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How intravesicular composition affects exocytosis

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Abstract

Large dense core vesicles and chromaffin granules accumulate solutes at large concentrations (for instance, catecholamines, 0.5–1 M; ATP, 120–300 mM; or Ca2+, 40 mM (12)). Solutes seem to aggregate to a condensed protein matrix, which is mainly composed of chromogranins, to elude osmotic lysis. This association is also responsible for the delayed release of catecholamines during exocytosis. Here, we compile experimental evidence, obtained since the inception of single-cell amperometry, demonstrating how the alteration of intravesicular composition promotes changes in the quantum characteristics of exocytosis. As chromaffin cells are large and their vesicles contain a high concentration of electrochemically detectable species, most experimental data comes from this cell model.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by Spanish MINECO (BFU2013-45253).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3290, USA

    R. Mark Wightman

  2. INTEGRARE, Généthon, Inserm, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91002, Evry, France

    Natalia Domínguez

  3. Unidad de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, 38200, Tenerife, Spain

    Ricardo Borges

  4. Instituto Universitario de BioOrgánica “Antonio González”, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

    Ricardo Borges

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  1. R. Mark Wightman
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  2. Natalia Domínguez
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  3. Ricardo Borges
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Correspondence to Ricardo Borges.

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This article is part of the special issue on Chromaffin Cells in Pflügers Archiv—European Journal of Physiology

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Mark Wightman, R., Domínguez, N. & Borges, R. How intravesicular composition affects exocytosis. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 470, 135–141 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-017-2035-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-017-2035-6

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