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The Journal of Neuroscience, November 15, 1999, 19(22):9739-9746
Tyrosine Phosphorylation Regulates Rapid Endocytosis in Adrenal
Chromaffin Cells
Paolo G. P.
Nucifora and
Aaron P.
Fox
The University of Chicago, Department of Pharmacological and
Physiological Sciences, Chicago, Illinois 60637
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ABSTRACT |
Secretion of neurotransmitter at the synapse and in secretory cells
depends on the availability of vesicles for exocytosis. Rapid
endocytosis is responsible for initiating local vesicle recycling and
is essential during sustained neurotransmission. Although exocytosis is
triggered by Ca2+ influx and modulated by
serine/threonine kinases, relatively little is known about the
regulation of rapid endocytosis. Our data suggest that rapid
endocytosis is controlled by tyrosine phosphorylation. Treatment of
bovine adrenal chromaffin cells with tyrphostin 23, a protein tyrosine
kinase inhibitor, dramatically slowed the time course of rapid
endocytosis. In contrast, there was no effect on either the amount or
rate of exocytosis. Application of orthovanadate,
Zn2+, or poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1), each of which is a
tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, reversed the effect of tyrphostin 23 on
rapid endocytosis. Thus rapid endocytosis, like exocytosis, is subject
to regulation by intracellular signaling pathways.
Key words:
rapid endocytosis; tyrosine phosphorylation; adrenal
chromaffin cells; exocytosis; tyrphostin 23; capacitance
measurements
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INTRODUCTION |
The plasma membrane of
neurosecretory cells is in a state of dynamic equilibrium in which
exocytosis is balanced by membrane reuptake via endocytosis (Betz et
al., 1992 ; Ryan and Smith, 1995 ; Stevens and Tsujimoto, 1995 ; Betz and
Angleson, 1998 ). Disruption of endocytosis is lethal in the
Drosophila mutant shibire as a result of a defect
in dynamin, a GTPase involved in the final steps of endocytosis (Chen
et al., 1991 ). Recent work has suggested that the activity of proteins
involved in rapid endocytosis, as in exocytosis, is determined by their
phosphorylation state (Neher and Zucker, 1993 ; Robinson et al., 1994 ;
Henkel and Betz, 1995 ; Vitale et al., 1995 ; Smith et al., 1998 ).
Dynamin, for example, is phosphorylated by protein kinase C and may
undergo stimulus-dependent dephosphorylation by calcineurin (Liu et
al., 1994 , 1996 ). The GTPase activity of dynamin, crucial for
endocytosis, is inhibited by dephosphorylation [Robinson et al.
(1993) ; but see Sever et al. (1999) for an alternate point of view].
The dephosphorylation of dynamin, synaptojanin, and amphiphysin
enhances their formation into complexes (Bauerfeind et al., 1997 ;
Slepnev et al., 1998 ). Calcineurin, a
Ca2+- and/or calmodulin-dependent
phosphatase, promotes rapid endocytosis in some studies but acts as an
inhibitor in others (Artalejo et al., 1996 ; Kuromi et al., 1997 ;
Engisch and Nowycky, 1998 ; Marks and McMahon, 1998 ). Thus, protein
kinase activity may represent a means by which endocytosis is coupled
to excitation.
Ligand-dependent endocytosis, which is not coupled to secretion, is
known to be regulated via tyrosine phosphorylation. Autophosphorylation of receptor tyrosine kinases initiates a cascade that leads to clathrin-mediated membrane internalization (Yarden and Schlessinger, 1987 ; Chang et al., 1993 ). Recently it was shown that dynamin, required
for both ligand-dependent endocytosis and rapid endocytosis, undergoes
tyrosine phosphorylation after activation of the insulin receptor
(Baron et al., 1998 ). Likewise, eps15, which may also be involved in
endocytosis, is tyrosine phosphorylated by the epidermal growth factor
(EGF) receptor kinase (Benmerah et al., 1995 ).
