The possible implication of membrane-associated actin in stimulus-secretion coupling in adrenal chromaffin cells

Binding of actin to chromaffin granules and mitochondrial fractions of adrenal medulla

Binding of actin to chromaffin granules was confirmed and shown to be salt dependent and eliminated by prior trypsin treatment of the granules. However, purified granules bind less actin than do crude granules. A mitochondria-enriched fraction was found to bind substantially more actin per mg protein than did the secretory vesicle fraction. Binding of actin by the secretory vesicles therefore is not a good indication that actin plays an active role in exocytosis.

ATP induces intracellular calcium increases and actin cytoskeleton disaggregation via P2x receptors

The consequences of purinoceptor activation on calcium signalling, inositol phosphate metabolism, protein secretion and the actin cytoskeleton were demonstrated in the WRK-1 cell line. Extracellular ATP was used as a secretagogue to induce a rise in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)), acting via P2x purinergic receptors, which causes actin skeleton disaggregation and protein secretion. ATP bound specifically to purinergic receptors, with Ki of 0.8 microM. The magnitude order for binding of different nucleotides was alpha beta-Met-ATP >or= dATPalphaS > ATP >or= ADP > UTP > AMP > suramin. No increase in inositol phosphates (IPs) was observed after ATP application suggesting that the purinergic sites in WRK-1 cells are not of a P2y type. ATP (1-100 microM) caused a concentration-dependent increase in [Ca(2+)](i)(EC(50)= 30 microM). The responses were reproducible without any desensitization over several applications. The response to ATP was abolished when extracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](e)) was reduced to 100 nM. A non-specific purinergic antagonist, suramin, reversibly inhibited the ATP-response suggesting that ATP is able to bind to P2x purinergic sites to trigger Ca(2+) entry and increase of [Ca(2+)](i). ATP induced a concentration-dependent disaggregation of actin and exocytotic release of proteins both, which were dependent upon [Ca(2+)](e). Similarly, alpha,beta-Met-ATP, a potent P2x agonist also stimulated Ca(2+) mobilization, actin network destructuration, and protein release. In the isolated rat neurohypophysial nerve terminals, ATP was shown to act as a physiological stimulus for vasopressin release via Ca(2+) entry through a P2x receptor [6]. Here, we show that in these nerve terminals, ATP is also able to induce actin disaggregation by a Ca(2+) dependent mechanism. Thus, actin cytoskeleton alterations induced by ATP through activation of P2x receptors could be a prelude to exocytosis.

Chromaffin cell cortical actin network dynamics control the size of the release-ready vesicle pool and the initial rate of exocytosis

Morphological, biochemical, and membrane capacitance measurements were used to study the role of cortical filamentous actin (F-actin) in exocytosis. Fluorescence and electron microscopy of resting chromaffin cells revealed a cortical actin network that excluded secretory vesicles from the subplasmalemmal area. Phorbol ester (PMA) treatment disrupted cortical F-actin and increased both the number of vesicles within the 0-50 nm subplasmalemmal zone and the initial rate of stimulated catecholamine release. In PMA-pretreated cells, membrane capacitance studies showed an increased number of vesicles fusing with the plasmalemma during the first two depolarizations of a train. PMA did not affect voltage-dependent Ca2+ influx. The total number of vesicles fused with the plasma membrane correlated well with the number of vesicles occupying the 0-50 nm cortical zone. Therefore, cortical F-actin disassembly allows translocation of vesicles to the plasmalemma in preparation for exocytosis.

