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440px 280px Porosomes are cup-shaped supramolecular structures in the
cell membranes The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane (PM) or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of all cells from the outside environment (the ...
of
eukaryotic Eukaryotes () are organisms whose cells have a nucleus. All animals, plants, fungi, and many unicellular organisms, are Eukaryotes. They belong to the group of organisms Eukaryota or Eukarya, which is one of the three domains of life. Bact ...
cells where
secretory vesicle 440px Secretion is the movement of material from one point to another, such as a secreted chemical substance from a cell or gland. In contrast, excretion is the removal of certain substances or waste products from a cell or organism. The classical ...
s transiently dock in the process of
vesicle fusion Vesicle fusion is the merging of a vesicle with other vesicles or a part of a cell membrane. In the latter case, it is the end stage of secretion from secretory vesicles, where their contents are expelled from the cell through exocytosis. Vesicles ...
and
secretion 440px Secretion is the movement of material from one point to another, such as a secreted chemical substance from a cell or gland. In contrast, excretion is the removal of certain substances or waste products from a cell or organism. The classica ...
. The transient fusion of secretory vesicle membrane at the porosome base via SNARE proteins, result in the formation of a fusion pore or continuity for the release of intravesicular contents from the cell. After secretion is complete, the fusion pore temporarily formed at the base of the porosome is sealed. The porosomes are few nanometers in size and contain many different types of protein, especially chloride and calcium channels, actin, and SNARE proteins that mediate the docking and fusion of the vesicles with the cell membrane. Once the vesicles have docked with the SNARE proteins, they swell, which increases their internal pressure. They then transiently fuse at the base of the porosome, and these pressurized contents are ejected from the cell. Examination of cells following secretion using electron microscopy, demonstrate increased presence of partially empty vesicles following secretion. This suggested that during the secretory process, only a portion of the vesicular contents are able to exit the cell. This could only be possible if the vesicle were to temporarily establish continuity with the cell plasma membrane, expel a portion of its contents, then detach, reseal, and withdraw into the cytosol (endocytose). In this way, the secretory vesicle could be reused for subsequent rounds of exo-endocytosis, until completely empty of its contents. Porosomes vary in size depending on the cell type. Porosome in the exocrine pancreas and in endocrine and neuroendocrine cells range from 100 nm to 180 nm in diameter while in neurons they range from 10 nm to 15 nm (about 1/10 the size of pancreatic porosomes). When a secretory vesicle containing v-SNARE docks at the porosome base containing t-SNARE, membrane continuity (ring complex) is formed between the two. The size of the t/v-SNARE complex is directly proportional to the size of the vesicle. These vesicles contain dehydrated proteins (non-active) which are activated once they are hydrated. GTP is required for the transport of water through the water channels or Aquaporins, and ions through ion channels to hydrate the vesicle. Once the vesicle fuses at the porosome base, the contents of the vesicle at high pressure are ejected from the cell. Generally the porosomes are opened and closed by actin, however, neurons require a fast response therefore they have central plugs that open to release contents and close to stop the release (the composition of the central plug is yet to be discovered). Porosomes have been demonstrated to be the universal secretory machinery in cells. The neuronal porosome proteome has been solved, providing the possible molecular architecture and the complete composition of the machinery.


History of discovery

The porosome was discovered in the early to mid-1990s by a team led by Professor
Bhanu Pratap Jena Bhanu Pratap Jena (born November 1, 1955) is an American cell biologist and the "George E. Palade University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Physiology" at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, who discovered porosome in mid 1990 ...
at
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
School of Medicine, using
atomic force microscopy Atomic force microscopy (AFM) or scanning force microscopy (SFM) is a very-high-resolution type of scanning probe microscopy (SPM), with demonstrated resolution on the order of fractions of a nanometer, more than 1000 times better than the opti ...
.


References


Further reading

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External links


Molecular Machinery & Mechanism of Cell Secretion
Jena Lab at Wayne State University School of Medicine {{Structures of the cell membrane Cell anatomy Membrane biology