Munc13-1 is required for the sustained release of insulin from pancreatic beta cells

Munc13-1 is a presynaptic protein that is essential for synaptic vesicle priming. Deletion of Munc13-1/unc13 causes total arrest of synaptic transmission due to a complete loss of fusion-competent synaptic vesicles. The requirement of Munc13-1 for large dense-core vesicles (LDCVs), however, has not been established. In the present study, we use Munc13-1 knockout (KO) and diacylglycerol (DAG) binding-deficient Munc13-1^H567K mutant knockin (KI) mice to determine the role of Munc13-1 in the secretion of insulin-containing LDCVs from primary cultured pancreatic β cells. We show that Munc13-1 is required for the sustained insulin release upon prolonged stimulation. The sustained release involves signaling of DAG second messenger, since it is also reduced in KI mice. Insulin secretion in response to glucose stimulation is characterized by a biphasic time course. Our data show that Munc13-1 plays an essential role in the development of the second phase of insulin secretion by priming insulin-containing LDCVs.     

Munc18-1 promotes large dense-core vesicle docking.

Secretory vesicles dock at the plasma membrane before Ca(2+) triggers their exocytosis. Exocytosis requires the assembly of SNARE complexes formed by the vesicle protein Synaptobrevin and the membrane proteins Syntaxin-1 and SNAP-25. We analyzed the role of Munc18-1, a cytosolic binding partner of Syntaxin-1, in large dense-core vesicle (LDCV) secretion. Calcium-dependent LDCV exocytosis was reduced 10-fold in mouse chromaffin cells lacking Munc18-1, but the kinetic properties of the remaining release, including single fusion events, were not different from controls. Concomitantly, mutant cells displayed a 10-fold reduction in morphologically docked LDCVs. Moreover, acute overexpression of Munc18-1 in bovine chromaffin cells increased the amount of releasable vesicles and accelerated vesicle supply. We conclude that Munc18-1 functions upstream of SNARE complex formation and promotes LDCV docking.     

Munc18-1 mutations that strongly impair SNARE-complex binding support normal synaptic transmission

Synaptic transmission depends critically on the Sec1p/Munc18 protein Munc18-1, but it is unclear whether Munc18-1 primarily operates as a integral part of the fusion machinery or has a more upstream role in fusion complex assembly. Here, we show that point mutations in Munc18-1 that interfere with binding to the free Syntaxin1a N-terminus and strongly impair binding to assembled SNARE complexes all support normal docking, priming and fusion of synaptic vesicles, and normal synaptic plasticity in munc18-1 null mutant neurons. These data support a prevailing role of Munc18-1 before/during SNARE-complex assembly, while its continued association to assembled SNARE complexes is dispensable for synaptic transmission.     

Involvement of Rab3A in vesicle priming during exocytosis: interaction with Munc13-1 and Munc18-1

Rab3A is a small G-protein of the Rab family that is involved in the late steps of exocytosis. Here, we studied the role of Rab3A and its relationship with Munc13-1 and Munc18-1 during vesicle priming. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) is known to enhance the percentage of fusion-competent vesicles and this is mediated by protein kinase C (PKC)-independent Munc13-1 activation and PKC-dependent dissociation of Munc18-1 from syntaxin 1a. Our results show that the effects of PMA varied in cells overexpressing Rab3A or mutants of Rab3A and in cells with Rab3A knockdown. When Munc13-1 was overexpressed in Rab3A knockdown cells, secretion was completely inhibited. In cells overexpressing a Rab-interacting molecule (RIM)-binding deficient Munc13-1 mutant, 128-Munc13-1, the effects of Rab3A on PMA-induced secretion was abolished. The effect of PMA, which disappeared in cells overexpressing GTP-Rab3A (Q81L), could be reversed by co-expressing Munc18-1 but not its mutant R39C, which is unable to bind to syntaxin 1a. In cells overexpressing Munc18-1, manipulation of Rab3A activity had no effect on secretion. Finally, Munc18-1 enhanced the dissociation of Rab3A, and such enhancement correlated with exocytosis. In summary, our results support the hypothesis that the Rab3A cycle is coupled with the activation of Munc13-1 via RIM, which accounts for the regulation of secretion by Rab3A. Munc18-1 acts downstream of Munc13-1/RIM/Rab3A and interacts with syntaxin 1a allowing vesicle priming. Furthermore, Munc18-1 promotes Rab3A dissociation from vesicles, which then results in fusion.     

