Comparative determination of the asialoglycoprotein receptor by ligand and antibody binding in hepatocytes from normal and diabetic rats

The number of cell surface and total asialoglycoprotein receptors was investigated in normal and diabetic rat hepatocytes using 2 methods: ligand and polyclonal antibody binding. An identical number of immunoreactive receptors was found in both types of cells, while the ligand binding activity of cell surface receptors was reduced by 58% in diabetic rats compared with normal ones, or by 33% for total cell receptors.