An histochemical approach to characterization of anionic constituents in mast cell secretory granules

We used cationized colloidal gold in order to investigate the distribution of anionic sites in different secretory granules of rat and mouse mast cells. The localization of the anionic sites was performed by post-embedding labeling of thin sections of rat peritoneal cells or mouse skin tissue, fixed in Karnovsky's fixative and OsO₄ and embedded in Araldite or LR white, respectively. In all cases anionic sites were demonstrated with a high density variation depending on cell type. In all mast cell secretory granules we have observed the highest density (ca. 500–900 gold particles/m²), while in other peritoneal cell granules it was about 10 times less (ca. 40–80 gold particles/m²). Pretreatment of the LR white sections with heparinase I and III resulted in a reduction of 97% and 72%, respectively, in the binding of the gold particles to the granules, indicating that the majority of the gold binding reactivity is due to heparin. Correlation of section profile area with labeling density revealed that the smaller granules were significantly more labeled when compared to the larger profiles. On the basis of these observations it seems that a post-translational change (mainly sulfation of heparin) of secretory content influences the granule anionic charge and thus may affect the intragranule buffer capacity.     

Localization of anionic constituents in mast cell granules of brachymorphic (bm/bm) mice by using avidin-conjugated colloidal gold

We used the egg avidin gold complex as a polycationic probe for the localization of negatively charged sites in the secretory granules of mouse mast cells. We compared the binding of this reagent to mast cell granules in wild-type mice and in congenic brachymorphic mice in which mast cell secretory granules contained undersulfated proteoglycans. We localized anionic sites by post-embedding labeling of thin sections of mouse skin and tongue tissues fixed in Karnovsky’s fixative and OsO₄ and embedded in Araldite. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the mast cell granules of bm/bm mice had a lower optical density than those of wild-type mice (P<0.001) and a lower avidin gold binding density (by approximately 50%, P<0.001). The latter result provided additional evidence that the contents of mast cell granules in bm/bm mice were less highly sulfated than in those of wild-type mice. In both wild-type and bm/bm mast cells, the distribution of granule equivalent volumes was multimodal, but the unit granule volume was approximately 19% lower in bm/bm cells than in wild-type cells (P<0.05). Thus, bm/bm mast cells develop secretory granules that differ from those of wild-type mice in exhibiting a lower optical density and slightly smaller unit granules, however the processes that contribute to granule maturation and granule-granule fusion in mast cells are operative in bm/bm cells.     

VAMP8/Endobrevin is a critical factor for the homotypic granule growth in pancreatic acinar cells

The delivery of newly-formed secretory content to the granule inventory occurs through direct fusion of recently formed granules and mature granules. The introduction of knockout mice allowed us to investigate the characteristics of the delivery process and to determine the core protein machinery required for granule growth. The SNARE machinery mediates membrane fusion and is essential for the granule lifecycle. In the current work, we use VAMP8 knockout mice to show that the SNARE machinery plays a critical role in the process of granule homotypic fusion. Consistent with this, the mutated mouse pancreatic acinar secretory granules are significantly smaller compared to the control group, demonstrating few granule profiles that might be the result of homotypic fusion.     

Membrane modification during secretory granule formation in rat somatotrophs

Somatotrophs from male rat anterior pituitary were used to investigate the formation of secretory granules. When enzymatically dispersed cells were incubated with cationized ferritin (CF) for 15 min, CF labeled immature secretory granules, but not mature granules of somatotrophs. Most immature granules labeled by CF transformed to the mature types within 120 min. This indicates that the fusion of endocytic vesicles with the immature granules occurs during the maturation process of secretory granules. The internalized CF was distributed not only in the immature secretory granules, but also in the peripheral region of trans Golgi cisternae or GERL. Enzyme cytochemistry revealed that acid phosphatase-positive cisternae (GERL) were the main site for secretory granule formation, and was devoid of thiamine pyrophosphatase (TPPase) activity. A small number of secretory granules were also present in the peripheral regions of TPPase-positive Golgi cisternae. The granule-forming sites, however, lacked TPPase activity, while the remaining region of the same cisterna showed the positive enzyme activity. This indicates that the granule-forming region at the periphery of Golgi cisterna is different from the remaining part of the same cisterna in terms of cytochemical properties. This probably results from the insertion of endocytic vesicle membrane, since the same granule-forming sites preferentially fused with CF-labeled small vesicles which lacked cytochemical TPPase activity. Taken together. Our results suggest that the membrane of secretory granules is modified during the granule formation, at least partly by the fusion of endocytic small vesicles with Golgi cisternae (or GERL), and with immature secretory granules.     

