New roles of myosin II during vesicle transport and fusion in chromaffin cells

J Biol Chem. 2004 Jun 25;279(26):27450-7. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M311462200. Epub 2004 Apr 6.

Abstract

Modified herpes virus (amplicons) were used to express myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) chimeras with green fluorescent protein (GFP) in cultured bovine chromaffin cells to study myosin II implication in secretion. After infection, RLC-GFP constructs were clearly identified in the cytoplasm and accumulated in the cortical region, forming a complex network that co-localized with cortical F-actin. Cells expressing wild type RLC-GFP maintained normal vesicle mobility, whereas cells expressing an unphosphorylatable form (T18A/S19A RLC-GFP) presented severe restrictions in granule movement as measured by individual tracking in dynamic confocal microscopy studies. Interestingly, the overexpression of this mutant form of RLC also affected the initial secretory burst elicited by either high K(+) or BaCl(2), as well as the secretion induced by fast release of calcium from caged compounds in individual cells. Moreover, T18A/S19A RLC-GFP-infected cells presented slower fusion kinetics of individual granules compared with controls as measured by analysis of amperometric spikes. Taken together, our results demonstrate the implication of myosin II in the transport of vesicles, and, surprisingly, in the final phases of exocytosis involving transitions affecting the activity of docked granules, and therefore uncovering a new role for this cytoskeletal element.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Barium / chemistry
  • Barium / pharmacology
  • Biological Transport / physiology
  • Calcium / chemistry
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Cattle
  • Chelating Agents / pharmacology
  • Chickens
  • Chromaffin Cells / metabolism*
  • Chromaffin Cells / physiology
  • Chromaffin Cells / ultrastructure
  • Chromaffin Cells / virology
  • Diffusion
  • Egtazic Acid / analogs & derivatives*
  • Egtazic Acid / pharmacology
  • Electrochemistry
  • Kinetics
  • Membrane Fusion / physiology
  • Microscopy, Confocal
  • Myosin Light Chains / genetics
  • Myosin Light Chains / metabolism
  • Myosin Type II / genetics
  • Myosin Type II / metabolism
  • Myosin Type II / physiology*
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Secretory Vesicles / metabolism*
  • Simplexvirus

Substances

  • Chelating Agents
  • Myosin Light Chains
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • 2-nitrophenyl-EGTA
  • Barium
  • Egtazic Acid
  • Myosin Type II
  • Calcium