Reserpine-induced processing of chromogranin A in cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells

Measurement of secretory vesicle pH reveals intravesicular alkalinization by vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 resulting in inhibition of prohormone cleavage

1. The acidic interior of neuroendocrine secretory vesicles provides both an energy gradient for amine-proton exchangers (VMATs) to concentrate small transmitter molecules, for example catecholamines, and an optimal pH for the prohormone convertases which cleave hormone precursors. There is evidence that VMAT activity modulates prohormone cleavage, but in the absence of measurements of pH in secretory vesicles in intact cells, it has not been possible to establish whether these effects are attributable to raised intravesicular pH due to proton transport through VMATs. 2. Clones were generated of the hamster insulinoma cell line HIT-T15 expressing a pH-sensitive form of green fluorescent protein (GFP-F64L/S65T) targeted to secretory vesicles, with and without co-expression of VMAT2. In order to study prohormone cleavage, further clones were generated that expressed preprogastrin with and without co-expression of VMAT2. 3. Confocal microscopy of GFP fluorescence indicated that the pH in the secretory vesicles was 5.6 in control cells, compared with 6.6 in cells expressing VMAT2; the latter was reduced to 5.8 by the VMAT inhibitor reserpine. 4. Using a pulse-chase labelling protocol, cleavage of 34-residue gastrin (G34) was found to be inhibited by co-expression with VMAT2, and this was reversed by reserpine. Similar effects on vesicle pH and G34 cleavage were produced by ammonium chloride. 5. We conclude that VMAT expression confers the linked abilities to store biogenic amines and modulate secretory vesicle pH over a range influencing prohormone cleavage and therefore determining the identity of regulatory peptide secretory products.

Modulation of gastrin processing by vesicular monoamine transporter type 1 (VMAT1) in rat gastrin cells

1. Gastrointestinal endocrine cells produce biogenic amines which are transported into secretory vesicles by one of two proton-amine exchangers, vesicular monoamine transporters type 1 and 2 (VMAT1 and 2). We report here the presence of VMAT1 in rat gastrin (G) cells and the relevance of VMAT1 function for the modulation of progastrin processing by biogenic and dietary amines. 2. In immunocytochemical studies VMAT1, but not VMAT2, was localized to subpopulations of G cells and enterochromaffin (EC) cells; neither was found in antral D cells. The expression of VMAT1 in antral mucosa was confirmed by Northern blot analysis, which revealed an mRNA band of approximately 3.2 kb, and by Western blot analysis, which revealed a major protein of 55 kDa. 3. In pulse-chase labelling experiments, the conversion of the amidated gastrin G34 to G17 was inhibited by biogenic amine precursors (L-DOPA and 5-hydroxytryptophan). This inhibition was stereospecific and sensitive to reserpine (50 nM), which blocks VMAT1 and VMAT2, but resistant to tetrabenazine, which is a selective inhibitor of VMAT2. 4. Dietary amines such as tyramine and tryptamine also inhibited G34 cleavage. This effect was associated with a loss of the electron-dense core of G cell secretory vesicles. It was not stereospecific or reserpine sensitive, but was correlated with hydrophobicity. 5. Thus rat antral G cells can express VMAT1; transport of biogenic amines into secretory vesicles by VMAT1 is associated with inhibition of G34 cleavage, perhaps by raising intravesicular pH. Dietary amines also modulate cleavage of progastrin-derived peptides, but do so by a VMAT1-independent mechanism; they may act as weak bases that passively permeate secretory vesicle membranes and raise intravesicular pH.

Processing of chromogranins in chromaffin cell culture: effects of reserpine and alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine

Bovine chromaffin cell cultures were treated with either reserpine or alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine for up to 10 days. Afterwards the cells were harvested and the degree of proteolytic processing of secretogranin II, chromogranin A and chromogranin B was determined by immunoblotting and HPLC followed by RIA. There was a significant increase in the proteolysis of all three chromogranins after 4-6 days in the presence of reserpine. The small peptides formed in the presence of reserpine in vitro are also produced in vivo. A similar effect was observed with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine, an inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase, but the response took up to 10 days to develop. Both drugs decreased catecholamine levels but reserpine was more effective, reaching a high degree of depletion after 4 days. In addition, experiments in vitro indicate that low millimolar amounts of either adrenaline (IC50 5.2 mM) or noradrenaline (IC50 2.4 mM) can significantly impair the proteolytic activity of recombinant murine prohormone convertase 1 when assayed with synthetic fluorogenic and/or peptidyl substrates. We conclude that a lowering of catecholamine levels in chromaffin granules leads to a concomitant increase in proteolytic processing of all secretory peptides. Apparently within chromaffin granules the endoproteases are inhibited by catecholamines and thus their removal leads to increased proteolysis.

Large dense-core vesicles in rat adrenal after reserpine: levels of mRNAs of soluble and membrane-bound constituents in chromaffin and ganglion cells indicate a biosynthesis of vesicles with higher secretory quanta

Rats were injected with a large dose of reserpine known to stimulate the adrenal medulla. Various times after drug treatment the mRNA levels of several constituents of large dense-core vesicles were determined by northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization. The latter method allowed detection of changes in mRNA levels not only in chromaffin cells, but also in the ganglion cells found in adrenal medulla. Levels of the mRNAs of secretory components of large dense-core vesicles (chromogranins A and B, secretogranin II, VGF, and neuropeptide Y) increased in chromaffin cells by 215-857% after 1-3 days of drug treatment. For partly membrane-bound components (dopamine beta-hydroxylase, prohormone convertase 2, carboxypeptidase H, and peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase) the changes ranged from 182 to 315%, whereas for glycoprotein III and for intrinsic membrane proteins (cytochrome b561 and vesicle monoamine transporter 2) no change occurred. In ganglion cells the mRNAs that could be detected for VGF, neuropeptide Y, secretogranin II, carboxypeptidase H, and vesicle monoamine transporter 1 showed an analogous pattern of change, with significant increases for the secretory proteins and no change for the membrane components. From these and previous results we suggest the following concept: Long-lasting stimulation of chromaffin cells or neurons does not induce the biosynthesis of a larger number of vesicles but rather leads to the formation of vesicles containing higher secretory quanta of chromogranins and neuropeptides.