Protein kinase C does not phosphorylate the externalized form of the transferrin receptor.

We have investigated the phosphorylation of transferrin receptors both in intact sheep reticulocytes and in isolated plasma membranes. Phosphorylation of the receptor in intact cells or isolated plasma membranes is stimulated by phorbol diesters, suggesting that protein kinase C may be involved. Identical [32P] phosphopeptide tryptic maps are formed in the presence and absence of phorbol diesters. Using heat-treated membranes (which are devoid of endogenous kinase activity) exogenous protein kinase C phosphorylates the same peptides as the endogenous kinase(s). During maturation of reticulocytes to erythrocytes, the transferrin receptor is released to the medium in vesicular form. In cells labelled with [32P]Pi, the released receptor is not labelled with 32P and the exocytosed vesicles do not phosphorylate receptor with [gamma-32P]ATP. The absence of 32P in the released receptor appears to be due to a change in the receptor, since, even in the presence of exogenous protein kinase C, the exocytosed receptor is phosphorylated to approximately 8% of the level obtained with receptors from the plasma membrane. These data suggest that during maturation and externalization the receptor is altered so that it loses its capacity to act as a substrate for exogenous protein kinase C as well as the endogenous kinase(s). This change may be a signal which segregates the receptor for externalization from the receptor pool remaining for transferrin recycling during the final stages of red cell maturation.