RNA interference-mediated silencing of synaptotagmin IX, but not synaptotagmin I, inhibits dense-core vesicle exocytosis in PC12 cells

Although PC12 cells express three synaptotagmin isoforms (Syts I, IV and IX), all of which have been proposed to regulate dense-core vesicle exocytosis, it remains unknown which of the Sytisoforms acts as the major Ca2+ sensor for dense-core vesicle exocytosis. In the present study, it has been shown by immunoaffinity purification and immunocytochemistry that Syts I and IX, but not Syt IV, are present on the same secretory vesicles in PC12 cells. Silencing of Syt IX with specific small interfering RNA significantly reduced high KCl-dependent neuropeptide Y secretion from PC12 cells, whereas silencing of Syt I with specific small interfering RNA had no significant effect. The results indicate that Syts I and IX are not functionally equivalent and that Syt IX, and not Syt I, is indispensable for the regulation of Ca2+-dependent dense-core vesicle exocytosis in PC12 cells.

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Synaptotagmin VII Is Targeted to Dense-core Vesicles and Regulates Their Ca2+-dependent Exocytosis in PC12 Cells

Journal of Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1074/jbc.m409241200 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 279 (50) ◽

pp. 52677-52684 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

Mitsunori Fukuda ◽

Eiko Kanno ◽

Megumi Satoh ◽

Chika Saegusa ◽

Akitsugu Yamamoto

Keyword(s):

Plasma Membrane ◽

Neuropeptide Y ◽

Cell Line ◽

Pc12 Cells ◽

Pc12 Cell ◽

Small Interfering Rna ◽

Dense Core ◽

Dense Core Vesicles ◽

Pc12 Cell Line ◽

Interfering Rna

It has recently been proposed that synaptotagmin (Syt) VII functions as a plasma membrane Ca2+sensor for dense-core vesicle exocytosis in PC12 cells based on the results of transient overexpression studies using green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged Syt VII; however, the precise subcellular localization of Syt VII is still a matter of controversy (plasma membraneversussecretory granules). In this study we established a PC12 cell line “stably expressing” the Syt VII-GFP molecule and demonstrated by immunocytochemical and immunoelectron microscopic analyses that the Syt VII-GFP protein is localized on dense-core vesicles as well as in other intracellular membranous structures, such as thetrans-Golgi network and lysosomes. Syt VII-GFP forms a complex with endogenous Syts I and IX, but not with Syt IV, and it colocalize well with Syts I and IX in the cellular processes (where dense-core vesicles are accumulated) in the PC12 cell line. We further demonstrated by an N-terminal antibody-uptake experiment that Syt VII-GFP-containing dense-core vesicles undergo Ca2+-dependent exocytosis, the same as endogenous Syt IX-containing vesicles. Moreover, silencing of Syt VII-GFP with specific small interfering RNA dramatically reduced high KCl-dependent neuropeptide Y secretion from the stable PC12 cell line (∼60% of the control cells), whereas the same small interfering RNA had little effect on neuropeptide Y secretion from the wild-type PC12 cells (∼85–90% of the control cells), indicating that the level of endogenous expression of Syt VII molecules must be low. Our results indicate that the targeting of Syt VII-GFP molecules to specific membrane compartment(s) is affected by the transfection method (transient expressionversusstable expression) and suggested that Syt VII molecule on dense-core vesicles functions as a vesicular Ca2+sensor for exocytosis in endocrine cells.

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