Evaluation of atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide in atrial granules of rats with experimental congestive heart failure.

The natriuretic peptides are believed to play an important role in the pathophysiology of congestive heart failure (CHF). We utilized a quantitative cytomorphometric method, using double immunocytochemical labeling, to assess the characteristics of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in atrial granules in an experimental model of rats with CHF induced by aortocaval fistula. Rats with CHF were further divided into decompensated (sodium-retaining) and compensated (sodium-excreting) subgroups and compared with a sham-operated control group. A total of 947 granules in myocytes in the right atrium were analyzed, using electron microscopy and a computerized analysis system. Decompensated CHF was associated with alterations in the modal nature of granule content packing, as depicted by moving bin analysis, and in the granule density of both peptides. In control rats, the mean density of gold particles attached to both peptides was 347.0 +/- 103.6 and 306.3 +/- 89.9 gold particles/microm2 for ANP and BNP, respectively. Similar mean density was revealed in the compensated rats (390.6 +/- 81.0 and 351.3 +/- 62.1 gold particles/microm2 for ANP and BNP, respectively). However, in rats with decompensated CHF, a significant decrease in the mean density of gold particles was observed (141.6 +/- 67.3 and 158.0 +/- 71.2 gold particles/microm2 for ANP and BNP, respectively; p<0.05 compared with compensated rats, for both ANP and BNP). The ANP:BNP ratio did not differ between groups. These findings indicate that the development of decompensated CHF in rats with aortocaval fistula is associated with a marked decrease in the density of both peptides in atrial granules, as well as in alterations in the quantal nature of granule formation. The data further suggest that both peptides, ANP and BNP, may be regulated in the atrium by a common secretory mechanism in CHF.     

Differential Sorting of Lysosomal Enzymes Out of the Regulated Secretory Pathway in Pancreatic β-Cells

In cells specialized for secretory granule exocytosis, lysosomal hydrolases may enter the regulated secretory pathway. Using mouse pancreatic islets and the INS-1 β-cell line as models, we have compared the itineraries of procathepsins L and B, two closely related members of the papain superfamily known to exhibit low and high affinity for mannose-6-phosphate receptors (MPRs), respectively. Interestingly, shortly after pulse labeling INS cells, a substantial fraction of both proenzymes exhibit regulated exocytosis. After several hours, much procathepsin L remains as precursor in a compartment that persists in its ability to undergo regulated exocytosis in parallel with insulin, while procathepsin B is efficiently converted to the mature form and can no longer be secreted. However, in islets from transgenic mice devoid of cation-dependent MPRs, the modest fraction of procathepsin B normally remaining within mature secretory granules is increased approximately fourfold. In normal mouse islets, immunoelectron microscopy established that both cathepsins are present in immature β-granules, while immunolabeling for cathepsin L, but not B, persists in mature β-granules. By contrast, in islets from normal male SpragueDawley rats, much of the proenzyme sorting appears to occur earlier, significantly diminishing the stimulusdependent release of procathepsin B. Evidently, in the context of different systems, MPR-mediated sorting of lysosomal proenzymes occurs to a variable extent within the trans-Golgi network and is continued, as needed, within immature secretory granules. Lysosomal proenzymes that fail to be sorted at both sites remain as residents of mature secretory granules.     