To determine whether rapid endocytosis is regulated in a manner similar
to ligand-dependent endocytosis, we treated adrenal chromaffin cells
with inhibitors of tyrosine kinases and phosphatases and observed the
effects on rapid endocytosis. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrphostin
23 (Yaish et al., 1988 ) caused a dramatic slowing in the kinetics of
rapid endocytosis. The slowing could be reversed via the addition of
orthovanadate, Zn2+, or poly(Glu, Tyr)
(4:1), which are tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors (Swarup et al., 1982 ;
Tonks et al., 1988 ; Walton and Dixon, 1993 ). The effect of tyrosine
phosphorylation was specific to rapid endocytosis, because exocytosis
was unaffected. In addition, tyrosine phosphorylation altered the
kinetics but not the amount of rapid endocytosis. Our data suggest that
rapid endocytosis is the specific target of one or more tyrosine kinase
regulatory pathways.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Cell culture. Bovine adrenal chromaffin cells were
prepared from 18-week-old animals as described previously (Artalejo et al., 1992 ). Adrenal glands were obtained from a local abattoir, digested with collagenase, and purified by density gradient
centrifugation. Cells were plated with 10 µM arabinoside
at a density of 0.15 × 106 cells
cm 2 on collagen-coated glass coverslips
and maintained for up to 96 hr in an incubator at 37°C in an
atmosphere of 92.5% air and 7.5% CO2 with a
relative humidity of 90%. One-half of the incubation medium was
changed every day. Experiments were performed 24-96 hr after preparing
the cells. Cultures included both adrenaline- and
noradrenaline-containing cells, although adrenaline constituted 65% of
the total catecholamine content.
Electrophysiology. Stimulation consisted of a train of
10 depolarizations to either +10 or +20 mV (as noted) from a
holding potential of 90 mV. Depolarizations lasted 160 msec and were separated by an interpulse interval of 380 msec. Capacitance was measured using the phase-tracking technique (Joshi and Fernandez, 1988 ;
Fidler and Fernandez, 1989 ), in which a 60 mV peak-to-peak sine wave
applied at 1.4 kHz was added to the holding potential of 90 mV, and
the resulting current was analyzed at two orthogonal phase angles using
a software-based phase sensitive detector. In all capacitance
recordings, stimulations were applied 6 min after achieving whole-cell
access. During stimulation of the cells, the sinusoidal signal was
interrupted and then restarted after stimulation was complete.
Depolarizations are indicated by gaps in the capacitance trace. All
electrophysiological recordings were performed at room temperature
using an Axopatch 1-B amplifier (Axon Instruments, Foster City, CA).
Cell perfusion was performed with an Adams & List (Westbury, NY) DAD-12
fast perfusion device.
Before achieving whole-cell access, cells were in a solution containing
140 mM NaCl, 10 mM dextrose, 10 mM
HEPES, 2.5 mM KCl, 2 mM
MgCl2, and 2 mM
CaCl2, adjusted to pH 7.3. Immediately after achieving whole-cell access, the CaCl2
concentration in the bath was raised to 5 mM. Electrodes
were pulled from microhematocrit capillary tubes (Drummond, Broomall,
PA) and coated with Sylgard (Dow Corning, Midland, MI). The
intracellular pipette solutions contained 110 mM
Cs-aspartate, 20 mM HEPES, 100 µM EGTA, 2 mM MgCl2, 2 mM ATP, 350 µM GTP, and 14 mM creatine phosphate.
Where noted, 100 µM tyrphostin 23 (Sigma, St. Louis, MO)
was applied immediately after whole-cell access was achieved. Where noted, 250 µM ZnCl2 or 10 µM poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1) was included in the intracellular
pipette solution. Of the 20 cells also exposed to the phosphatase
inhibitor orthovanadate (Sigma), 15 cells were preincubated in 1 mM orthovanadate for up to 150 min at 37°C before being
placed in the recording chamber. Recordings were performed in the
continued presence of 1 mM orthovanadate. In these 15 experiments, 200 µM orthovanadate was included in the
intracellular pipette solution. In the remaining 5 experiments
involving orthovanadate, 1 mM orthovanadate was not applied
to the cells until immediately after whole-cell access was achieved,
and no orthovanadate was present in the intracellular pipette solution.
