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TRANSCRIPT
The protein complexin and its role in coupling secretory vesicles and Ca2+
channelsQuintana J., Rohan J., Chow R.H.
Department of Physiology & Biophysics and Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute,
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern, California, Los Angeles
Big Picture
• understand better how secretion is regulated• use the acquired knowledge to create a
solution against diseases which there is not enough secretion
• Example: type 2 diabetes
Background
Hormones Exocytosis
• signaling molecules• stored in vesicle• example: insulin
• process by which the membrane of a vesicle fuses with the cell plasma membrane, and the vesicle contents are secreted
Vesicles• to be readily
releasable, they have to be docked and primed
SNARE Complex
It assist exocytosis through “zippering”
cartoon
more secretion when presentComplexin
Calcium & Ca2+ Channels
• triggers exocytosis• vesicles nearer to Ca2+ channels secrete more reliably
• Readily Releasable Pool (RRP): primed vesicles both near and far from Ca2+ channels
• Immediately Releasable Pool (IRP): primed vesicles near Ca2+ channels
RRP & IRP
Question
Does the protein complexin help vesicles to associate with calcium
channels?
HypothesisCplx facilitates co-localization of
vesicles and Ca2+ channels.We expect to see a change in the IRP if a cell is
missing Cplx (i.e. Cplx knock out)
IRP (WT) IRP (KO)>RRP RRP
Wild Type Knock Out
RRP IRP RRP IRP
Methods
Genotyping• KO mice
– Adrenal chromaffin cells from litter mates of Cplx +/-(hemizygous) mice
KO Bands
WT Bands
L 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
HZ WT KO
Patch Clamp• biophysical tool • Capacitance (C): electrical measurement that is
proportional to the area of the cell membrane• IRP = ∑∆C short• RRP = ∑∆C short + ∑∆C long
Modified from Sakmann and Neher, Sci. Am. 1991
short depolarization protocol
long depolarization protocol
Depolarization
How to measure the IRP & RRP
∑∆C short
∑∆C long
~IRP
~RRP
Adapted from Voets et al., Neuron 23, 607 (1999).
Capacitance Data
Conclusion
• Our preliminary data supports our hypothesis that Cplx helps co-localize vesicles and Ca2+ channels.
• Data needs to be replicated and statistically validated.
• If validated, then Cplx serves not only to help prime vesicles, but also to increase reliability of stimulus-secretion coupling.
Acknowledgements
• Dr. Robert Chow• Chow’s Lab
– Joyce G. Rohan– Madison Zitting– Alan Okada
• Dr. Emil Bogenmann• NIH
– Step Up Program
ZNI
Question