Biogenesis of secretory granules. Implications arising from the immature secretory granule in the regulated pathway of secretion

In endocrine cells the regulated secretion of hormones, peptides, enzymes and neurotransmitters into the external medium occurs when mature secretory granules fuse with the plasma membrane. Secretory granules form at the trans-Golgi network (TGN) by envelopment of the dense-core aggregate of regulated secretory proteins by a specific membrane. The secretory granules initially formed at the TGN, referred to here as immature secretory granules, are morphologically and biochemically distinct from mature secretory granules. The functional similarities and differences between the immature secretory granule and the mature secretory granule, and the events involved in the maturation of the secretory granules are briefly discussed.     

Sulfated glycosaminoglycans in guinea pig basophils studied by means of cationic colloidal gold

 Bone marrow embedding in the hydrophilic resin, Lowicryl K4M, followed by cationic colloidal gold (CCG, pH 1.0) staining was used to study the sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and their sites of sulfation ultrastructurally in various maturational stages of both basophil granulocytes and basophil granules in the guinea pig. CCG at pH 1.0 is specific for sulfated GAG staining. Basophil granulocytes and granules reacted positively to CCG with a variety of staining according to the stage of maturation. The formation of basophil granules takes place throughout the myelocyte stage. Early basophil myelocytes contain a large Golgi apparatus with active granulogenesis, while late myelocytes contain a small and less active Golgi apparatus as judged by CCG staining. All the immature granules and some of the granules with characteristic ultrastructure stained positively. However, some of the mature granules had lost their affinity for CCG upon maturation. Interestingly, strongly positive CCG staining was also observed in the trans to transmost Golgi apparatus. This indicates that sulfation of GAGs occurs in the trans to transmost Golgi apparatus in all maturational stages of basophil granulocytes. Treatment with chondroitinase ABC or heparinase I abolished the majority of CCG staining. Accepted: 17 July 1997     

Kinetics of release of serotonin from isolated secretory granules. I. Amperometric detection of serotonin from electroporated granules.

We developed a method for measuring the efflux of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin) from isolated intact granules of the mast cell of the beige mouse. This method combines electroporation of the vesicle membrane with amperometric detection of 5-HT. A single secretory granule is placed between two platinum electrodes (distance approximately 100 microm) and positioned adjacent (<1 microm) to a carbon fiber microelectrode. A short (approximately 30 micros) high-intensity voltage pulse (electric field of approximately 5 kV/cm) is delivered to the electrodes to trigger the mechanical breakdown of the granule membrane, which activates the release of 5-HT. We observed concurrent swelling of the granule matrix with the oxidation of 5-HT at the carbon fiber electrode (overpotential + 650 mV). Similar to the release of secretory products during exocytosis, the oxidation current exhibits a spike-like time course with a noninstantaneous rising phase (time between onset of current and maximum flux, t(max)) with approximately 25% of the molecules released during this period. When the current reaches its maximum, the granule matrix attains its maximum swollen state. We found that the rising phase depends on the initial cross-sectional area of the granule (t(max) approximately 21r2) and reflects the time required for membrane rupture. The average t(1/2)spike of the amperometric spikes was found to be approximately 150 ms, which is 3-7 times faster than the t(1/2) measured during cellular exocytosis.     

3-Methylcholanthrene elicits DNA adduct formation in the CYP1A1 promoter region and attenuates reporter gene expression in rat H4IIE cells

