Distribution of concanavalin a receptors on normal rat liver cells and zajdela ascites hepatoma cells.

The distribution of Concanavalin A receptors in cultures of normal rat liver cells and of Zajdela ascites hepatoma cells of the rat was investigated by the Con A-po technique (Bernhard and Avrameas, 1971). Con A-po labelling of the cell surface showed a patchy distribution of Concanavalin A receptors in ascites hepatoma cells, whereas continuous Con A-po labelling was seen at the surface of normal rat liver cells. The different distribution of Concanavalin A receptors was caused by rapid internalization of Con A-po labelled material and not by a simple rearrangement of the receptors. The significance of this process is discussed with respect to Concanavalin A receptor mobility and membrane stability after cell transformation.