Is ligandin relevant for the uptake and storage of phallotoxins in liver cells?

To exclude an involvement of ligandin in the uptake and storage of phalloidin in hepatocytes equilibrium-dialysis studies were made with phalloidin, cholic acid and bromosulfophthalein (BSP). Binding studies with isolated ligandin indicated that the affinity of ligandin for phalloidin is low (KD = 0.8 X 10-3 M). Phalloidin neither displaced BSP (KD = 1.3 X 10-7 M) or cholic acid (KD = 7.6 X 10-5 M) from ligandin, when preloaded with these substrates. Hepatocytes prepared from rats after daily treatment with phenobarbital during 5 days contained 3-4-fold concentrations of ligandin and bound greater amounts of BSP than controls, Nevertheless the velocity of the uptake both of [3H]-demethylphalloin ([3H]-DMP) and of [35S]-BSP was not augmented. Also the sensitivity of liver cells to phalloidin was not drastically modified after induction with phenobarbital and agrees with earlier findings in vivo. We conclude that ligandin plays a negligible role in the uptake and a minor role in a storage of phallotoxins in liver cells.