Since it was reported that components of immature secretory granules (ISGs) are different from those of mature secretory granules (MSGs) in rat parotid acinar cells, we have been considering that components of secretory granules (SGs) change dynamically during granule maturation. As the first step to understand the mechanism of granule maturation, we separated low-density detergent-resistant membrane fractions (DRMs) from purified SGs of rat parotid gland. When SGs were lysed by the detergent Brij-58, syntaxin6 and VAMP4 were found in DRMs that were different from the GM1a-rich DRMs containing VAMP2. Because syntaxin6 and VAMP4 are known to be related to granule formation, we attempted to separate DRMs from ISGs. To enrich for ISGs, glands were removed from rats 5h after intraperitoneal injection of isoproterenol and used to purify the newly synthesized granules. Compared to mature granules prepared without injection, these newly formed granules were lower in density and contained higher concentrations of syntaxin6, VAMP4, and gamma-adaptin. This composition is consistent with the characterizations of ISGs. DRMs isolated from the newly formed granules were GM1a-rich and contained syntaxin6, VAMP4, and VAMP2 together. Thus, our findings suggest that syntaxin6 and VAMP4 associate with a GM1a-rich membrane microdomain during granule formation but enter a separate membrane microdomain before transport from granules during maturation.     

Developmental regulation of granule size and numbers in larval salivary glands of drosophila by steroid hormone ecdysone

The size and number of secretory granules in late larval salivary glands of Drosophila melanogaster have been related to interecdysial and early metamorphic development represented by well-known puffs in polytene chromosomes. Interecdysial period (puff stage 1 (PS1)) is characterized by presence of numerous small granules (11,000 per cell). The transition from PSI to early metamorphic phase (PS2 and upwards), induced by rapid elevation in endogenous steroid hormone ecdysone, is accompanied by continuous growth of granule diameter with concomitant reduction in their number per cell. In the PS4, just prior to secretion, approximately 3000 mature granules occur per cell. The mature state is associated with the change from hyperbolic to Gaussian distribution of granule number over their size range. Similar changes in secretory granule parameters were observed in interecdysial salivary glands explanted from 3rd instar larvae and cultured in vitro in medium containing 5x10(-6) m ecdysone.     

Intragranular processing of pro-opiomelanocortin in the intermediate cells of the rat pituitary glands. A quantitative immunocytochemical approach

Quantitative immunocytochemical studies were done by using the immunogold technique on sections of the intermediate lobe of rat pituitary. Antibodies raised (in rabbits) against the precursor proteins pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and ACTH were used. The results clearly indicate that the immature granules are the major site of POMC, as their antigenic density (gold beads/micron2) was almost 3 times as high as that of ACTH. In the mature granules, the antigenic density of ACTH was increased by 2.7-fold compared with the immature granules. Using a computer-assisted method, it was possible to categorize the granules' antigenic density according to their size. Using this approach it was found that the antigenic density of POMC remained constant in all mature granules of varied sizes, whereas the antigenic density of ACTH decreased with increasing granule size. The relationship between granule size, degree of maturation, and antigenic density is discussed.     

Recovery of surface membrane in anterior pituitary cells. Variations in traffic detected with anionic and cationic ferritin

Cells dissociated from rat anterior pituitaries were incubated with native or cationized ferritin (CF) to trace the fate of surface membrane. Native ferritin, which did not bind to the cell surface, was taken up in small amounts by bulk-phase endocytosis and was found increasingly (over 1-2 h) concentrated in lysosomes. CF at 100-fold less concentrations bound rapidly to the cell membrane, was taken up by endocytosis in far greater amounts, and within 15-60 min was found increasingly within multiple stacked Golgi cisternae, around forming secretion granules, and within elements of GERL, as well as within lysosomes. The findings demonstrate that the fate of the tracer--and presumably also that of the surface membrane--varies with the same molecule differing only in net charge: vesicles carrying anionic ferritin (net negative charge) fuse only with elements of the lysosomal system whereas those carrying CF (net positive charge) can fuse not only with elements of the lysosomal system, but also with elements along the secretory pathway (Golgi cisternae and condensing granules) as well.     

