Phalloidin-Induced Proliferation of Actin Filaments within Rat Hepatocytes

Abstract

Confirming our previous ultrastructural and biochemical studies, the combined electron microscopy and immunofluorescence investigations show that phalloidin causes a characteristically striking increase of actin filaments within rat hepatocytes. Filaments are localized mainly at the level of special junctional complexes between contiguous cells and around bile canaliculi.

Cytoplasmic contractile proteins.

“…It binds to actin molecules in actin filaments and stabilizes the filaments (123) under a variety of conditions where actin filaments usually depolymerize, including exposure to DNase I (124), 0.6 M KI (125), OS04 (126), ultrasonication (125), and high temperature (127). This stabilization probably accounts for the abundance of actin filaments in electron micrographs of phalloidin-treated cells (128) . Although phalloidin does not readily enter cells, it can be microinjected (129) .…”

Differential effect of raised Mg2+ concentration on K+ ion movement and on swelling in the isolated perfused rat liver poisoned by phalloidin

“…Phalloidin, a toxin which acts on cytoplasmic microfilaments in liver parenchymal cells (Govindan et al, 1972;Agostini et al, 1975), induces in the isolated perfused rat liver potassium loss (Frimmer et al, 1967) and endocytotic fluid uptake . To the present it is unknown whether these two phenomena are interdependent or discrete events.…”