Specific, saturable binding and uptake of rat chylomicron remnants by rat skin fibroblasts

To investigate the possible contribution of chylomicron remnants to the accumulation of cholesterol in non-hepatic tissues, rat chylomicron remnants were incubated with rat skin fibroblasts. The binding of remnants was saturable and specific. Native, undegraded chylomicrons were almost as effective as unlabeled remnants in displacing the uptake of labeled remnants. Rat low density and high density lipoproteins were relatively ineffective in displacing the uptake of labeled remnants. Accumulation of radioactive unesterified fatty acids occurred in proportion to the uptake of labeled remnants, indicating probable internalization and degradation of the particles after binding. The incorporation of added [14C]acetate into cell non-saponifiable lipids was not significantly suppressed by added remnants, indicating an apparent lack of feedback regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis after remnant uptake. Our results show that the physiological mechanism underlying uptake of remnants by hepatic parenchymal cells might not be accounted for by tissue or cellular specificity, but may perhaps arise because of the lower capillary permeability of extra-hepatic sites compared with the hepatic sinusoid.