The microanatomy of mucin granule release from epithelial goblet cells has been investigated in guinea pig tracheae. Using a tannic acid arrest procedure, granule release under basal conditions and after high K+ or acetylcholine (ACh) application was arrested and a variety of granule fusion sites were identified in ultrathin sections and freeze-fracture replicas. Rather than there being subclasses of secretory cells containing either electron-lucent granules (indicative of mucin) or smaller electron-dense (serous) granules, the majority of secretory cells in both control and treated groups contained granules with an electrondense core surrounded by an electron-lucent region. Granule release sites were of three principal types: (1) simple exocytosis, where the membranes of single granules fused directly with the plasma membrane to give an "omega" profile; (2) compound exocytosis, where granule membranes, fused together intracellularly, were found in continuity with the plasma membrane; and (3) apocrine-like secretion, which involved the loss of the central apical mass of granules together with elements of the cell cytoplasm. In treated preparations, there was an increase in the number of cells exhibiting fusion sites; the percentage showing simple fusions fell from 82% to 59% (with ACh) and 57% (with KCl), whereas the percentage of cells exhibiting compound and apocrine-like secretion increased. Dense cores were frequently retained at the sites of fusion and, despite the expansive decondensation of mucin known to occur, there was also evidence of some retention of the electron-lucent material.
The release of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in response to the application of neurohumoral agonists (neuromimetics) is directly demonstrated and quantified at the cellular level, using an ultrastructural assay developed to quantify secretion. The assay uses an in situ tannic acid perfusion technique to arrest the exocytosis of atrial secretory granules in the anesthetized rat. The animal is perfused with the neuromimetic, and secretory granules, which retain the capacity to undergo exocytosis throughout the subsequent 30 min tannic acid perfusion, accumulate at the cell surface in a state of fusion with the plasma membrane. Quantification of arrested granules thus provides a measure of the rate of granule release and allows the responses to different agents to be assessed. The actions of three different agents were investigated: isoproterenol, phenylephrine, and acetylcholine. In previously published studies, investigations of the actions of these agents on ANP release has produced unclear and sometimes contradictory results. Using our ultrastructural assay, it was found that during the 30 min perfusion period neither isoprenaline nor phenylephrine caused a significant change in the rate of secretory granule release, whereas acetylcholine significantly decreased the rate of granule release. A new model of secretion is proposed to integrate these findings with previous results and help clarify the complex picture of atrial natriuretic peptide release.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.