CHARACTERIZATION OF CA⁺²- AND PHOSPHOLIPASE A₂-INDUCED FUSION OF BOVINE CHROMAFFIN GRANULES WITH PLASMA MEMBRANES

Abstract

Until this study, the effects of the botulinum neurotoxins on a putative late "fusion step" of secretion (Cullis, et al. 1985) had not been directly tested in the absence of complications introduced by "upstream" or "downstream" events of exocytosis. Our primary goal has been to assess whether there is a correlation between the effect of BoNT/B on (i) fusion of adrenal chromaffin cell secretory granules (CG) with target plasma membranes (TM), and (ii) cleavage of a specific secretory vesicle(granule)-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP 2)- also called synaptobrevin 2 (Sbr2).