LARGE DENSE-CORE VESICLE EXOCYTOSIS IN PC12 CELLS

A current major challenge in the study of regulated exocytosis is the identification of essential proteins that mediate the transit of secre tory vesicles through trafficking stages such as recruitment, docking, and fusion. Defining the physiological roles and mechanisms of action of these essential proteins is paramount. The reconstitution of stage s of regulated exocytosis in cell-free systems provides the opportunit y to identify required proteins and establish their stage-specific mec hanisms of action. PC12 cells, clonal cell lines of adrenal medullary origin, possess large dense-core vesicles that retain their competence for regulated exocytosis in a variety of permeable cell and isolated membrane preparations. We describe several cell-free systems for studi es of regulated exocytosis derived from PC12 cells. (C) 1998 Academic Press.