Phalloidin, a bicyclic heptapeptide, and antamanide, a monocyclic decapeptide from the poisonous mushroom Amanita phalloides, interact with bile-salt-binding polypeptides of the hepatocyte membrane, as demonstrated by photoaffinity labeling using the photolabile bile salt derivative 7,7,-azo-3a,12a-dihydroxy-5f-cholan-24-oic acid, either unconjugated or taurine conjugated. With the photolabile derivatives of phalloidin, N8-{4-[(l-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoylJ-13-alanyl}-8-aminophalloin, and of antamanide, {N6-[4-(l-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoylllys6}-antamanide, the same membrane polypeptides with apparent Mrs of 54,000 and 48,000 were labeled as with the photolabile derivatives of unconjugated and conjugated bile salts. The presence of bile salts decreased markedly the extent of labeling of these phalloidinand antamanide-binding polypeptides. These results indicate that hepatic uptake systems for bile salts, phallotoxins, and the cycloamanide antamanide are identical, thus explaining the organotropism of phallotoxins.Phalloidin, a bicyclic toxic heptapeptide (1, 2) from the poisonous mushroom Amanita phalloides, is readily and selectively taken up by hepatocytes and exerts intracellularly its fatal effects on the stability of plasma membranes (3, 4). Antamanide, a monocyclic decapeptide (5) from the same toadstool, inhibits the uptake of phalloidin into hepatocytes and, in appropriate concentrations, prevents the impairment of cells (6).A series of observations suggests that the uptake of phalloidin and other phallotoxins occurs by the same transport mechanism that is physiologically responsible for the membrane transport of bile salts into hepatocytes (7-10), thus leading to an explanation for organotropism.Since the identification of bile-salt-binding polypeptides in sinusoidal membranes of hepatocytes has been achieved by photoaffinity labeling using different photolabile bile salt derivatives (11-14), differential labeling in the presence of phalloidin or antamanide should give indirect proof for the involvment of the same polypeptides in hepatic membrane transport. Direct proof is established if photoaffinity labeling of plasma membranes and of isolated hepatocytes, using photolabile derivatives of phalloidin and antamanide, results in the labeling of identical polypeptides. This labeling must be decreased in the presence of bile salts. Photoaffinity labeling studies with 7,7-azo-3a,12a-dihydroxy-53-cholan-24-oic acid and its taurine conjugate, with N8-{4-[(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl]-p-alanyl}-8-aminophalloin and with {Ne-[4-(1-azi-2 ,2 ,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl]lys6}-antamanide demonstrated that identical polypeptides are involved in the uptake of bile salts, phalloidin, and antamanide into hepatocytes.
MATERIALS AND METHODSMaterials. Phalloidin was a sample from the laboratory of Theodor Wieland. The water-soluble O-carboxymethyl-tyr6-antamanide was prepared as described (15, 16) and its sodium salt was used. N8-{4-[(1-Azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl]-,B-[2,3-3H]alanyl}-6-aminoph...