Molecular cloning and functional expression of chromaffin cell scinderin indicates that it belongs to the family of Ca(2+)-dependent F-actin severing proteins

Scinderin is a Ca(2+)-dependent actin filament severing protein present in chromaffin cells, platelets and a variety of secretory cells. It has been suggested that scinderin is involved in chromaffin cell F-actin dynamics and that this actin network controls the delivery of secretory vesicles to plasma membrane exocytotic sites. Moreover, scinderin redistribution and activity may be regulated by pH and Ca2+ in resting and stimulated cells. Here we describe the molecular cloning, the nucleotide sequence and the expression of bovine chromaffin cell scinderin cDNA. The fusion protein obtained cross-reacts with native scinderin antibodies and binds phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and actin in a Ca(+)-dependent manner. Antibodies raised against the fusion protein produced the same cellular staining patterns for scinderin as anti-native scinderin. Nucleotide and amino acid sequence analysis indicate that scinderin has six domains each containing three internal sequence motifs, two actin and two PIP2 binding sites and has 63 and 53% homology with gelsolin and villin. These data indicate that scinderin is a novel member of the family of Ca(2+)-dependent F-actin severing proteins which includes gelsolin and villin.

Cytoskeleton dynamics during neurotransmitter release

It has become apparent in recent years that the cytoskeleton and its associated proteins play a major role in secretion. This review summarizes recent findings on the cytoskeleton organization and the molecular topology of its regulatory proteins, as well as the dynamic changes that occur in this organelle during secretion from neurons and secretory cells. Although two apparently different ultrastructures and molecular organizations of the cytoskeleton seem to be involved in neuronal and secretory cell secretion, there are similarities between the two systems. In both neurons and secretory cells, Ca2+ plays a pivotal role in the control of cytoskeleton dynamics, especially in the changes in actin filament networks observed during secretion.

Loss and Ca(2+)-dependent retention of scinderin in digitonin-permeabilized chromaffin cells: correlation with Ca(2+)-evoked catecholamine release

Exposure of chromaffin cells to digitonin causes the loss of many cytosolic proteins. Here we report that scinderin (a Ca(2+)-dependent actin-filament-severing protein), but not gelsolin, is among the proteins that leak out from digitonin-permeabilized cells. Chromaffin cells that were exposed to increasing concentrations (15-40 microM) of digitonin for 5 min released scinderin into the medium. One-minute treatment with 20 microM digitonin was enough to detect scinderin in the medium, and scinderin leakage levelled off after 10 min of permeabilization. Elevation of free Ca2+ concentration in the permeabilizing medium produced a dose-dependent retention of scinderin. Results were confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy of digitonin-permeabilized cells. Subcellular fractionation of permeabilized cells showed that scinderin leakage was mainly from the cytoplasm (80%); the remaining scinderin (20%) was from the microsomal fraction. Other Ca(2+)-binding proteins released by digitonin and also retained by Ca2+ were calmodulin, protein kinase C, and calcineurins A and B. Scinderin leakage was parallel to the loss of the chromaffin cell secretory response. Permeabilization in the presence of increasing free Ca2+ concentrations produced a concomitant enhancement in the subsequent Ca(2+)-dependent catecholamine release. The experiments suggest that: (1) scinderin is an intracellular target for Ca2+, (2) permeabilization of chromaffin cells with digitonin in the presence of micromolar Ca2+ concentrations retained Ca(2+)-binding proteins including scinderin, and (3) the retention of these proteins may be related to the increase in the subsequent Ca(2+)-dependent catecholamine release observed in permeabilized chromaffin cells.

Protein kinase C activation by phorbol esters induces chromaffin cell cortical filamentous actin disassembly and increases the initial rate of exocytosis in response to nicotinic receptor stimulation

