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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Secretory Vesicles01:33

Overview of Secretory Vesicles

Secretory vesicles, also known as dense core vesicles (DCVs), are membrane-bound vesicles that transport secretory proteins, such as hormones or neurotransmitters. Regulated secretory vesicles transport proteins from the trans-Golgi network to the exterior of the cell. Proteins present in regulated secretory vesicles are required to be rapidly exocytosed in large amounts upon a specific stimulus.
Various proteins regulate the aggregation of molecules inside the secretory vesicles. Chromogranins...
Introduction to Membrane Traffic01:44

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The ER, Golgi apparatus, endosomes, and lysosomes work in tandem to modify, sort, and package proteins and lipids. An integrated membrane trafficking network facilitates the back and forth shuttling of molecules within different organelles in the same cell or across the cell membrane.
The transport of soluble and membrane proteins is mediated by transport vesicles that collect cargo from one cellular compartment and deliver it to another by fusing with the target organelle membrane. The Rab...
Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane01:22

Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane

Cell division and enlargement are processes that require precise control. The control ensures that cell division cannot proceed unless the cell has grown to a specific size. A spherical, dividing cell requires an approximately 1.6X increase in its surface area to double its volume. The secretory pathway also has a significant role in cell membrane enlargement. Secretory vesicles that bud off from the Golgi apparatus and later fuse with the plasma membrane during exocytosis are a major source of...
Exocytosis00:51

Exocytosis

Exocytosis is used to release material from cells. Like other bulk transport mechanisms, exocytosis requires energy.
Exocytosis00:50

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Exocytosis is a process that releases molecules outside the cell. Like other bulk transport mechanisms, exocytosis requires energy.
Exocytosis is the opposite of endocytosis, which brings molecules inside the cell. Sometimes, the released materials are signaling molecules. For example, neurons typically use exocytosis to release neurotransmitters. Cells also use exocytosis to insert proteins such as ion channels into their cell membranes, secrete proteins for use in the extracellular matrix, or...
Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane01:26

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane

Proteins and neurotransmitters in secretory vesicles can be released from a cell upon vesicle docking, priming, and fusion with the plasma membrane. Vesicles are docked and primed in preparation for the quick exocytosis of their contents in response to a stimulus. The fusion process is mainly carried out by a SNAP Receptor or SNARE complex, consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin-1, and SNAP-25.
In 1993, Jim Rothman proposed that the antiparallel pairing of vesicular and transmembrane SNAREs, or...

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Quantifying Spatiotemporal Parameters of Cellular Exocytosis in Micropatterned Cells
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Published on: September 16, 2020

Cell secretion: current structural and biochemical insights.

Saurabh Trikha1, Elizabeth C Lee, Aleksandar M Jeremic

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA. trikha@gmail.gwu.edu

Thescientificworldjournal
|October 19, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cell secretion relies on porosomes, specialized plasma membrane structures controlling cargo release. This article summarizes recent advances in understanding porosome function and the molecular mechanisms of cell secretion.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Essential physiological functions like hormone release, neurotransmission, and signaling depend on cell secretion.
  • Regulated secretion involves calcium-dependent fusion of secretory vesicles with plasma membrane structures.
  • These specialized structures, known as porosomes or fusion pores, are critical for exocytosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize recent progress in understanding the porosome.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying cell secretion.
  • To highlight the role of porosomes in mediating vesicle fusion and cargo release.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent scientific literature on porosomes and cell secretion.
  • Analysis of studies investigating membrane fusion and secretory vesicle swelling.
  • Synthesis of findings regarding the porosome complex and secretion mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Porosomes are cup-shaped lipoprotein structures at the cell plasma membrane, varying in size from 12 nm in neurons to 150 nm in pancreatic acinar cells.
  • Significant advancements have been made in understanding porosome structure and function.
  • Key cellular activities like membrane fusion and vesicle swelling are integral to porosome-mediated secretion.

Conclusions:

  • Porosomes are essential supramolecular structures that mediate and control the release of vesicle cargo.
  • The discovery of the porosome complex provides crucial insights into the molecular basis of cell secretion.
  • Continued research into porosomes will advance our understanding of fundamental cellular processes.