Rapid kinetic analysis of the bile-salt-dependent secretion of phospholipid, cholesterol and a plasma-membrane enzyme into bile.

Isolated rat livers were perfused under 'one-pass' conditions and bile was collected at 1 min intervals. After 1 min pulse, taurocholate appeared in the collected bile within 2 min, peak output occurring 2 min later. In contrast, the increased output of phospholipids and cholesterol was slower, peak output occurring 6-11 min after the original pulse of taurocholate. These results suggest that mixed micelles cannot be formed inside the cell or during passage of bile salts through the membrane, since bile salt and lipids should then parallel each other. The bile salts must therefore be pumped into the lumen and the lipids added subsequently, due to the actions of the bile salts in the canalicular lumen. It is suggested that the biliary lipid is obtained from microdomains of biliary-type lipid in the canaliculus membrane, which are vesiculated and solubilized by the action of bile salts. It is also suggested that this biliary-type lipid is brought continuously to the membrane via vesicle traffic; this traffic is increased during increased bile-salt output, and is a process that can be inhibited by colchicine.