We used Chinese hamster ovary cells, a cell line of fibroblastic origin, to investigate whether lysosomes are an exocytic compartment. To label lysosomal contents, Chinese hamster ovary cells were incubated with the solute marker horseradish peroxidase. After an 18-h uptake period, horseradish peroxidase was found in lysosomes by cell fractionation in Percoll gradients and by electron microscope cytochemistry. Over a 24-h period, lysosomal horseradish peroxidase was quantitatively retained by Chinese hamster ovary cells and inactivated with a t112 of 6 to 8 h. Lysosomes were radioiodinated in situ by soluble lactoperoxidase internalized over an 18-h uptake period. About 70% of the radioiodine incorporation was pelleted at 100,000x g under conditions in which >80% of the lysosomal marker enzyme 1-hexosaminidase was released into the supernatant. By one-dimensional electrophoresis, about 18 protein species were present in the lysosomal membrane fraction, with radioiodine incorporation being most pronounced into species of 70,000 to 75,000 daltons. After a 30-min or 2-h chase at 37°C, radioiodine that was incorporated into lysosomal membranes and contents was retained in lysosomes. These observations indicate that lysosomes labeled by fluid-phase pinocytosis are a terminal component of endocytic pathways in fibroblasts.Recent observations have suggested that many endocytic components of the vacuolar apparatus of mammalian cells are bidirectional or exocytic compartments with respect to the intracellular medium or cell surface. Studies have shown that fluid-phase pinocytosis is a reversible process, with exocytosis of endocytic contents occurring from a pinosomal compartment over a time span of a few minutes (1, 2). Later endocytic compartments than pinosomes may also be exocytic. Over brief time spans (.30 min), Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells retain horseradish peroxidase (HRP) internalized into a lysosomal compartment (1). However, over a longer time span, lysosomes may be exocytic. Besterman et al. (2), using sucrose, a small molecule, as a marker, found that lysosomes are a slowly (t112 = 3 to 10 h) exocytic compartment in both macrophages and fibroblasts. Pollack et al. (15) found that HeLa cells very slowly (t112 = 70 h) exocytose ouabain, another small molecule. used lactoperoxidase (LPO) covalently coupled to latex beads to radioiodinate phagolysosome membranes in macrophages. These investigators reported a rapid bidirectional flow of radioiodinated membrane proteins from phagolysosomes to plasma membranes and back which occurs over a period of a few minutes and may occur even at 4°C.In the present work, we have addressed directly the question of whether lysosomes are a slowly exocytic compartment for macromolecules. As ,ug of LPO per ml and radioiodination substrates as previously described (20