Abstract

The uptake of the lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) by the rat pancreas was studied after intraperitoneal injection of FITC-labelled WGA. Strong fluorescence was seen in the interstitial space of the pancreatic parenchyma and on the basolateral surface of acinar cells after one h. Two or four h after injection there was also a fluorescence inside the acinar cells. After intraparenchymal injection of colloidal gold-labelled WGA into the pancreatic gland in situ or in vitro incubation of isolated rat pancreatic acinar cells with WGA-gold, an internalization of the lectin by receptor mediated endocytosis was observed electron microscopically. Clathrin-coated pits or vesicles could not be observed. The results suggest a direct uptake of WGA from the peritoneum into the gland by diffusion and its binding as well as internalization by the pancreatic acinar cells.

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