In some experiments, cells were stimulated both in the presence and
absence of tyrphostin 23, and whole-cell currents rather than
capacitance were analyzed. In these experiments, the first stimulation
occurred soon after achieving whole-cell access, before application of
tyrphostin 23. Then, 100 µM tyrphostin 23 was added to
the bath. After 6 min of treatment with tyrphostin 23, cells were
stimulated a second time. The extracellular
[Ca2+] was kept at 2 mM
throughout these experiments.
Data analysis. The maximum rate of exocytosis was determined
by finding the largest change in capacitance that occurred during a
depolarization and dividing it by the 160 msec duration of the depolarization. Total exocytosis was measured from the baseline before
stimulation to the peak capacitance value that occurred within 10 sec
of stimulation. Rapid endocytosis was fit with either one or two
exponentials during the fastest phase of capacitance decline. The
amount of membrane retrieval was measured from the peak capacitance
value during exocytosis to the minimum capacitance value within 2 min
of stimulation. Many capacitance traces exhibited a plateau phase,
during which exocytosis and rapid endocytosis were approximately
balanced. To quantify the plateau time, the exponential decay function
used to fit rapid endocytosis was extrapolated backward in time until
its capacitance was equal to the peak capacitance value during
exocytosis. The plateau time was defined as the difference between the
time of peak capacitance and the time at which the exponential decay
fitting function reached the same capacitance value. If this value was
negative, the plateau time was defined as 0 sec. Significance tests
were calculated using Student's t test.
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RESULTS |
Tyrosine kinase inhibition slows rapid endocytosis
Capacitance measurements in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells were
used to investigate the role of protein tyrosine kinases in the
regulation of rapid endocytosis (Joshi and Fernandez, 1988 ; Fidler and
Fernandez, 1989 ). Recordings were performed in a whole-cell patch-clamp
configuration; stimulations consisted of a train of 10 depolarizations
to +10 mV (except where noted) from a holding potential of 90 mV.
Figure 1A shows a
capacitance recording of a chromaffin cell undergoing stimulation. The
trace has three components: a rising phase that reflects the net
addition of membrane to the surface via exocytosis, a plateau phase in
which exocytosis and endocytosis were approximately balanced, and a
falling phase in which there was net retrieval of membrane from the
surface via rapid endocytosis.

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Figure 1.
Tyrphostin 23 slowed the kinetics of rapid
endocytosis. Exocytosis and rapid endocytosis were monitored using the
capacitance technique on whole-cell patch-clamped bovine adrenal
chromaffin cells. A, Capacitance recording of a control
cell that underwent exocytosis during stimulation. Rapid endocytosis
began after a short plateau phase. B, Capacitance
recording of a cell treated with 100 µM tyrphostin 23, a
protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Exocytosis was similar to that in
the control cell, but the plateau time was longer, and the fast time
constant of rapid endocytosis was slower. Exponential fits to the data
are indicated by the solid lines.
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The maximum rate of exocytosis, 570 fF/sec in Figure
1A, was quantified as the maximum change in
capacitance during the rising phase of the capacitance trace. Total
exocytosis was measured from the baseline before stimulation to the
peak capacitance value within 10 sec of stimulation. The amount of
retrieval was measured from the same peak to the minimum capacitance
value in the 2 min after stimulation. This procedure may underestimate
total exocytosis and retrieval because of overlap between exocytosis
and rapid endocytosis. In this experiment, the amount of membrane
retrieval approximately matched the amount of exocytosis. The time
course of rapid endocytosis during the falling phase was fit as a
double exponential with time constants of 5.8 sec and 59 sec. To
measure the plateau phase, we calculated the difference between the
time at which the capacitance trace peaked and the time at which the double exponential used to fit rapid endocytosis reached the same capacitance value. By the use of this procedure, the calculated "plateau time" in Figure 1A was 4 sec.
Rapid endocytosis was strikingly different in a cell stimulated after 6 min of treatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrphostin 23 (100 µM), as shown in Figure 1B. In this
case the time course was fit with a single time constant of 26 sec. The plateau time was 41 sec. The longer plateau time is likely to indicate
either a delay in the triggering of rapid endocytosis or a slowing
of its initial components. The amount of endocytosis was
approximately equal to that of exocytosis, indicating that tyrphostin
23 primarily affected the kinetics of rapid endocytosis. The maximum
rate of exocytosis in this cell was 560 fF/sec, similar to the value
observed in Figure 1A. These results suggest that some component of rapid endocytosis is subject to continuous tyrosine phosphorylation, even under basal conditions.
