking all but 19 amino acids of the intracellular domain (CHO-ECTM cells) were stained according to the method of indirect immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibody B2 to PDGF receptor. It has been found that after a 30-min incubation of the CHO wt cells at 37 degrees C in the presence of PDGF-BB a typical process of endocytosis is observed, while after a 2 h incubation in the same conditions the staining of the cells is absent which suggested the existence of the down-regulation and the process of degradation of PDGF receptor in CHO wt cells. In contrast, in the case of CHO-ECTM cells after both 30-min and 2-h incubation of cells in the presence of PDGF-BB a bright staining of margins and a low staining of the cytoplasm are observed. When the cells where incubated in the presence of lysosomotropic drug chloroquine (0.1 mM), that inhibits degradation of the receptor, the immunostaining of CHO wt cells is changed, with bright compact spots appearing. But in CHO-ECTM cells the fluorescence pattern is not changed. To examine the rate of endocytosis of PDGF-BB, both the types of cells were incubated in the presence of 2 ng/ml of 125I-PDGF-BB.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)