Preferential localization of a vesicular monoamine transporter to dense core vesicles in PC12 cells

Neurons and endocrine cells have two types of secretory vesicle that undergo regulated exocytosis. Large dense core vesicles (LDCVs) store neural peptides whereas small clear synaptic vesicles store classical neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and glutamate. However, monoamines differ from other classical transmitters and have been reported to appear in both LDCVs and smaller vesicles. To localize the transporter that packages monoamines into secretory vesicles, we have raised antibodies to a COOH- terminal sequence from the vesicular amine transporter expressed in the adrenal gland (VMAT1). Like synaptic vesicle proteins, the transporter occurs in endosomes of transfected CHO cells, accounting for the observed vesicular transport activity. In rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells, the transporter occurs principally in LDCVs by both immunofluorescence and density gradient centrifugation. Synaptic-like microvesicles in PC12 cells contain relatively little VMAT1. The results appear to account for the storage of monoamines by LDCVs in the adrenal medulla and indicate that VMAT1 provides a novel membrane protein marker unique to LDCVs.     

Munc18-1 is critical for plasma membrane localization of syntaxin1 but not of SNAP-25 in PC12 cells

Although Munc18-1 was originally identified as a syntaxin1–interacting protein, the physiological significance of this interaction remains unclear. In fact, recent studies of Munc18-1 mutants have suggested that Munc18-1 plays a critical role for docking of secretory vesicles, independent of syntaxin1 regulation. Here we investigated the role of Munc18-1 in syntaxin1 localization by generating stable neuroendocrine cell lines in which Munc18-1 was strongly down-regulated. In these cells, the secretion capability, as well as the docking of dense-core vesicles, was significantly reduced. More importantly, not only was the expression level of syntaxin1 reduced, but the localization of syntaxin1 at the plasma membrane was also severely perturbed. The mislocalized syntaxin1 resided primarily in the perinuclear region of the cells, in which it was highly colocalized with Secretogranin II, a marker protein for dense-core vesicles. In contrast, the expression level and the plasma membrane localization of SNAP-25 were not affected. Furthermore, the syntaxin1 localization and the secretion capability were restored upon transfection-mediated reintroduction of Munc18-1. Our results indicate that endogenous Munc18-1 plays a critical role for the plasma membrane localization of syntaxin1 in neuroendocrine cells and therefore necessitates the interpretation of Munc18-1 mutant phenotypes to be in terms of mislocalized syntaxin1.     

Munc13-1 acts as a priming factor for large dense-core vesicles in bovine chromaffin cells

In chromaffin cells the number of large dense-core vesicles (LDCVs) which can be released by brief, intense stimuli represents only a small fraction of the 'morphologically docked' vesicles at the plasma membrane. Recently, it was shown that Munc13-1 is essential for a post-docking step of synaptic vesicle fusion. To investigate the role of Munc13-1 in LDCV exocytosis, we overexpressed Munc13-1 in chromaffin cells and stimulated secretion by flash photolysis of caged calcium. Both components of the exocytotic burst, which represent the fusion of release-competent vesicles, were increased by a factor of three. The sustained component, which represents vesicle maturation and subsequent fusion, was increased by the same factor. The response to a second flash, however, was greatly reduced, indicating a depletion of release-competent vesicles. Since there was no apparent change in the number of docked vesicles, we conclude that Munc13-1 acts as a priming factor by accelerating the rate constant of vesicle transfer from a pool of docked, but unprimed vesicles to a pool of release-competent, primed vesicles.     

