Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Calcium-dependent fusion among endosomes

L S Mayorga1, W Berón, M N Sarrouf

  • 1Instituto de Histología y Embriología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo-CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina.

The Journal of Biological Chemistry
|December 9, 1994
PubMed
Summary

Endosome fusion occurs via two distinct mechanisms. One requires calcium and involves annexins, while the other is calcium-independent and relies on cytosol and ATP.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The cell biology of Extracellular Vesicles: A jigsaw puzzle with a myriad of pieces.

Current opinion in cell biology·2025
Same author

Ursolic acid: A novel antiviral compound inhibiting rotavirus infection in vitro.

International journal of antimicrobial agents·2019
Same author

Kinetics of human sperm acrosomal exocytosis.

Molecular human reproduction·2014
Same author

SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine) knockdown protects mice from acute liver injury by reducing vascular endothelial cell damage.

Gene therapy·2014
Same author

Autophagy and toxins: a matter of life or death.

Current molecular medicine·2012
Same author

A membrane is born: origin of the autophagosomal compartment.

Current molecular medicine·2011

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Molecular and cell biology

Background:

  • Endosome fusion is crucial for intracellular transport and sorting of macromolecules.
  • Previously, cytosol-dependent, ATP-requiring, and NEM/NSF-sensitive endosome fusion was reported.
  • This process is regulated by GTP-binding proteins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate alternative mechanisms of endosome fusion.
  • To explore the role of calcium in endosome fusion.
  • To identify proteins involved in calcium-dependent endosome fusion.

Main Methods:

  • Cell-free system for studying endosome fusion.
  • Electron microscopy to visualize fusion events.
  • Biochemical assays using trypsin, EDTA, antibodies, and purified proteins.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Micromolar calcium enables endosome fusion independently of cytosol and ATP.
  • Calcium-dependent fusion is unaffected by NEM or anti-NSF antibodies.
  • Fusion requires peripheral proteins, is inhibited by anti-annexin II, and can be reconstituted by annexin II and arachidonic acid.

Conclusions:

  • Endosomes fuse through at least two distinct pathways.
  • A calcium-dependent pathway, likely mediated by annexins, exists.
  • A calcium-independent pathway requires cytosol and ATP.