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Chromogranin A (CgA) is a key luminal actor of secretory granule biogenesis at the trans-Golgi network (TGN) level but the molecular mechanisms involved remain obscure. Here, we investigated the possibility that CgA acts synergistically with specific membrane lipids to trigger secretory granule formation. We show that CgA preferentially interacts with the anionic glycerophospholipid phosphatidic acid (PA). In accordance, bioinformatic analysis predicted a PA-binding domain (PABD) in CgA sequence that effectively bound PA (36:1) or PA (40:6) in membrane models. We identified PA (36:1) and PA (40:6) as predominant species in Golgi and granule membranes of secretory cells, and we found that CgA interaction with these PA species promotes artificial membrane deformation and remodeling. Furthermore, we demonstrated that disruption of either CgA PABD or phospholipase D (PLD) activity significantly alters secretory granule formation in secretory cells. Our findings show for the first time the ability of CgA to interact with PLD-generated PA, which allows membrane remodeling and curvature, key processes necessary to initiate secretory granule budding., (© 2020 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.)

Hormone secretion relies on secretory granules which store hormones in endocrine cells and release them upon cell stimulation. The molecular events leading to hormone sorting and secretory granule formation at the level of the TGN are still elusive. Our proteomic analysis of purified whole secretory granules or secretory granule membranes uncovered their association with the actomyosin components myosin 1b, actin and the actin nucleation complex Arp2/3. We found that myosin 1b controls the formation of secretory granules and the associated regulated secretion in both neuroendocrine cells and chromogranin A-expressing COS7 cells used as a simplified model of induced secretion. We show that F-actin is also involved in secretory granule biogenesis and that myosin 1b cooperates with Arp2/3 to recruit F-actin to the Golgi region where secretory granules bud. These results provide the first evidence that components of the actomyosin complex promote the biogenesis of secretory granules and thereby regulate hormone sorting and secretion.

The regulated secretory pathway begins with the formation of secretory granules by budding from the Golgi apparatus and ends by their fusion with the plasma membrane leading to the release of their content into the extracellular space, generally following a rise in cytosolic calcium. Generation of these membrane-bound transport carriers can be classified into three steps: (i) cargo sorting that segregates the cargo from resident proteins of the Golgi apparatus, (ii) membrane budding that encloses the cargo and depends on the creation of appropriate membrane curvature, and (iii) membrane fission events allowing the nascent carrier to separate from the donor membrane. These secretory vesicles then mature as they are actively transported along microtubules toward the cortical actin network at the cell periphery. The final stage known as regulated exocytosis involves the docking and the priming of the mature granules, necessary for merging of vesicular and plasma membranes, and the subsequent partial or total release of the secretory vesicle content. Here, we review the latest evidence detailing the functional roles played by lipids during secretory granule biogenesis, recruitment, and exocytosis steps. In this review, we highlight evidence supporting the notion that lipids play important functions in secretory vesicle biogenesis, maturation, recruitment, and membrane fusion steps. These effects include regulating various protein distribution and activity, but also directly modulating membrane topology. The challenges ahead to understand the pleiotropic functions of lipids in a secretory granule's journey are also discussed. This article is part of a mini review series on Chromaffin cells (ISCCB Meeting, 2015)., (© 2016 International Society for Neurochemistry.)