Abstract. Classically, the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor and its ligand, IgA, are thought to be sorted from basolateral early endosomes into transcytotic vesicles that directly fuse with the apical plasma membrane. In contrast, we have found that in MDCK cells IgA is delivered from basolateral endosomes to apical endosomes and only then to the apical cell surface. When internalized from the basolateral surface of MDCK cells IgA is found to accumulate under the apical plasma membrane in a compartment that is accessible to two apically added membrane markers: anti-secretory component Fab fragments, and avidin internalized from the biotinylated apical pole of the cell. This accumulation occurs in the presence of apical trypsin, which prevents internalization of the ligand from the apical cell surface. Using a modification of the diaminobenzidine density-shift assay, we estimate that approximately 80 % of basolaterally internalized IgA resides in the apical endosomal compartment. In addition, approximately 50% of basolaterally internalized transferrin, a basolateral recycling protein, has access to this apical endosomal compartment and is efficiently recycled back to the basolateral surface. Microtubules are required for the organization of the apical endosomal compartment and it is dispersed in nocodazole-treated cells. Moreover, this compartment is largely inaccessible to fluid-phase markers added to either pole of the cell, and therefore seems analogous to the recycling endosome described in nonpolarized cells. We propose a model in which transcytosis is not a specialized pathway that uses unique transcytotic vesicles, but rather combines portions of pathways used by non-transcytosing molecules.

The cytoskeleton is required for multiple cellular events including endocytosis and the transfer of cargo within the endocytic system. Polarized epithelial cells are capable of endocytosis at either of their distinct apical or basolateral plasma membrane domains. Actin plays a role in internalization at both cell surfaces. Microtubules and actin are required for efficient transcytosis and delivery of proteins to late endosomes and lysosomes. Microtubules are also important in apical recycling pathways and, in some polarized cell types, basolateral recycling requires actin. The microtubule motor proteins dynein and kinesin and the class I unconventional myosin motors play a role in many of these trafficking steps. This review examines the endocytic pathways of polarized epithelial cells and focuses on the emerging roles of the actin cytoskeleton in these processes.

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The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the naturally occurring substrate upon which cells migrate, proliferate, and differentiate. The ECM functions as a biological adhesive that maintains the normal cytoarchitecture of different tissues and defines the key spatial relationships among dissimilar cell types. A loss of coordination and an alteration in the interactions between mesenchymal cells and epithelial cells separated by an ECM are thought to be fundamental steps in the development and progression of cancer. Although a substantial body of knowledge has been accumulated concerning the role of the ECM in most other tissues, much less is known of the structure and function of the ECM in the nervous system. Recent experiments in mammalian systems have shown that an increased knowledge of the ECM in the nervous system can lead to a better understanding of complex neurobiological processes under developmental, normal, and pathological conditions. This review focuses on the structure and function of the ECM in the peripheral and central nervous systems and on the importance of ECM macromolecules in axonal regeneration, cerebral edema, and cerebral neoplasia.