Degradation of endocytosed proteins is unaltered in senescent human fibroblasts.

We compared the abilities of young and senescent fibroblasts to take up and degrade [3H]ribonuclease A (native and oxidized), [3H]ribonuclease4-13, [3H]hemoglobin, [3H]glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, [3H]beta-galactosidase, [3H]glycogen phosphorylase, and [125I]serum albumin. The endocytic uptake of these proteins ranged from fluid-phase to predominantly absorptive. Intralysosomal degradation rates of the different endocytosed proteins varied by an order of magnitude, but in no case was there a difference between cultures of young and senescent fibroblasts.