Fusion of intracellular membrane pools with cell surfaces of macrophages stimulated by phorbol esters and calcium ionophores.

Mouse tumor macrophages (J774) exposed to phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) exhibited a marked increase in cell spreading. Correlated with this phenomenon was an increase in the number of cell surface transferrin (Tf) receptors and a corresponding decrease in the number of Tf receptors located intracellularly in membrane-bound endosomes. Similar effects were noted when J774 cells were exposed to the calcium ionophore A23187. Rabbit alveolar macrophages did not respond to PMA but did respond to A23187 by increasing cell spreading, which was accompanied by increases on the cell surface of four different receptors. These results demonstrate that phorbol esters and calcium ionophores can induce a redistribution of cellular receptors.