前包埋阳离子胶体金标记技术定量检测硬脑膜毛细血管阴离子场方法的探讨

介绍一种定量观察血管内皮细胞表面阴离子场的技术方法。以研究毛细血管腔面阴离子场与血管通透性的关系。用前包埋程序以阳郭胶体金（CCG）做为探针,标记硬脑膜毛细血管内皮腔面的阴离子场,在电子显微镜下摄影计数内皮细胞表面标记的金颗粒,在硬脑膜毛细血管腔面,微绒毛和质膜小泡的表面均见CCG标记,而不带电荷的BSA－胶体金呈阴性结果,前包埋阳离子胶体金标记技术可特异性地显示硬脑膜血管内皮细胞表面的阴离子场,并可做定量研究,标记微环境,血管开口大小和复染可能影响标记结果。     

Internalization of surface anionic sites and phagosome-lysosome fusion during interaction of Toxoplasma gondii with macrophages

The participation of cell surface anionic sites on the interaction between tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii and macrophages and the process of phagosome-lysosome fusion were analyzed using cationized ferritin as a marker of cell surface anionic sites and albumin-colloidal gold as a marker for secondary lysosomes. Incubation of either the macrophages or the parasites with cationized ferritin before the interaction increased the ingestion of parasites by macrophages. Anionic sites of the macrophage's surface, labeled with cationized ferritin before the interaction, were internalized together with untreated parasites. However, after interaction with glutaraldehyde-fixed or specific antibody-coated parasites, the cationized ferritin particles were observed in endocytic vacuoles which did not contain parasites. Macrophages previously labeled with albumin-gold at 37 degrees C, were incubated in the presence of cationized ferritin at 4 degrees C and then incubated with untreated or specific antibody-coated parasites. After interaction with opsonized parasites, the colloidal gold particles were observed in the parasitophorous vacuoles while the cationized ferritin particles were observed in cytoplasmic vesicles. However, when the interaction was carried out with untreated parasites, the parasitophorous vacuoles exhibited ferritin particles while the colloidal gold particles were observed in cytoplasmic vesicles. These observations, in association with studies previously reported, suggest that the state of the parasite surface determines the mechanism of parasite entry into the macrophage, the composition of the membrane lining the parasitophorous vacuole and the ability of lysosomes to fuse with the vacuoles.     

Reversible condensation of mast cell secretory products in vitro.

We have investigated the mechanisms responsible for the condensation and decondensation of secretory products that occur in mast cell secretion. We show here that the hydrated matrix of an exocytosed secretory granule can be recondensed to its original volume by exposure to acidic solutions containing histamine at concentrations that mimic those found in vivo. Recondensation by acidic histamine began in the range of 1-10 mM with a dose response curve that was accurately predicted by a Hill type equation with four highly cooperative binding sites and a half maximum concentration of [Hi++] = 3.9 mM. Recondensation by histamine showed a sigmoidal dependency on pH (critical range pH 5.5-6.5) and was fully reversible. These experiments suggest that histamine, possibly by binding to anionic sites in the protein-heparin complex of the granule matrix, triggers a change in the polymeric structures of the granule matrix from an extended coil to a collapsed globular state. This may be a useful model for understanding the condensation of secretory products into dense core granules and their subsequent decondensation upon exocytosis.     

Biogenesis of secretory granules

The biogenesis of secretory granules in endocrine, neuroendocrine, and exocrine cells is thought to involve a selective aggregation of the regulated secretory proteins into a dense-cored structure. The dense-core is then enveloped by membrane in the trans-Golgi network and buds, forming an immature secretory granule. The immature secretory granule then undergoes a maturation process which gives rise to the mature secretory granule. The recent data on the processes of aggregation, budding and maturation are summarized here. In addition, the current knowledge about the mature secretory granule is reviewed with emphasis on the biogenesis of the membrane of this organelle.     