Nicotinic stimulation and high K+ depolarization of bovine chromaffin cells cause disassembly of cortical filamentous actin networks. Previous work from our laboratory has demonstrated that disassembly of actin filaments is Ca(2+)-dependent, precedes exocytosis and occurs in cortical areas of low cytoplasmic viscosity which are the sites of exocytosis. It has also been suggested that protein kinase C is involved in catecholamine secretion from chromaffin cells. Therefore, the possibility that protein kinase C activation might be implicated in cortical filamentous actin disassembly was investigated. Here we report that phorbol myristate acetate, a protein kinase C activator, causes cortical filamentous actin disassembly. Short-term phorbol ester treatment does not alter the morphology of chromaffin cells; however, 1 h after phorbol ester exposure an increase in cell flattening and membrane ruffling is observed. Phorbol ester-induced cortical filamentous actin disassembly is inhibited by protein kinase C activity inhibitors, is independent of extracellular Ca2+ and has a slower time course than that induced by either nicotinic receptor stimulation or K(+)-depolarization. Phorbol ester effects are likely to be mediated by activation of protein kinase C and not by any changes in intracellular Ca2+ levels, as indicated by measurements of Ca2+ transients. Pretreatment of chromaffin cells with phorbol myristate acetate increases the initial rate of nicotine-evoked catecholamine release. Nicotine-induced cortical actin filament disassembly and catecholamine secretion are partially (29-40%) inhibited by pretreatment of cells with either calphostin C, staurosporine or sphingosine. The results suggest that protein kinase C may be involved in the reorganization of the cortical actin filament network priming the cells for release by removing a barrier to secretory granule mobility. However, its role in exocytosis is modulatory but not essential.

Enhancement by cytochalasin B of ouabain-stimulated catecholamine secretion from cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells: possible relation to alteration in Na+/K(+)-pump activity

1. Catecholamine secretion evoked by ouabain from cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells has previously been shown to be markedly enhanced by pretreatment of the cells with cytochalasin B (Morita et al., 1988). To elucidate a possible mechanism of this enhancement, the stimulatory action of ouabain on Ca2+ influx as well as catecholamine secretion was then examined in the cells pretreated with or without cytochalasin B. The effect of cytochalasin B pretreatment on the inhibitory action of ouabain on the Na+/K+ pump was also examined by measuring 86Rb+ uptake into the cells. 2. Pretreatment of the cells with cytochalasin B caused enhancement of ouabain-induced catecholamine secretion, and this enhancement was accompanied by the elevation of ouabain-stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake into the cells. The inhibitory action of ouabain on 86Rb+ uptake was significantly enhanced by pretreatment of the cells with cytochalasin B under the same conditions. 3. These results indicate that the enhancement of ouabain-induced catecholamine secretion caused by cytochalasin B pretreatment may be due to the increase in ouabain-stimulated Ca2+ influx into the cells and, furthermore, suggest the possibility that this increase in Ca2+ influx may be attributed to the potentiation of the inhibitory action of ouabain on the Na+/K+ pump in the adrenal chromaffin cell. Thus, the present study provides an evidence for a possible role of microfilaments as one of the intrinsic factors modulating the plasma membrane functions.

Phalloidin inhibits cortical granule exocytosis and ooplasmic segregation in loach eggs

Injections of phalloidin under the surface of loach eggs, followed by activation of the eggs in tap water, result in local inhibition of cortical granule (CG) exocytosis. Light and electron microscopy revealed that in the region where exocytosis is inhibited the thickness of the microfilamentous cortex (MC) separating CGs from the plasma membrane (PM) is increased significantly, and many CGs are detached and have moved away from the MC. Injections of phalloidin also inhibit ooplasmic segregation in fertilized eggs. The experiments suggest that in intact eggs the MC represents a physical barrier to CG exocytosis, and that interactions of the MC with the PM and CGs are crucial for the retention of CGs near the sites of fusion.

Destabilization of actin filaments as a requirement for the secretion of catecholamines from permeabilized chromaffin cells

In the search for a functional role of cytoskeletal proteins in the mechanism(s) of stimulus-secretion coupling, we have previously demonstrated that the actomyosin system might be involved in the transport of cations across the plasma membrane of bovine adrenal chromaffin cells [(1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 5745-5750]. To establish whether actin and myosin might also be involved in later stages of the cellular response, we have examined the possible effects of various actin-specific reagents on the calcium-mediated secretion of catecholamines from digitonin-permeabilized cells. F-Actin-destabilizing agents, such as cytochalasin D or DNase 1, were found to promote Ca2+-stimulated (as well as basal) secretion. By contrast, stabilizers, like phalloidin, produced the opposite effect. It is concluded that stimulus-secretion coupling in chromaffin cells might require the reorganization of actin for modulating both ion transport across the plasma membrane and exocytotic secretion per se.

