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

Zn2+ depletion blocks endosome fusion

A Aballay1, M N Sarrouf, M I Colombo

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

The Biochemical Journal
|December 15, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Zinc ions (Zn2+) are essential for endosome fusion, a critical step in cellular transport. Depletion of zinc, not calcium, inhibits this process, highlighting zinc

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 Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Endosome fusion is vital for intracellular transport and sorting of macromolecules.
  • Previous studies showed endosome fusion requires cytosol, ATP, and is sensitive to N-ethylmaleimide and GTP-binding proteins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of calcium (Ca2+) and other metal ions in endosome fusion.
  • To elucidate the specific metal ion requirements for endosome fusion.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a cell-free system to study endosome fusion.
  • Manipulated calcium concentrations using chelators (EGTA, EDTA, BAPTA) and ionophores (ionomycin, A23187).
  • Assessed fusion inhibition and restoration using metal ion chelators (BAPTA, TPEN) and zinc supplementation.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Endosome fusion occurs at very low Ca2+ concentrations (< 30 nM) and is unaffected by Ca2+ depletion.
  • BAPTA and TPEN, metal ion chelators, inhibited fusion, with inhibition reversed by Zn2+ addition.
  • Zn2+ depletion, not Ca2+ chelation, was identified as the cause of fusion inhibition.
  • TPEN inhibited endocytic pathway transport in intact cells.

Conclusions:

  • Zinc ions (Zn2+) are necessary for endosome fusion.
  • The results suggest Zn2+ is required for the function of proteins involved in the endosome fusion machinery.
  • This study reveals a novel role for zinc in regulating intracellular trafficking.