To ensure that the response to tyrphostin 23 observed in Figure
1B was specifically caused by an inhibition of
tyrosine kinase activity, we attempted to reverse the response by
inhibiting tyrosine phosphatases. Because our results suggest that
ongoing tyrosine phosphorylation is necessary for rapid endocytosis, we
expected tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors to counteract the effects of
tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Figure 2
shows that the changes caused by tyrphostin 23 could be reversed by
protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibition. The cell in Figure
2A was pretreated for 25 min with 1 mM orthovanadate, a protein tyrosine phosphatase
inhibitor, after which 100 µM tyrphostin 23 was
applied for 6 min in the continued presence of orthovanadate. After
stimulation, both the time course of rapid endocytosis (time constants
of 4.9 and 27 sec) and the plateau time (0 sec) were comparable with
those in Figure 1A. A different protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, 250 µM
Zn2+, was dialyzed into the cell via the
intracellular patch pipette (Fig. 2B) while 100 µM tyrphostin 23 was simultaneously applied to
the bath. Rapid endocytosis was similar to that in Figure
1A, with time constants of 4.9 and 120 sec. In this
experiment the plateau time was 3 sec. In addition, 10 µM poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1), a peptide that
inhibits tyrosine phosphatases, was dialyzed into the cell shown in
Figure 2C before application of tyrphostin 23. Rapid
endocytosis had time constants of 2.9 and 54 sec. The plateau time was
2 sec. Thus, when protein tyrosine phosphatases were inhibited,
tyrphostin 23 no longer altered either the kinetics of rapid
endocytosis or the plateau phase.

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Figure 2.
Slowing of rapid endocytosis by tyrphostin 23 was
reversible. A, Capacitance recording of a cell treated
with 1 mM orthovanadate and 100 µM tyrphostin
23 (after a 25 min incubation with 1 mM orthovanadate). In
the presence of orthovanadate, a protein tyrosine phosphatase
inhibitor, tyrphostin 23, had no effect on either the time course of
rapid endocytosis or the plateau time. B, Capacitance
recording of a cell treated with 100 µM tyrphostin 23 and
250 µM Zn2+, another protein tyrosine
phosphatase inhibitor. The time course and kinetics of rapid
endocytosis were similar to that in an untreated cell (see Fig.
1A). C, Capacitance recording of a
cell treated with 100 µM tyrphostin 23 and poly(Glu, Tyr)
(4:1), a peptide inhibitor of tyrosine phosphatases. Like orthovanadate
and Zn2+, this inhibitor reversed the effects of
tyrphostin 23 on rapid endocytosis.
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The findings related to tyrosine phosphorylation are summarized in
Figure 3. Rapid endocytosis was fit with
either a single or double exponential; the data describing the fastest
time constant are plotted in Figure 3A. The mean fast time
constant of rapid endocytosis in control cells was 12 ± 3 sec
(n = 17). In the presence of tyrphostin 23, the fast
time constant was 36 ± 5 sec (n = 22), a value
that is significantly longer than the control value
(p < 0.002). Tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors
reversed this increase. Rapid endocytosis had a average fast time
constant of 13 ± 3 sec when tyrphostin 23 was applied with
orthovanadate (n = 20), 9 ± 4 sec when tyrphostin
23 was applied in the presence of Zn2+
(n = 6), and 16 ± 5 sec when tyrphostin 23 was
applied with poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1) (n = 6). (Only 71%
of control cells required two time constants to fit endocytosis
successfully, whereas the rest were well fit with a single time
constant. In the cells that required a second slow time constant the
average slow time constant was 105 ± 22 sec).

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Figure 3.
Tyrphostin 23 reversibly increased both the
plateau time and the time constant of rapid endocytosis.
