Unveiling the Nanoscale Dynamics of the Exocytic Machinery in Chromaffin Cells with Single-Molecule Imaging

Neuronal and hormonal communication relies on the exocytic fusion of vesicles containing neurotransmitters and hormones with the plasma membrane. This process is tightly regulated by key protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions and culminates in the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex formation and zippering that promotes vesicular fusion. Located on both sides of the vesicle and the plasma membrane, the zippering of the SNARE complex acts to overcome the energy barrier afforded by the repulsive electrostatic force stemming from apposing two negatively charged phospholipid membranes. Another component opposing the timely organization of the fusion machinery is thermal Brownian energy that tends to homogenize all cellular molecules by constantly switching their motions and directions through short-lived molecular interactions. Much less is known of the mechanisms counteracting these chaotic forces, allowing seamless cellular functions such as exocytic fusion. Super-resolution microscopy techniques such as single-molecule imaging have proven useful to start uncovering these nanoscale mechanisms. Here, we used single-particle tracking photoactivatable localization microscopy (sptPALM) to track syntaxin-1-mEos, a SNARE protein located on the plasma membrane of cultured bovine chromaffin cells. We demonstrate that syntaxin-1-mEos undergoes dramatic change in its mobility in response to secretagogue stimulation leading to increased nanoclustering. These nanoclusters are transient in nature and likely to provide docked vesicles with a molecular environment conducive to exocytic fusion.