Confocal Microscopy to Measure Three Modes of Fusion Pore Dynamics in Adrenal Chromaffin Cells

Summary

This protocol describes a confocal imaging technique to detect three fusion modes in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. These fusion modes include 1) close-fusion (also called kiss-and-run), involving fusion pore opening and closure, 2) stay-fusion, involving fusion pore opening and maintaining the opened pore, and 3) shrink-fusion, involving fused vesicle shrinkage.

Abstract

Dynamic fusion pore opening and closure mediate exocytosis and endocytosis and determine their kinetics. Here, it is demonstrated in detail how confocal microscopy was used in combination with patch-clamp recording to detect three fusion modes in primary culture bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. The three fusion modes include 1) close-fusion (also called kiss-and-run), involving fusion pore opening and closure, 2) stay-fusion, involving fusion pore opening and maintaining the opened pore, and 3) shrink-fusion, involving shrinkage of the fusion-generated Ω-shape profile until it merges completely at the plasma membrane.

To detect these fusion modes, the plasma membrane was labeled by overexpressing mNeonGreen attached with the PH domain of phospholipase C δ (PH-mNG), which binds to phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P₂) at the cytosol-facing leaflet of the plasma membrane; vesicles were loaded with the fluorescent false neurotransmitter FFN511 to detect vesicular content release; and Atto 655 was included in the bath solution to detect fusion pore closure. These three fluorescent probes were imaged simultaneously at ~20-90 ms per frame in live chromaffin cells to detect fusion pore opening, content release, fusion pore closure, and fusing vesicle size changes. The analysis method is described to distinguish three fusion modes from these fluorescence measurements. The method described here can, in principle, apply to many secretory cells beyond chromaffin cells.

Introduction

Membrane fusion mediates many biological functions, including synaptic transmission, blood glucose homeostasis, immune response, and viral entry^1,2,3. Exocytosis, involving vesicle fusion at the plasma membrane, releases neurotransmitters and hormones to achieve many important functions, such as neuronal network activities. Fusion opens a pore to release vesicular contents, after which the pore may close to retrieve the fusing vesicle, which is termed kiss-and-run^1,4. Both irreversible and reversible fusion pore openi....

Protocol

NOTE: The animal use procedure followed NIH guidelines and was approved by the NIH Animal Care and Use Committee.

1. Bovine chromaffin cell culture

1. Prepare Locke's solution (Table 1) and autoclave tools 1 day before chromaffin cell culture.
2. Obtain bovine adrenal glands from a local abattoir on the culture day, and keep them submerged in ice-cold Locke's solution before dissection.
   NOTE: Adrenal glands are from 21-27-month-old, healthy, black Angus of either sex (mainly male) with body weight around 1,400 pounds (~635 kg).
3. Prepare 30 mL (for 3 adrenal glands) of....

Results

Following the experimental procedures shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, chromaffin cells from bovine adrenal glands were transfected with PH-mNG to label the plasma membrane; A655 was added to the bath solution to detect fusion pore closure; and fluorescent false neurotransmitter FFN511 was loaded in vesicles for detection of release. Next, XY-plane confocal timelapse imaging of FFN511, PH-mNG, and A655 was performed every 20-90 ms at the cell bottom (Z-focal plan.......

Discussion

A confocal microscopic imaging method is described to detect the dynamics of fusion pore and transmitter release, as well as three fusion modes, close-fusion, stay-fusion, and shrink-fusion in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells^4,24. An electrophysiological method to depolarize the cell and thereby evoke exo- and endocytosis is described. Systematic confocal image processing provides information about different modes of pore behaviors for fusion and fission events.

