Ultrastructural immunocytochemical localization of the phosphomannosyl receptor in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells.

Using ultrastructural immunocytochemistry and antibodies directed against bovine liver phosphomannosyl (PM) receptor, we have localized the receptor in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The majority of the receptor was found within the cell. Only a small fraction of the receptor was found on the surface and most of it was clustered in coated pits. Because these cells contain endogenous ligands for the receptor, it was not possible to determine if this clustered state was dependent on occupancy of the receptor. The bulk of the cell's receptor was found in the endoplasmic reticulum, nuclear envelope, and in the Golgi system. Most of the Golgi localization was associated with peripheral Golgi elements, suggesting a possible concentration of receptor in GERL. Very little receptor was found associated with mature lysosomes. PM receptor was also localized in structures that were identified as receptosomes by the presence of alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M)-gold, a ligand previously shown to enter CHO cells by the coated pit-receptosome pathway. This finding is consistent with the notion that during receptor-mediated endocytosis, receptors accompany ligand from the coated pit into the receptosome. The observation that the majority of the receptor was found in the endoplasmic reticulum and structures similar to GERL raises the possibility that the PM receptor plays an important role in compartmentalization of lysosomal enzymes in the GERL system.