Synaptotagmin VII Restricts Fusion Pore Expansion during Lysosomal Exocytosis (original) (raw)
Figure 1
Fate of Lumenal Content during Lysosomal Fusion
MEFs were incubated for 2 h with 70 kDa FITC–dextran followed by more than 3 h in dextran-free media to chase the dextrans into the lysosomes. These cells were then treated with calcium ionophore (A23187) to trigger exocytosis of lysosomes.
(A and B) The middle panels are images of lyosomes undergoing complete (A) and partial (B) exocytosis. Intensity plots for the regions in these images marked by dotted circles are shown in the lower panel. The top panel shows a schematic representation of these different stages.
(C) Schematic fluorescence intensity plots for lysosomes undergoing partial (red) or complete (green) fusion. Owing to the exponential decay of the evanescent field (blue; top panels in [A] and [B]) away from the coverslip, a lysosome that is more than 150 nm from the cell membrane (black line in top panels in [A] and [B]) is not fluorescent. As this lysosome moves closer (labeled as “entry into evanescent field”), its fluorescence intensity increases. Since the lumen of lysosome is acidic, it quenches FITC fluorescence. As soon as the fusion pore is formed, the lysosomal lumen is rapidly alkalinized resulting in an increase of FITC–dextran fluorescence (“pore opening”). Following the pore opening, the dextran is released and it diffuses away from the site of the fusion, causing the lumenal fluorescence to decrease (“release”).
(D) A histogram of the fraction of lumenal contents released by exocytosing lysosomes. Upon ionophore-triggered fusion, 21% of all lysosomes analyzed in WT MEFs (n = 47; gray bars) and 45% of all in Syt VII KO MEFs (n = 51; white bars) completely released their lumenal content.
(E and F) To monitor the nature of lysosomal fusion in individual WT MEFs (E) and Syt VII KO MEFs (F), calcium was increased using ionophore (WT, n = 7 cells; KO, n = 9 cells) as well as the IP3 agonists bombesin (WT, n = 6 cells; KO, n = 9 cells) and thrombin (WT, n = 5 cells; KO, n = 7 cells). Irrespective of the means, increase in calcium led to most lysosomes to fuse partially in WT MEFs (E) and completely in Syt VII KO MEFs (F). The error bars represent SEM.