Inhibitory effect of colchicine and vinblastine on transport of glucagon receptors to the plasma membrane in cultured rat hepatocytes

The role of microtubules in the regulation of glucagon receptors on cultured rat hepatocytes was studied. Antimicrotubular reagents, colchicine and vinblastine, did not affect the binding of 125I-labelled glucagon to hepatocytes at 4 degrees C. At 20 and 37 degrees C, however, the reagents reduced the binding after 60 or 90 min of incubation. Scatchard analysis indicated that the reduction in the binding was due to loss of glucagon-receptor populations. If hepatocytes were preincubated with both unlabelled glucagon and the reagents at 37 degrees C, the binding of the ligand to the cells decreased markedly after a certain delay. The reagents did not inhibit the internalization of the ligand in the cells until 30 min of incubation at 37 degrees C. The results suggest that the microtubule system plays a role in the transport of glucagon receptors to the plasma membrane, which is followed by their internalization.