Characterization of the LDL receptor in rat promegakaryoblasts in culture

Rat promegakaryoblasts (RPM, a precursor platelet cell line) in culture exhibited a capacity to bind, take up and degrade¹²⁵I-LDL. The low density lipoprotein (LDL) binding showed the following characteristics: (a) high affinity, (b) saturability, (c) specificity, (d) down-regulation, after exposure to 25 hydroxycholesterol. Furthermore the proteolytic degradation of¹²⁵I-LDL by RPMs was inhibited by chloroquine which interferes with the lysosomal degradation processes. These findings show LDL receptor cell biology of RPM to be of the classical type and to differ from that of platelets.