A, The mean fast time constants of rapid endocytosis
in cells treated with 100 µM tyrphostin 23 (T23), with or without the protein tyrosine phosphatase
inhibitors orthovanadate (Van), Zn2+,
or poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1), are shown. As compared with controls,
tyrphostin 23 caused a significant increase in the time constant of
rapid endocytosis (p < 0.002). However, the
time constant of rapid endocytosis in cells treated with 100 µM tyrphostin 23 and any of the three tyrosine
phosphatase inhibitors was not significantly different from controls.
B, The plateau time was also reversibly lengthened by
tyrphostin 23. Tyrphostin 23 caused a significant increase in the
plateau time (p < 0.0006), an effect that
was reversed by orthovanadate, Zn2+, or poly(Glu,
Tyr) (4:1). Ctl, Control.
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The mean plateau time in control cells was 0.8 ± 0.3 sec, as
shown in Figure 3B (n = 17). In the presence
of tyrphostin 23 the mean plateau time was 23 ± 5 sec
(n = 22), a value significantly longer than that in
control cells (p < 0.0006). In contrast, cells cotreated with tyrphostin 23 and orthovanadate had a mean plateau time
of 0.7 ± 0.3 sec (n = 20). In cells cotreated
with tyrphostin 23 and Zn2+ the mean
plateau time was 2.2 ± 0.6 sec (n = 6), whereas
cells cotreated with tyrphostin 23 and poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1) had a mean plateau time of 8.7 ± 8.1 sec (n = 6). The
ability of tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors to reverse the effects of
tyrphostin 23 suggests that its actions were mediated by tyrosine phosphorylation.
By themselves the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors did not affect rapid
endocytosis. Figure 4A
shows that cells treated with poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1) had average fast
time constants for rapid endocytosis that were not different from that
of control cells. Figure 4B shows that the amount of
endocytosis in poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1)-treated cells was not different
from that of control cells. Our data suggest that the effect of
tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors was dependent on treating cells with
tyrphostin 23 and reinforce the hypothesis that the actions were
mediated by tyrosine phosphorylation.

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Figure 4.
The protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor
poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1) had no effect on endocytosis when administered by
itself. A, The mean fast time constants of rapid
endocytosis in cells treated with or without the protein
tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1) are shown. No
change in the time constant of rapid endocytosis was observed [the
control time constant was 11.7 ± 3.5 sec, whereas the time
constant in the presence of poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1) was 10.7 ± 3.4 sec (n = 9)]. B, The amount of
membrane retrieved during rapid endocytosis was not altered by
poly(Glu, Tyr) (4:1).
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Tyrosine kinase inhibition does not affect the amount of membrane
retrieval or exocytosis
Although tyrphostin 23 had striking effects on the kinetics of
rapid endocytosis, there was little effect on membrane retrieval. As
shown in Figure 5A, the
average amount of membrane retrieval during the falling phase of the
capacitance trace was 480 ± 60 fF (n = 17) in
control cells. In the presence of tyrphostin 23, the amount of rapid
endocytosis was not significantly different (500 ± 80 fF;
n = 24). Tyrphostin 23 also had no effect on either the
amount or kinetics of exocytosis, as shown in Figure 5, B and C. Exocytosis in control cells caused a mean capacitance
change of 470 ± 80 fF (n = 17; Fig.
5B), corresponding to the fusion of ~360 vesicles assuming
that the average capacitance of an individual vesicle is 1.3 fF (Moser
and Neher, 1997 ). The maximum rate of exocytosis was 720 ± 110 fF/sec (~550 vesicles/sec; Fig. 5C). In the presence of
tyrphostin 23, exocytosis caused a mean capacitance change of 570 fF
(~440 vesicles; n = 24), and its maximum rate was
850 ± 260 fF/sec (~650 vesicles/sec), values not significantly different from control values. Finally, the relationship between the total exocytosis and the amount of membrane retrieval was not
affected by tyrphostin 23, as shown in Figure 5D. In both treated and untreated cells, the amount of membrane added to the cell
via exocytosis was approximately equal to the amount of membrane retrieved.

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Figure 5.
Tyrphostin 23 did not significantly
affect exocytosis or the total amount of membrane retrieval.
