Dissection of stages in exocytosis in the adrenal chromaffin cell with use of trifluoperazine

Stimulation of isolated chromaffin cells with carbamylcholine led to a number of morphological changes, indicative of exocytosis, apparently resulting from translocation of secretory granules to the plasma membrane and their subsequent fusion with the plasma membrane to release their contents. However, stimulation in the presence of trifluoperazine resulted only in the accumulation of secretory granules close to the plasma membrane. Thus exocytosis could be divided into two stages: a trifluoperazine-insensitive stage involving translocation of secretory granules to the plasma membrane and a second trifluoperazine-sensitive stage resulting in granule-plasma membrane fusion.