Membrane traffic at the hepatocyte’s sinusoidal and canalicular surface domains

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Abstract
Traffic in the environs of regions of the hepatocyte’s plasma membrane is heavy. A fuller understanding of the nature and control of this membrane traffic depends on the appreciation of the hepatocyte’s plasma membrane. This conglomerate consists of a receptor-rich and metabolically dynamic blood-sinusoidal domain which is separated from the bile canalicular domain by a lateral domain which participates in cell-cell interactions (1, 2). The rapid receptor-mediated endocytotic uptake and processing of membrane receptor-ligand complexes occurring against a background of hepatic secretion is a key step in understanding relationships between intracellular membrane compartments and the maintenance of differentiated plasma membrane domains. The fate of a wide range of interiorized ligands appears to be decided upon transfer to a Golgi-endoplasmic reticulum lysosomal (GERL) locus where a processing decision is made leading to release of ligands in an intact form into sinusoids or bile canaliculi, or to degradation. This review discusses properties of receptor-binding sites for hormones and metabolites which are located primarily at the sinusoidal plasma membrane, the biogenesis of this membrane, and the various traffic routes of membrane-ligand complexes traversing the hepatocyte interior.

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