A, Membrane retrieval was similar in cells treated with
tyrphostin 23 compared with control cells. Cotreatment with
orthovanadate did not affect total membrane retrieval, although rapid
endocytosis in cells treated with tyrphostin 23 and
Zn2+ resulted in greater membrane retrieval than
that in cells treated with tyrphostin 23 alone (data not shown).
B, The mean total exocytosis, measured from baseline to
the peak capacitance value within 10 sec of stimulation, was not
significantly different in tyrphostin 23 and control cells. Similarly,
cotreatment with tyrphostin 23 and either 1 mM
orthovanadate or 250 µM Zn2+ did not
have a significant effect on total exocytosis (data not shown).
C, The maximum rate of exocytosis in tyrphostin 23 was
not significantly different from that of control cells. Cotreatment
with Zn2+ and tyrphostin 23 also had no significant
effect, but the maximum rate of exocytosis in cells cotreated with
orthovanadate and tyrphostin 23 was somewhat faster than that of cells
treated with tyrphostin 23 alone (data not shown). Effects caused by
one but not both protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors may reflect
differences in the phosphatase specificity of each inhibitor or may
indicate nonspecific activities. D, Tyrphostin 23 did not affect membrane homeostasis. Total exocytosis is plotted as a
function of the amount of membrane retrieval for control cells
(circles) and cells treated with tyrphostin 23 (triangles). The least-squares regression line for
control cells (top) and cells treated with tyrphostin 23 (bottom) is also plotted, showing that tyrphostin 23 did
not affect the relationship between the amount of membrane added and
membrane retrieved.
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The effect of tyrosine phosphorylation on rapid endocytosis
is not Ca2+ dependent
The Ca2+ dependence of rapid
endocytosis is still unclear (von Gersdorff and Matthews, 1994 ; Reuter
and Porzig, 1995 ; Artalejo et al., 1996 ), although two recent reports
suggest Ca2+ influx may trigger several
components of rapid endocytosis (Smith and Neher, 1997 ; Engisch and
Nowycky, 1998 ). We found no significant difference in
Ca2+ influx between cells treated with
tyrphostin 23 and control cells, suggesting that the changes in rapid
endocytosis induced by tyrphostin 23 were not mediated by alterations
in Ca2+ influx. Figure
6 shows representative
Ca2+ currents in a single cell before and
after treatment with 100 µM tyrphostin 23; treatment with
tyrphostin 23 did not affect the Ca2+
current. Note that the early spike of inward current was carried by
Na+.

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Figure 6.
Tyrphostin 23 has no significant effect on
Ca2+ currents. Whole-cell currents are shown from a
cell stimulated before and after treatment with 100 µM
tyrphostin 23. Only data from the first three depolarizations of a
train are shown. Currents before treatment (left) are
approximately equal to those after treatment with tyrphostin 23 (right). The extracellular [Ca2+]
was 2 mM. Although K+ currents were
blocked by intracellular Cs+, no
Na+ channel inhibitors were used. The early spike in
the current trace is carried by Na+.
Neither the magnitude of the Ca2+ currents nor the
rate of inactivation is affected by tyrosine kinase
inhibition.
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Although Ca2+ influx in cells treated with
tyrphostin 23 and either orthovanadate or
Zn2+ was a little larger than that in
cells treated with tyrphostin 23 alone, similar to that in smooth
muscle cells (Wijetunge et al., 1998 ), this did not account for the
tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor effects. We tested the effect of
slightly elevated Ca2+ influx by using a
modified stimulation protocol that maximized Ca2+ currents. The test potential during
the train of depolarizations was changed to +20 mV, the peak of the
I-V curve for Ca channels (the test potential in all the
figures shown in this manuscript is +10 mV). The depolarization length,
interpulse intervals, and external
[Ca2+] were otherwise unchanged. This
small increase in Ca2+ influx did not
alter rapid endocytosis in tyrphostin 23-treated cells (data not shown).