Nicotine-evoked disassembly of cortical actin filaments in adrenal chromaffin cells

Using rhodamine-phalloidin staining it was found that actin filaments are concentrated in the cortex of resting chromaffin cells. Cortical actin filaments were disassembled 15 s after stimulation by nicotine and had reassembled 30 s later. Actin filament disassembly following nicotinic stimulation was also detected using the DNase I inhibition assay. Disassembly was independent of external calcium, insensitive to trifluoperazine and was not elicited by high K+, muscarinic agonists or phorbol ester. Disassembly of cortical actin filaments may allow access of secretory granules to exocytotic sites and act in conjunction with a rise in intracellular free calcium to bring about the full secretory response due to nicotinic agonists.

Association of serotonin, dopamine, or noradrenaline with an actin-like component in pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells

A rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cell line was used to examine the possibility that 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine (dopamine), or noradrenaline may be associated with cytoplasmic actin, as was suggested by previous in vitro binding studies on an actin-like protein from rat brain synaptosomes. When PC12 cells were incubated with [3H]serotonin. [3H]dopamine, or [3H]noradrenaline for 30 min at 37 degrees C, approximately 2-4% of the radioactivity present in the cells was found to be associated with a high-molecular-weight (actin-like) component in supernatant fractions. Evidence relating this monoamine binding component to actin filaments includes: (a) its strong absorption by myosin filaments at low ionic strength: (b) a decrease in its affinity for myosin in the presence of 1 mM ATP, which lowers the affinity of authentic actin for myosin: (c) displacement of bound [3H]serotonin from it by DNase I, which binds strongly to actin and which inhibits [3H]serotonin binding to actin in vitro; (d) an increase in its binding of each monoamine (by 25-40%) after PC12 cells were preincubated with 10 microM cytochalasin B (a drug that induces depolymerization of F-actin). These findings suggest that serotonin, dopamine, or noradrenaline may associate with actin filaments in vivo.

Binding of [3H]serotonin to skeletal muscle actin

We previously observed that the neurotransmitter 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) binds with high- and low-affinity interactions to an actin-like protein prepared from rat brain synaptosomes. In this study, we examined its binding to highly purified actin obtained from rabbit skeletal muscle. Monomeric G-actin bound serotonin with high and low affinities, exhibiting equilibrium dissociation constants (KD values) of 5 X 10(-5) M and 4 X 10(-3) M, respectively. The serotonin binding site on actin was distinct from those sites previously characterized for divalent cations, nucleotides, and cytochalasin alkaloids. The binding of serotonin (1 microM) to G-actin was increased as much as 26-fold by divalent cations. Potassium iodine (KI) increased the affinity of G-actin for serotonin, KD values for this binding being 3 X 10(-7) M and X 10(-5) M. Serotonin bound with even higher affinity to polymerized F-actin, with KD values of 2 X 10(-8) M and 2 X 10(-5) M. However, the total number of binding sites on F-actin was only about 4% of the number of G-actin. The binding of serotonin (0.1 microM) to G-actin could be inhibited by phenothiazines (1 microM) or reserpine (10 microM), but not by classical antagonists of serotonin receptors or by drugs that release serotonin or inhibit its uptake. The binding of serotonin to actin in vivo may participate in a contractile process related to neurotransmitter release.

