Chromaffin Cells
Chromaffin Cells - Related Videos
18:30
Mouse Adrenal Chromaffin Cell Isolation
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Cited by 19 •
2007
Adrenal medullary chromaffin cell culture systems are extremely useful for the study of excitation-secretion coupling in an in vitro setting. This protocol illustrates the method used to dissect the adrenals and then isolate the medullary region by stripping away the adrenal cortex. The digestion of the medulla into single chromaffin cells is then demonstrated.
08:24
Methods for Cell-attached Capacitance Measurements in Mouse Adrenal Chromaffin Cell
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Cited by 1 •
2014
After exocytosis, fused plasma membrane is retrieved through a process known as endocytosis. This mechanism reforms new synaptic vesicles for the next round of release. Individual endocytic events are captured and analyzed through the use of the cell-attached capacitance recordings in mouse adrenal chromaffin cells.
12:30
Confocal Microscopy to Measure Three Modes of Fusion Pore Dynamics in Adrenal Chromaffin Cells
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Cited by 1 •
2022
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.
10:04
Tractable In Vivo Reprogramming of Tumor Cells to Type 1 Conventional Dendritic Cell-like Cells
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2025
This protocol describes the in vivo reprogramming of mouse cancer cells into type 1 dendritic-like cells within the tumor microenvironment through enforced expression of the transcription factors PU.1, IRF8, and BATF3.
22:06
Derivation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells from Murine Embryonic Stem Cells
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Cited by 8 •
2007
This protocol details the derivation of transplantable hematopoietic stem cells from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC) and their subsequent injection into lethally irradiated recipient mice. Briefly, ESC are differentiated as embryoid bodies, which are then infected with retroviral HoxB4 and co-cultured with OP9 stromal cells and hematopoietic cytokines.
FAQs
Calcium entry provides the immediate link between electrical activation and release from secretory granules. After acetylcholine stimulates nicotinic receptors and depolarizes the membrane, voltage-gated calcium channels open. The resulting calcium signal triggers exocytosis, allowing epinephrine, norepinephrine, and other signaling molecules to leave the cell in a rapid, regulated response.
These components act at different stages of the same signaling pathway. Nicotinic receptors detect acetylcholine released by preganglionic sympathetic neurons and initiate membrane depolarization. Voltage-gated calcium channels respond to that depolarization by permitting calcium entry. This division of labor converts a neural message into the intracellular signal that activates granule exocytosis.
Secretory granules concentrate catecholamines and other signaling molecules in a form that can be released through regulated exocytosis. Their presence connects intracellular storage with stimulus-dependent secretion, making the cells useful for examining how secretory machinery responds to neural activation. This also supports research linking catecholamine biosynthesis with neuroendocrine signaling.
An experiment can follow the pathway from sympathetic stimulation to secretion by examining acetylcholine receptor activation, membrane depolarization, calcium-channel opening, and granule exocytosis. This sequence provides a framework for relating an external neural signal to a measurable secretory outcome. It is especially useful when investigating regulated exocytosis and synaptic-like secretion.
Because their secretory machinery is accessible, these cells serve as models for studying regulated exocytosis, synaptic-like secretion, catecholamine biosynthesis, and neuroendocrine regulation. Findings from these models can clarify how cells transform stimulation into chemical release, while preserving relevance to the broader biology of signaling between nervous and endocrine systems.
Chromaffin-cell activity contributes to rapid stress responses through secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine. Those catecholamines provide a biological connection between sympathetic activation and cardiovascular function, making the cells relevant to research on how stress signals are converted into hormonal outputs. Their physiology also informs investigations of disorders involving adrenal signaling.