Diffuse vesicular distribution of Rab3D in the polarized neuroendocrine cell line AtT-20

The neuroendocrine cell line AtT-20 has two types of storage vesicles: dense core granules and synaptic vesicles, both sequestered at the tip of the processes. Here we show that Rab3D protein, which is abundant in fat cells, is also expressed in AtT-20 cells. Differently from Rab3A, which is localized in secretory vesicles accumulated at the tips, Rab3D has a diffuse vesicular distribution in the cytoplasm of the cell body, the processes and the tips. In AtT-20 cells, Rab3D may define a regulated secretory pathway which functions independently from cell polarity.