Endocytosis of CF in marginal cells of stria vascularis regulated by ROCK and MLCK signaling cascade, but not G-proteins.

Objective The endocytosis of cationized feritin (CF) via a clathrin-mediated pathway is regulated by a signaling network. Marginal cells showed the active endocytosis of CF via a clathrin-mediated pathway. The internalization of receptors through this clathrin-mediated pathway is an important regulatory event in signal transduction. Numerous kinases are involved in endocytosis, and each endocytic route is subjected to high-order regulation by cellular signaling mechanisms. In this study, we investigated whether ROCK and MLCK signaling cascades and G-proteins regulate the endocytosis of CF in marginal cells of the stria vascularis. Methods CF was infused into the cochlear duct with pertussis toxin (PTX),Clostridium botulinum C3 toxin (BTX), guanosine(g-thio)-triphosphate (GTP-γS), ML-7, Y-27632. Endocytic activity was measured at 30 min after the start of infusion under an electron microscope. Results In marginal cells, CF was internalized via a clathrin-mediated pathway that depends on F-actin and microtubules (MT). Its processes were controlled by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and Rho-associated kinase (ROCK), but not affected by G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) or the RhoA signaling cascade. Conclusion Our previous study showed that the main endocytotic pathway of microperoxidase (MPO) did not depend on the Rho/ROCK molecular switch or actin/myosin motor system, but was mainly regulated by the RhoA signaling cascade. The present study results indicate that these signaling cascades regulating CF internalization completely differ from the cascades for MPO internalization.