Size-effect on the physical characteristics of the aerobic granule in a SBR

Owing to a fast growth rate, aerobic granules display a wide range of sizes, approximately 0.3-5.0 mm in diameter. As the diameter increases, the aerobic granule undergoes serial morphological and physical changes that could cause problems to the reactor operation, a phenomenon which, however, has not been fully studied hitherto. In this study, aerobic granules from a sequencing batch reactor were mechanically separated into various size-categories in order to investigate their physical properties, including sludge volumetric index (SVI), settling velocity (sv), specific surface hydrophobicity, granule strength, total solids, percentage volatile solids and other structural properties. Also, the live and dead biomass distribution was examined under a confocal laser scanning microscope after treatment with nucleic acid viability stains. Regardless of size, the biomass (both live and dead) was densest in the outer layer of the granule, which was about 600+/-50 microm thick. The live cells appeared only in the peripheral zone, while dead biomass spread into the inner zone. The biomass distribution pattern justified the changing physical properties of the granules as they grew bigger. As size increased, the sv, granule total density and biomass density increased but not in parallel with the size increment, while the granule strength, specific surface hydrophobicity and SVI decreased. Nonetheless, beyond a threshold size (4.0 mm diameter), the granules presented peculiar values in those properties, deviating from the initial trends. This was due to both inner and outer structural changes. The physical properties associated significantly with the size factor, for which the correlation coefficients were above 0.67. In view of biological viability and physical properties, the operational size-range suggested for optimal performance and economically effective aerobic SBR granular sludge is a diameter of 1.0-3.0 mm.     

Regeneration of plasmalemma and surface properties in macrophages

The regeneration of surface anionic groups in mouse peritoneal macrophages was investigated by electron microscopy, using cationized ferritin (CF) as a tool for the localization and evaluation of negative charge density on the cell surface. In vitro interaction of living macrophages with CF resulted in removal of most anionic groups, either by concentration of their receptor sites to a part of the membrane which is subsequently internalized, or by detachment of the aggregated label from the surface. After incubation of macrophages lacking surface anionic groups in tissue culture medium without the ligand, regeneration of the binding capacity for CF took place within 3 h. The first regenerated parts of the membrane can be visualized within 1 h on the upper part of the adherent cells; there is a discontinuous coating of ferritin, with the lateral regions of the plasmalemma free of label. The attached CF particles on the regenerated membrane are closer to the membrane and their density is considerably higher than on the normal control macrophages. The results indicate that the turnover of the plasmalemma is regional and not dispersed; the mechanism involved is insertion of membrane patches into the pre-existing plasma membrane.     

Regulation of secretory granule size by the precise generation and fusion of unit granules

Morphometric evidence derived from studies of mast cells, pancreatic acinar cells and other cell types supports a model in which the post-Golgi processes that generate mature secretory granules can be resolved into three steps: (1) fusion of small, Golgi-derived progranules to produce immature secretory granules which have a highly constrained volume; (2) transformation of such immature granules into mature secretory granules, a process often associated with a reduction in the maturing granule’s volume, as well as changes in the appearance of its content and (3) fusion of secretory granules of the smallest size, termed ‘unit granules’, forming granules whose volumes are multiples of the unit granule’s volume. Mutations which perturb this process can cause significant pathology. For example, Chediak–Higashi syndrome / lysosomal trafficking regulator (CHS)/(Lyst) mutations result in giant secretory granules in a number of cell types in human beings with the Chediak–Higashi syndrome and in ‘beige’ (Lyst^bg/Lyst^bg) mice. Analysis of the secretory granules of mast cells and pancreatic acinar cells in Lyst-deficient beige mice suggests that beige mouse secretory granules retain the ability to fuse randomly with other secretory granules no matter what the size of the fusion partners. By contrast, in normal mice, the pattern of granule–granule fusion occurs exclusively by the addition of unit granules, either to each other or to larger granules. The normal pattern of fusion is termed unit addition and the fusion evident in cells with CHS/Lyst mutations is called random addition. The proposed model of secretory granule formation has several implications. For example, in neurosecretory cells, the secretion of small amounts of cargo in granules constrained to a very narrow size increases the precision of the information conveyed by secretion. By contrast, in pancreatic acinar cells and mast cells, large granules composed of multiple unit granules permit the cells to store large amounts of material without requiring the amount of membrane necessary to package the same amount of cargo into small granules. In addition, the formation of mature secretory granules that are multimers of unit granules provides a mechanism for mixing in large granules the contents of unit granules which differ in their content of cargo.