125I-insulin binding to cultured human lymphocytes. Initial localization and fate of hormone determined by quantitative electron microscopic autoradiography.

Morphologic and biochemical studies indicate that the initial action of insulin is binding to a cell surface receptor. Whether further translocation of the hormone, or a product of the hormone, occurs is unclear and has not been investigated by direct means. To determine the fate of 125I-insulin bound to its receptor, we have examined the distribution of radioactivity by quantitative electron microscopic autoradiography. Cultured lymphocytes of the IM-9 cell line were incubated with 0.1 nM 125I-insulin at 15 degrees and 37 degreesC for incubation periods extending from 2 to 90 min. At 15 degreesC, grains localize to the plasma membane and there is no translocation as a function of time. At 37 degreesC, grains predominantly localize to the plasma membrane but there is a small shift in distribution to a distance of 300-700 nm from the plasma membrane. This small additional band component of irradiation extends to approximately to10--15% of the cell radius. When a morphometric analysis is applied to grains extending 300 nm and beyond from the plasma membrane, we find no preferential localization to any intracellular organelle. We interpret these data to indicate that in the cultured lymphocyte, labeled insulin initially localizes to the plasma membrane but as fuanction of time and increasing temperature there is a small but definite translocation of the hormone or a product of the hormone to a hihgly limited aea of the cell periphery.