In this paper we show that hepatocytes that have been depleted of K+ secrete albumin, alpha-1-anti-trypsin and transferrin at a slower rate than cells to which K+ has been returned. K+ depletion has no effect on the intracellular nucleotide pools, and we provide evidence that the inhibitions of secretion caused by depletion of K+ and depletion of ATP are independent. Studies of the processing of alpha-1-anti-trypsin show that K+ depletion inhibits the formation of the mature form of the

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... but that immature forms are never secreted. In cells to which K+ was returned, secretion of the mature form was restored. This implies that transport is blocked at a point before the proteins reach the processing enzymes. Proteins delayed by K+ depletion are not removed from the secretory pathway, but are free to mix with protein synthesized subsequently. These data are supported by subcellular fractionation experiments, which show that the secretory proteins are delayed before reaching the Golgi complex, and by immunoelectron microscopic studies. These show that in K+-deficient cells the morphology of both the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi complex is normal. The secretory proteins are trapped in smooth vesicles that contain reaction product when incubated for glucose-6-phosphatase, a marker for the endoplasmic reticulum.