Cytoskeletal involvement in the sequential capping of rat thymocyte surface glycoproteins

The independent capping of the three major rat thymocyte glycoproteins, the leucocyte-common (L-C) antigen, the leucocyte sialoglycoprotein (LSGP) and Thy-1, was investigated using specific monoclonal antibodies. The capping of each antigen did not require redistribution of the other major surface glycoproteins, and was accompanied by a partial co-capping of the cytoskeletal proteins fodrin and actin, but not of tubulin. A study of the ability of a cell that already possesses one glycoprotein cap to cap a second different glycoprotein showed that this was possible in all cases to varying degrees, the second cap always forming at the same position on the cell surface as the first. Colchicine failed to perturb this observed sequential capping polarity, indicating that microtubules did not direct this second capping event.