Hepatocellular processing of endocytosed proteins.

In conclusion, proteins of hepatobiliary transport utilize receptor-mediated endocytosis and intracellular vesicles and rely on functionally dynamic microtubules for their transport by hepatocytes. The many diverse transport pathways in hepatocytes reflect the many functions served by the uptake of various proteins from the blood. The mechanisms of sorting of ligands and their receptors in endosomes and the factors that regulate the intracellular transport pathways are not yet known. Future investigations in this area promise to yield many exciting discoveries about the hepatocellular processing of proteins.