Tyrosine phosphorylation of Munc18‐1 inhibits synaptic transmission by preventing SNARE assembly

Tyrosine kinases are important regulators of synaptic strength. Here, we describe a key component of the synaptic vesicle release machinery, Munc18‐1, as a phosphorylation target for neuronal Src family kinases (SFKs). Phosphomimetic Y473D mutation of a SFK phosphorylation site previously identified by brain phospho‐proteomics abolished the stimulatory effect of Munc18‐1 on SNARE complex formation (“SNARE‐templating”) and membrane fusion in vitro. Furthermore, priming but not docking of synaptic vesicles was disrupted in hippocampal munc18‐1‐null neurons expressing Munc18‐1_Y473D. Synaptic transmission was temporarily restored by high‐frequency stimulation, as well as by a Munc18‐1 mutation that results in helix 12 extension, a critical conformational step in vesicle priming. On the other hand, expression of non‐phosphorylatable Munc18‐1 supported normal synaptic transmission. We propose that SFK‐dependent Munc18‐1 phosphorylation may constitute a potent, previously unknown mechanism to shut down synaptic transmission, via direct occlusion of a Synaptobrevin/VAMP2 binding groove and subsequent hindrance of conformational changes in domain 3a responsible for vesicle priming. This would strongly interfere with the essential post‐docking SNARE‐templating role of Munc18‐1, resulting in a largely abolished pool of releasable synaptic vesicles.     

The role of Rab3a in secretory vesicle docking requires association/dissociation of guanidine phosphates and Munc18-1

Rab3a is a small GTPase that binds selectively to secretory vesicles and switches between active, GTP-bound and inactive, GDP-bound conformations. In yeast, Rab and SM-genes interact genetically to promote vesicle targeting/fusion. We tested different Rab3a conformations and genetic interactions with the SM-gene munc18-1 on the docking function of Rab3a in mammalian chromaffin cells. We expressed Rab3a mutants locked in the GTP- or GDP-bound form in wild-type and munc18-1 null mutant cells and analyzed secretory vesicle distribution. We confirmed that wild-type Rab3a promotes vesicle docking in wild-type cells. Unexpectedly, both GTP- and GDP-locked Rab3a mutants did not promote docking. Furthermore, wild-type Rab3a did not promote docking in munc18-1 null cells and GTP- and GDP-Rab3a both decreased the amount of docked vesicles. The results show that GTP- and GDP-locked conformations do not support a Munc18-1 dependent role of Rab3a in docking. This suggests that nucleotide cycling is required to support docking and that this action of Rab3a is upstream of Munc18-1.     

Regulation of insulin exocytosis by Munc13-1

The slower kinetics of insulin release from pancreatic islet beta cells, as compared with other regulated secretory processes such as chromaffin granule secretion, can in part be explained by the small number of the insulin granules that are docked to the plasma membrane and readily releasable. In type-2 diabetes, the kinetics of insulin secretion become grossly distorted, and, to therapeutically correct this, it is imperative to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate priming and secretion of insulin secretory granules. Munc13-1, a synaptic protein that regulates SNARE complex assembly, is the major protein determining the priming of synaptic vesicles. Here, we demonstrate the presence of Munc13-1 in human, rat, and mouse pancreatic islet beta cells. Expression of Munc13-1, along with its cognate partners, syntaxin 1a and Munc18a, is reduced in the pancreatic islets of type-2 diabetes non-obese Goto-Kakizaki and obese Zucker fa/fa rats. In insulinoma cells, overexpressed Munc13-1-enhanced green fluorescent protein is translocated to the plasma membrane in a temperature-dependent manner. This, in turn, greatly amplifies insulin exocytosis as determined by patch clamp capacitance measurements and radioimmunoassay of the insulin released. The potentiation of exocytosis by Munc13-1 is dependent on endogenously produced diacylglycerol acting on the overexpressed Munc13-1 because it is blocked by a phospholipase C inhibitor (U73122) and abrogated when the diacylglycerol binding-deficient Munc13-1H567K mutant is expressed instead of the wild type protein. Our data demonstrate that Munc13-mediated vesicle priming is not restricted to neurotransmitter release but is also functional in insulin secretion, where it is subject to regulation by the diacylglycerol second messenger pathway. In view of our findings, Munc13-1 is a potential drug target for therapeutic optimization of insulin secretion in diabetes.     

