Upon stimulation of secretion in neuroendocrine cells, vesicles discharge their cargo. The peptide molecules diffuse out of the vesicle lumen into the extracellular space. Spontaneous and stimulated exocytosis were thought to exhibit similar properties. We showed that slow spontaneous release reflects a relatively narrow fusion pore. Capacitance measurements show that the majority of exocytotic events are transient. The stimulation prolongs the average pore dwell-time, increases the frequency of occurrence of fusion events and the fusion pore conductance.
E.03 Other
COBISS.SI-ID: 27816665Prolactin is a peptide hormone, synthesized and secreted from anterior pituitary cells, the lactotrophs. Whether hypotonicity affects prolactin release from mammalian lactotrophs is unclear. Therefore, we monitored exocytotic activity at isoosmotic, as well as hypotonic conditions by cell-attached membrane capacitance technique. The fusion pore is an aqueous channel between the vesicle and the plasma membrane. Once formed, the fusion pore either fully widens, leading to the complete merger of vesicle membrane with the plasma membrane (full fusion) or reversibly closes (transient fusion).
D.09 Tutoring for postgraduate students
COBISS.SI-ID: 3297812