Free-flow electrophoretic analysis of endosome subpopulations of rat hepatocytes

The separation of functional early and late endosomes from other cellular compartments by free-flow electrophoresis (FFE) has been previously demonstrated in nonpolarized cells. Here, using 125I-labeled anti-secretory component antibodies ([125I]SC Ab) and FITC-labeled asialoorosomucoid (FITC-ASOR) as markers of the transcytotic and lysosomal pathway, respectively, we demonstrate the separation of three distinct endosome subpopulations from polarized rat hepatocytes. Internalization of both markers at 16 degrees C resulted in their accumulation in a common endosome compartment, indicating that both the transcytotic and the lysosomal pathways are arrested in the sorting early endosome at temperatures below 20 degrees C. After chase of the markers from early endosomes into the transcytotic or the degradative route at 37 degrees C, transcytotic endosomes carrying [125I]SC Ab migrated with an electrophoretic motility between early and late endosomes while late endosomes labeled with FITC-ASOR were deflected more towards the anode than early endosomes. These data indicate that in rat hepatocytes, the transcytotic and lysosomal pathways utilize a common (i.e. early endosomes) and two distinct endosome subpopulations (i.e. transcytotic endosomes, late endosomes) prior to delivering proteins for biliary secretion or lysosomal degradation, respectively.