Membrane potential and catecholamine secretion by bovine adrenal chromaffin cells: use of tetraphenylphosphonium distribution and carbocyanine dye fluorescence

Changes in plasma membrane potential of isolated bovine adrenal chromaffin cells were measured independently by two chemical probe methods and related to corresponding effects on catecholamine secretion. The lipophilic cation tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP+) and the carbocyanine dye 3,3'-dipropylthiadicarbocyanine [DiS-C3-(5)] were used. The necessity of evaluating the subcellular distribution of TPP+ among cytoplasmic, mitochondrial, secretory granule, and bound compartments was demonstrated and the resting plasma membrane potential determined to be -55 mV. The relationship between membrane potential and catecholamine secretion was determined in response to variations in extracellular K+ and to the presence of several secretagogues including cholinergic receptor ligands, veratridine, and ionophores for Na+ and K+. The dependence of potential on K+ concentration fit the Goldman constant field equation with a Na/K permeability ratio of 0.1. The dependence of both K+- and veratridine-evoked catecholamine secretion on membrane potential exhibited a potential threshold of about -40 mV before a significant rise in secretion occurred. This is likely related to the threshold for opening of voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels. Acetylcholine and nicotine evoked a large secretory response without a sufficiently sustained depolarization to be detectable by the relatively slow potential sensitive chemical probes. Decamethonium induced a detectable depolarization of the chromaffin cells. Veratridine and gramicidin evoked both membrane depolarization and catecholamine release. By contrast the K ionophore valinomycin evoked significant levels of secretion without any depolarization. This is consistent with its utilization of an intracellular source of Ca2+ and the independence of its measured secretory response on extracellular Ca2+.

Possible involvement of actin and myosin in Ca2+ transport through the plasma membrane of chromaffin cells

The exocytosis of catecholamines by chromaffin cells following stimulation (e.g. by acetylcholine) is accompanied by a rise in the level of intracellular free Ca2+. Actually, secretion can be induced merely by making the cells leaky to Ca2+ from the external medium. We have recently demonstrated that secretion can be increased by the introduction of DNase-I, the F-actin depolymerizing agent, or of heavy meromyosin, the enzymatically active fragment of myosin. Suspecting that these changes might be associated with a higher intracellular level of Ca2+, we now have measured the influx of 45Ca2+ into chromaffin cells which have undergone fusion with DNase-I- or with heavy meromyosin-loaded liposomes. In both cases, a marked increase in Ca2+ uptake has been observed, which could be abolished by Co2+ ions (a Ca2+ channel blocker), suggesting an intimate involvement of the cellular actomyosin system in the process of Ca2+ ions transport through the Ca2+ channels of the plasma membrane.

Catecholamine secretion by chemically skinned cultured chromaffin cells

The secretory system of intact chromaffin cells is not accessible to direct chemical manipulation because of the selective permeability of the plasmalemma. We have devised a simple procedure for chemically "skinning" (permeabilizing) cultured adrenal medullary chromaffin cells by brief exposure to the detergent saponin. This procedure disrupts the continuity of the plasmalemma, thus allowing us to bypass those aspects of the secretory process controlled by the cell membrane and giving direct access to exogenous substances to the cellular secretory machinery. We report here that the skinned cells retain a fully competent secretory mechanism dependent only on exogenous calcium and MgATP. Saponin treatment had no significant effect on the total catecholamine content of the cells. Secretion could be initiated by either MgATP or calcium as long as the other was present in the medium. Catecholamine and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase release by the skinned cells was dependent on the calcium concentration of the medium. The ratio of secreted catecholamine and enzyme was similar to that of the cells, indicating that secretion occurred by an exocytotic mechanism. About half the total cellular content of the cytoplasmic enzyme lactic dehydrogenase was released during the permeabilization process and subsequent incubations, indicating plasmalemma permeability to molecules as large as protein. Calcium-induced secretion was unaffected by several drugs known to affect catecholamines and granule function. Saponin treatment of chromaffin cells in culture appears to be a simple means for allowing access to exogenous substances to the cells' secretory machinery. Therefore, it offers the opportunity to use chemical treatments, and perhaps specific antibodies to cellular components, to determine the role of these elements in the secretory process. These techniques should also be applicable to other cells known to secrete by an exocytotic mechanism.