Insertion of EGF receptors into target cells in the absence of fusogenic agents.
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors can be spontaneously and selectively transferred from donor plasma membranes to recipient receptorless fibroblasts in the absence of any added fusogenic agent. Studies on the time and temperature dependence of this transfer indicate that it is due to preferential insertion of the EGF receptor over the other plasma membrane proteins. The inserted receptor is exceptionally stable to dissociation or damage. The number of receptors inserted increased with increasing amounts of donor membranes and then reached a plateau, which also suggests the existence of saturable receptor 'docking' sites in recipient cells. It is interesting that both human and murine receptors are selectively inserted into the mutant mouse cell membrane. This suggests that the parts of the receptor molecule responsible for insertion are similar in murine and human receptors, and that a 'docking' factor present in the mouse recipient cells may accept both human and murine receptors.