Munc18-1 Protein Molecules Move between Membrane Molecular Depots Distinct from Vesicle Docking Sites

Four evolutionarily conserved proteins are required for mammalian regulated exocytosis: three SNARE proteins, syntaxin, SNAP-25, and synaptobrevin, and the SM protein, Munc18-1. Here, using single-molecule imaging, we measured the spatial distribution of large cohorts of single Munc18-1 molecules correlated with the positions of single secretory vesicles in a functionally rescued Munc18-1-null cellular model. Munc18-1 molecules were nonrandomly distributed across the plasma membrane in a manner not directed by mode of interaction with syntaxin1, with a small mean number of molecules observed to reside under membrane resident vesicles. Surprisingly, we found that the majority of vesicles in fully secretion-competent cells had no Munc18-1 associated within distances relevant to plasma membrane-vesicle SNARE interactions. Live cell imaging of Munc18-1 molecule dynamics revealed that the density of Munc18-1 molecules at the plasma membrane anticorrelated with molecular speed, with single Munc18-1 molecules displaying directed motion between membrane hotspots enriched in syntaxin1a. Our findings demonstrate that Munc18-1 molecules move between membrane depots distinct from vesicle morphological docking sites.     

Molecular engineering of exocytic vesicle traffic enhances the productivity of Chinese hamster ovary cells

A complex vesicle trafficking system manages the precise and regulated distribution of proteins, membranes and other molecular cargo between cellular compartments as well as the secretion of (heterologous) proteins in mammalian cells. Sec1/Munc18 (SM) proteins are key components of the system by regulating membrane fusion. However, it is not clear how SM proteins contribute to the overall exocytosis. Here, functional analysis of the SM protein Sly1 and Munc18c suggested a united, positive impact upon SNARE-based fusion of ER-to-Golgi- and Golgi-to-plasma membrane-addressed exocytic vesicles and increased the secretory capacity of different therapeutic proteins in Chinese hamster ovary cells up to 40 pg/cell/day. Sly1- and Munc18c-based vesicle traffic engineering cooperated with Xbp-1-mediated ER/Golgi organelle engineering. Our study supports a model for united function of SM proteins in stimulating vesicle trafficking machinery and provides a generic secretion engineering strategy to improve biopharmaceutical manufacturing of important protein therapeutics.     

Munc13 controls the location and efficiency of dense-core vesicle release in neurons

Neuronal dense-core vesicles (DCVs) contain diverse cargo crucial for brain development and function, but the mechanisms that control their release are largely unknown. We quantified activity-dependent DCV release in hippocampal neurons at single vesicle resolution. DCVs fused preferentially at synaptic terminals. DCVs also fused at extrasynaptic sites but only after prolonged stimulation. In munc13-1/2–null mutant neurons, synaptic DCV release was reduced but not abolished, and synaptic preference was lost. The remaining fusion required prolonged stimulation, similar to extrasynaptic fusion in wild-type neurons. Conversely, Munc13-1 overexpression (M13OE) promoted extrasynaptic DCV release, also without prolonged stimulation. Thus, Munc13-1/2 facilitate DCV fusion but, unlike for synaptic vesicles, are not essential for DCV release, and M13OE is sufficient to produce efficient DCV release extrasynaptically.     

Interdependence of PKC-dependent and PKC-independent pathways for presynaptic plasticity

Diacylglycerol (DAG) is a prominent endogenous modulator of synaptic transmission. Recent studies proposed two apparently incompatible pathways, via protein kinase C (PKC) and via Munc13. Here we show how these two pathways converge. First, we confirm that DAG analogs indeed continue to potentiate transmission after PKC inhibition (the Munc13 pathway), but only in neurons that previously experienced DAG analogs, before PKC inhibition started. Second, we identify an essential PKC pathway by expressing a PKC-insensitive Munc18-1 mutant in munc18-1 null mutant neurons. This mutant supported basic transmission, but not DAG-induced potentiation and vesicle redistribution. Moreover, synaptic depression was increased, but not Ca2+-independent release evoked by hypertonic solutions. These data show that activation of both PKC-dependent and -independent pathways (via Munc13) are required for DAG-induced potentiation. Munc18-1 is an essential downstream target in the PKC pathway. This pathway is of general importance for presynaptic plasticity.     

