SNAP-25 and synaptotagmin 1 function in Ca2+-dependent reversible docking of granules to the plasma membrane

In neuroendocrine cells, Ca2+ triggers fusion of granules with the plasma membrane and functions at earlier steps by increasing the size of the readily releasable pool of vesicles. The effect of Ca2+ at early steps of secretion may be due to the recruitment at the plasma membrane of granules localized in the cytoplasm. To study the mechanism of granule docking, a new in vitro assay is designed using membrane fractions from mouse pituitary AtT-20 cells. By using this assay, it is found that granule docking to the plasma membrane is controlled by Ca2+ concentrations in the micromolar range, is reversible and requires intact SNAP-25, but not VAMP-2. In the docking assay, addition of Ca2+ induces the formation of a SNAP-25-Synaptotagmin 1 complex. The cytosolic domain C2AB of Synaptotagmin 1 and anti-Synaptotagmin 1 antibodies block granule docking. These results show that Ca2+ modulates dynamic docking of granules to the plasma membrane and that this process is due to a Ca2+-dependent interaction between SNAP-25 and Synaptotagmin 1.