Receptor-mediated endocytosis: An overview of a dynamic process.
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Date
1984-10
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Abstract
The decade of the 70’s was remarkable for the insights that rapidly accumulated to
provide us with an understanding of one of the fundamental processes of animal cell
metabolism, namely, how mammalian cells ingest a host of extracellular substances to satisfy
their various metabolic needs. It has long been appreciated that the surfaces of mammalian
cells are in a continual state of flux. Surface membranes often fold inward and pinch of in a
vesicular form trapping some of the contents of the extracellular material which are thus
transported into the cell. This process is called endocytosis (reviewed in Silverstein et al., 1977).
When extracellular fluids are taken up in this manner, the process is called fluid-phase
endocytosis or pinocytosis. When solids are ingested, the process is called phagocytosis.
Although quantitatively important over the long run, these modes of uptake are slow, nonspecific
and dependent on the concentration of the substance in the extracellular medium. In
recent years it has been recognized that animal cells have developed a specialized form of this
vesicular transport system to selectively retrieve and assimilate macromolecules from the
extracellular milieu with high efficiency. This process is called receptor-mediated endocytosis.
In this review an attempt is made to collate and correlate the evidence establishing receptormediated
endocytosis as a dynamic process that routes cell surface receptors and ligands
through multiple intracellular compartments to their ultimate destination.
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Keywords
Endocytosis, low density lipoprotein, receptor recycling, lysosomotropic agents, ionophores
Citation
Basu Sandip K. Receptor-mediated endocytosis: An overview of a dynamic process. Journal of Biosciences. 1984 Oct; 6(4): 535-542.