Protein p38: an integral membrane protein specific for small vesicles of neurons and neuroendocrine cells

An intrinsic membrane protein of brain synaptic vesicles with Mr 38,000 (p38, synaptophysin) has recently been partially characterized (Jahn, R., W. Schiebler, C. Ouimet, and P. Greengard, 1985, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 83:4137-4141; Wiedenmann, B., and W. W. Franke, 1985, Cell, 41:1017-1028). We have now studied the presence of p38 in a variety of tissues by light and electron microscopy immunocytochemistry and by immunochemistry. Our results indicate that, within the nervous system, p38, like the neuron-specific phosphoprotein synapsin I, is present in virtually all nerve terminals and is selectively associated with small synaptic vesicles (SSVs). No p38 was detectable on large dense-core vesicles (LDCVs). p38 and synapsin I were found to be present in similar concentrations throughout the brain. Outside the nervous system, p38 was found in a variety of neuroendocrine cells, but not in any other cell type. In neuroendocrine cells p38 was localized on a pleiomorphic population of small, smooth-surfaced vesicles, which were interspersed among secretory granules and concentrated in the Golgi area, but not on the secretory granules themselves. Immunoblot analysis of endocrine tissues and cell lines revealed a band with a mobility slightly different from that of neuronal p38. This difference was attributable to a difference in glycosylation. The finding that p38, like synapsin I, is a component of SSVs of virtually all neurons, but not of LDCVs, supports the idea that SSVs and LDCVs are organelles of two distinct pathways for regulated neuronal secretion. In addition, our results indicate the presence in a variety of neuroendocrine cells of an endomembrane system, which is related to SSVs of neurons but is distinct from secretory granules.     

Phosphorylation of Munc18-1 by Dyrk1A regulates its interaction with Syntaxin 1 and X11α

J. Neurochem. (2012) 122, 1081-1091. ABSTRACT: Dual-specificity tyrosine(Y)-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (Dyrk1A) is a protein kinase that might be responsible for mental retardation and early onset of Alzheimer's disease in Down's syndrome patients. Dyrk1A plays a role in many cellular pathways through phosphorylation of diverse substrate proteins; however, its role in synaptic vesicle exocytosis is poorly understood. Munc18-1, a central regulator of neurotransmitter release, interacts with Syntaxin 1 and X11α. Syntaxin 1 is a key soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor protein involved in synaptic vesicle docking/fusion events, and X11α modulates amyloid precursor protein processing and β amyloid generation. In this study, we demonstrate that Dyrk1A interacts with and phosphorylates Munc18-1 at the Thr(479) residue. The phosphorylation of Munc18-1 at Thr(479) by Dyrk1A stimulated binding of Munc18-1 to Syntaxin 1 and X11α. Furthermore, the levels of phospho-Thr(479) -Munc18-1 were enhanced in the brains of transgenic mice over-expressing Dyrk1A protein, providing in vivo evidence of Munc18-1 phosphorylation by Dyrk1A. These results reveal a link between Munc18-1 and Dyrk1A in synaptic vesicle trafficking and amyloid precursor protein processing, suggesting that up-regulated Dyrk1A in Down's syndrome and Alzheimer's disease brains may contribute to some pathological features, including synaptic dysfunction and cognitive defect through abnormal phosphorylation of Munc18-1.     

Munc18-1 redistributes in nerve terminals in an activity- and PKC-dependent manner

Munc18-1 is a soluble protein essential for synaptic transmission. To investigate the dynamics of endogenous Munc18-1 in neurons, we created a mouse model expressing fluorescently tagged Munc18-1 from the endogenous munc18-1 locus. We show using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching in hippocampal neurons that the majority of Munc18-1 trafficked through axons and targeted to synapses via lateral diffusion together with syntaxin-1. Munc18-1 was strongly expressed at presynaptic terminals, with individual synapses showing a large variation in expression. Axon–synapse exchange rates of Munc18-1 were high: during stimulation, Munc18-1 rapidly dispersed from synapses and reclustered within minutes. Munc18-1 reclustering was independent of syntaxin-1, but required calcium influx and protein kinase C (PKC) activity. Importantly, a PKC-insensitive Munc18-1 mutant did not recluster. We show that synaptic Munc18-1 levels correlate with synaptic strength, and that synapses that recruit more Munc18-1 after stimulation have a larger releasable vesicle pool. Hence, PKC-dependent dynamic control of Munc18-1 levels enables individual synapses to tune their output during periods of activity.     

