Recent studies demonstrating nonparallel regulated secretion of prestored digestive enzymes in tightly linked groups consistent with the exocytosis mechanism led us to predict that digestive enzymes would be found to be secreted from heterogeneous sources within the exocrine pancreas (J. W. Adelson, and P.E. Miller, Science Wash. DC 228: 993-996, 1985). We explored whether the gland was heterogeneous with respect to its sources of prestored secretory proteins with a double isotopic label method not dependent on activity of secreted digestive enzymes. Rabbit pancreatic proteins were double labeled in vivo by injection of each animal with chemically identical but isotopically distinct mixtures of 3H- and 14C-labeled amino acids, which were administered separately or together on consecutive days after partial depletion of prestored proteins by administration of cholecystokinin (CCK), methacholine chloride, or saline in a protocol in which order of both isotope and secretagogue administration was varied. Three days after labeling, proteins were recovered by collection from cannulated pancreatic ducts of anesthetized animals after stimulation with alternating increasing doses of CCK and methacholine chloride. Pooled secretory data were analyzed to determine whether secretagogue pretreatment resulted in specific and heterogeneous sequestration of proteins after synthesis; data after final secretory stimulation with methacholine chloride and CCK were individually analyzed to determine whether presequestered proteins were mobilized from heterogeneous compartments during secretion. Correlation and regression analysis of isotopic outputs and variance analysis of specific radioactivities of secreted proteins showed sequestration into and secretion from heterogeneous pools of secretory proteins, directly confirming out hypothesis. These results provide a cell biological mechanism explaining regulated nonparallel secretion of digestive enzymes.
