Transmembrane delivery of polypeptide hormones bypassing the intrinsic cell surface receptors: a conjugate of insulin with alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) recognizing both insulin and alpha 2M receptors and its biological activity in relation to endocytic pathways

125I-labeled insulin has been cross-linked to alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) via a disulfide bond. The resulting insulin-alpha 2M conjugate carried 2.2 insulin moieties per mole of alpha 2M and was able to deliver insulin into rat hepatoma cells H35 and HTC. The insulin delivery was mediated predominantly through alpha 2M receptors and 2 h after binding it was found in the lyposomal fractions in the form of conjugate. When the conjugate was applied to rat hepatoma cells it stimulated activity of tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) with a potency one-half that of native insulin. Hepatoma cells which were treated with conjugate in the presence of bacitracin were also stimulated for TAT activity. Since bacitracin completely inhibited the alpha 2M binding to its receptors, but inhibited conjugate binding by only 80%, this stimulation must have resulted from the remaining binding of conjugate. These results indicate that the insulin-alpha 2M conjugate was biologically active if it bound to insulin receptors, but that the conjugate bound and internalized through alpha 2M receptors did not act as a mediator for TAT activation. Our results using Percoll density gradients indicate a difference in intracellular processing between insulin, alpha 2M and the conjugate. Mechanisms of action of the conjugate are discussed in relation to the receptor-mediated endocytic pathways.