The Rab27a effectors JFC1/Slp1 and Munc13-4 regulate exocytosis of neutrophil granules

Neutrophil granules contain secretory molecules that contribute to the implementation of all neutrophil functions. The molecular components that regulate the exocytosis of neutrophil granules have not been characterized. In this study, using small interfering RNA gene-targeting approaches and granulocytes from genetically modified mice, we characterized the Rab27a effectors JFC1/Slp1 and Munc13-4 as components of the exocytic machinery of granulocytes. Using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy analysis, we show that Rab27a and JFC1 colocalize in predocked and docked vesicles in granulocytes. Next, we demonstrate that JFC1-downregulated granulocytes have impaired myeloperoxidase secretion. Using immunological interference, we confirm that JFC1 plays an important role in azurophilic granule exocytosis in human neutrophils. Interference with Rab27a but not with JFC1 impaired gelatinase B secretion in neutrophils, suggesting that a different Rab27a effector modulates this process. In similar studies, we confirmed that Munc13-4 regulates gelatinase secretion. Immunofluorescence analysis indicates that Munc13-4 localizes at secretory organelles in neutrophils. Using neutrophils from a Munc13-4-deficient mouse model (Jinx), we demonstrate that Munc13-4 plays a central role in the regulation of exocytosis of various sets of secretory organelles. However, mobilization of CD11b was not affected in Munc13-4-deficient neutrophils, indicating that secretory defects in these cells are limited to a selective group of exocytosable organelles.     

Two distinct secretory vesicle�Cpriming steps in adrenal chromaffin cells

Priming of large dense-core vesicles (LDCVs) is a Ca²⁺-dependent step by which LDCVs enter a release-ready pool, involving the formation of the soluble N-ethyl-maleimide sensitive fusion protein attachment protein (SNAP) receptor complex consisting of syntaxin, SNAP-25, and synaptobrevin. Using mice lacking both isoforms of the calcium-dependent activator protein for secretion (CAPS), we show that LDCV priming in adrenal chromaffin cells entails two distinct steps. CAPS is required for priming of the readily releasable LDCV pool and sustained secretion in the continued presence of high Ca²⁺ concentrations. Either CAPS1 or CAPS2 can rescue secretion in cells lacking both CAPS isoforms. Furthermore, the deficit in the readily releasable LDCV pool resulting from CAPS deletion is reversed by a constitutively open form of syntaxin but not by Munc13-1, a priming protein that facilitates the conversion of syntaxin to the open conformation. Our data indicate that CAPS functions downstream of Munc13s but also interacts functionally with Munc13s in the LDCV-priming process.     

Identification of the minimal protein domain required for priming activity of Munc13-1

Most nerve cells communicate with each other through synaptic transmission at chemical synapses. The regulated exocytosis of neurotransmitters, hormones, and peptides occurs at specialized membrane areas through Ca2+-triggered fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane . Prior to fusion, vesicles are docked at the plasma membrane and must then be rendered fusion-competent through a process called priming. The molecular mechanism underlying this priming process is most likely the formation of the SNARE complex consisting of Syntaxin 1, SNAP-25, and Synaptobrevin 2. Members of the Munc13 protein family consisting of Munc13-1, -2, -3, and -4 were found to be absolutely required for this priming process . In the present study, we identified the minimal Munc13-1 domain that is responsible for its priming activity. Using Munc13-1 deletion constructs in an electrophysiological gain-of-function assay of chromaffin-granule secretion, we show that priming activity is mediated by the C-terminal residues 1100-1735 of Munc13-1, which contains both Munc13-homology domains and the C-terminal C2 domain. Priming by Munc13-1 appears to require its interaction with Syntaxin 1 because point mutants that do not bind Syntaxin 1 do not prime chromaffin granules.