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Adenosine 5'-triphosphate magnesium salt	Sigma	A9187-500MG	ATP for preparing internal solution
Atto 655	ATTO-TEC GmbH	AD 655-21	Atto dye to label bath solution
Basic Nucleofector for Primary Neurons	Lonza	VSPI-1003	Electroporation transfection buffer along with kit
Boroscilicate capillary glass pipette	Warner Instruments	64-0795	Standard wall with filament OD=2.0 mm ID=1.16 mm Length=7.5 cm
Bovine serum albumin	Sigma	A2153-50G	Reagent for gland digestion
Calcium Chloride 2 M	Quality Biological	351-130-721	Reagent for preparing bath solution
Cell Strainers, 100 µm	Falcon	352360	Material for filtering chromaffin cell suspension
Cesium hydroxide solution	Sigma	232041	Reagent for preparing internal solution and Cs-glutamate/Cs-EGTA stock buffer
Collagenase P	Sigma	11213873001	Enzyme for gland digestion
Coverslip	Neuvitro	GG-14-Laminin	GG-14-Laminin, 14 mm dia.#1 thick 60 pieces Laminin coated German coverslips
D-(+)-Glucose	Sigma	G8270-1KG	Reagent for preparing Locke’s solution and bath solution
DMEM	ThermoFisher Scientific	11885092	Reagent for preparing culture medium
EGTA	Sigma	324626-25GM	Reagent for preparing Cs-EGTA stock buffer for bath solution
Electroporation and Nucleofector	Amaxa Biosystems	Nucleofector II	Transfect plasmids into cells
Fetal bovine serum	ThermoFisher Scientific	10082147	Reagent for preparing culture medium
FFN511	Abcam	ab120331	Fluorescent false neurotransmitter to label vesicles
Guanosine 5'-triphosphate sodium salt hydrate	Sigma	G8877-250MG	GTP for preparing internal solution
HEPES	Sigma	H3375-500G	Reagent for preparing Locke’s solution
Igor Pro	WaveMetrics	Igor pro	Software for patch-clamp analysis and imaging data presentation
Leica Application Suite X software	Leica	LAS X software	Confocal software for imaging data collection and analysis
Leica TCS SP5 Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope	Leica	Leica TCS SP5	Confocal microscope for imaging data collection
L-Glutamic acid	Sigma	49449-100G	Reagent for preparing Cs-glutamate stock buffer for bath solution
Lock-in amplifier	Heka	Lock-in	Software for capacitance recording
Magnesium Chloride 1 M	Quality Biological	351-033-721EA	Reagent for preparing internal solution and bath solution
Metallized Hemacytometer Hausser Bright-Line	Hausser Scientific	3120	Counting chamber
Microforge	Narishige	MF-830	Polish pipettes to enhance the formation and stability of giga-ohm seals
Millex-GP Syringe Filter Unit, 0.22 µm	Millipore	SLGPR33RB	Material for glands wash and digestion
mNG(mNeonGreen)	Allele Biotechnology	ABP-FP-MNEONSB	Template for PH-mNeonGreen construction
Nylon mesh filtering screen 100 micron	EIKO filtering co	03-100/32	Material for filtering medulla suspension
Patch clamp EPC-10	Heka	EPC-10	Amplifier for patch-clamp data collection
PH-EGFP	Addgene	Plasmid #51407	Backbone for PH-mNeonGreen construction
Pipette puller	Sutter Instrument	P-97	Make pipettes for patch-clamp recording
Potassium Chloride	Sigma	P5404-500G	Reagent for preparing Locke’s solution and bath solution
Pulse software	Heka	Pulse	Software for patch-clamp data collection
Recording chamber	Warner Instruments	64-1943/QR-40LP	coverslip chamber, apply patch-clamp pipette on live cells
Sodium chloride	Sigma	S7653-1KG	Reagent for preparing Locke’s solution, bath solution and internal solution
Sodium hydroxide	Sigma	S5881-500G	Reagent for preparing Locke’s solution
Sodium phosphate dibasic	Sigma	S0876-500G	Reagent for preparing Locke’s solution
Sodium phosphate monobasic	Sigma	S8282-500G	Reagent for preparing Locke’s solution
Stirring hot plate	Barnsted/Thermolyne	type 10100	Heater for pipette coating with wax
Syringe, 30 mL	Becton Dickinson	302832	Material for glands wash and digestion
Tetraethylammonium chloride	Sigma	T2265-100G	TEA for preparing bath solution
Trypsin inhibitor	Sigma	T9253-5G	Reagent for gland digestion
Type F Immersion liquid	Leica	195371-10-9	Leica confocal mounting oil