In addition to being potent broad spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitors,
tyrphostins are effective inhibitors of certain GTPases (Wolbring et
al., 1994 ). Although the tyrphostin 23-induced slowing of
endocytosis is consistent with the inhibition of tyrosine kinases, we wanted to rule out possible effects on GTPases; experiments were
performed using GTP- -S to inhibit GTPases. Figure
7 shows a capacitance trace obtained from
a cell dialyzed with 350 µM GTP- -S. Most
cells treated in this way showed little or no endocytosis, consistent
with a study by Artalejo et al. (1995) , which showed that GTP- -S
inhibited endocytosis. Thus, GTP- -S does not mimic tyrphostin 23, which slows endocytosis but does not change total membrane retrieval.
Our results suggest that tyrphostin 23 operates by inhibiting
tyrosine kinases, not GTPases.

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Figure 7.
Rapid endocytosis was inhibited in cells dialyzed
with GTP- -S. Capacitance recording of a control cell that underwent
exocytosis during stimulation but that showed no rapid endocytosis
afterward. GTP- -S (350 µM) was dialyzed into the cell
via the patch pipette. In five of eight cells dialyzed with GTP- -S,
there was little or no endocytosis present in the cells.
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DISCUSSION |
Since the discovery that nerve growth factor acts by stimulating
the tyrosine kinase activity of a surface membrane receptor (Kaplan et
al., 1991 ; Klein et al., 1991 ), interest has surged in the role of
tyrosine phosphorylation in the nervous system. Receptor tyrosine
kinases are now known to have a variety of roles in neuronal growth and
development. For example, Eph-related receptor tyrosine kinases play a
prominent part in establishing the topography of retinotectal
projections (Drescher, 1997 ). There is also an increasing recognition
of the regulatory actions of tyrosine phosphatases, such as DPTP69D.
When mutated in Drosophila, this tyrosine phosphatase causes
abnormal motor neuron development (Desai et al., 1996 ; Krueger et al.,
1996 ). Our data indicate another important physiological role for
tyrosine phosphorylation. In adrenal chromaffin cells tyrosine
phosphorylation helps to regulate rapid endocytosis. Furthermore, this
new regulatory function specifically affects the kinetics of rapid
endocytosis, while leaving exocytosis unaffected.
Receptor tyrosine kinases have a well-established role in the
initiation of ligand-dependent endocytosis. Mutations that reduce the
tyrosine kinase activity of the EGF receptor may also inhibit ligand-dependent endocytosis (Lamaze and Schmid, 1995 ). After undergoing autophosphorylation, the EGF receptor has an increased affinity for the coated pit adaptor protein in complex AP2 (Nesterov et
al., 1995 ). The EGF receptor also phosphorylates eps15, an AP2-binding
protein that promotes clathrin assembly (Benmerah et al., 1995 , 1998 ).
The GTPase dynamin, a key component of endocytosis, undergoes tyrosine
phosphorylation after activation of the insulin receptor, although the
functional consequences of phosphorylation are unknown (Chen et al.,
1991 ; Baron et al., 1998 ).
Rapid endocytosis does not require binding of an extracellular ligand,
because our fast perfusion system ensured that all potential ligands
were rapidly washed away. Nevertheless, rapid endocytosis shares many
similarities with ligand-dependent endocytosis. Dynamin, for example,
is necessary in both types of endocytosis (Koenig and Ikeda, 1989 ;
Morris and Schmid, 1995 ). Inhibition of dynamin with GTP- -S is
thought to abolish rapid endocytosis in chromaffin cells (Artalejo et
al., 1995 ), an observation consistent with the data in this manuscript.
Our work shows that rapid endocytosis, like ligand-dependent
endocytosis, is regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation. Treatment of
adrenal chromaffin cells with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrphostin
23 slowed the time course of rapid endocytosis. This effect was
reversed by the addition of three different tyrosine phosphatase
inhibitors, indicating that the slowing of rapid endocytosis was
mediated by changes in tyrosine phosphorylation rather than by
tyrphostin-mediated changes in GTP metabolism (Wolbring et al., 1994 ).
In contrast to GTP- -S, which blocked endocytosis in most cells,
tyrphostin 23 slowed rapid endocytosis with no effect on the total
amount of membrane retrieval. Slowing of rapid endocytosis was observed
soon after application of tyrphostin 23, but there was no effect on the
total amount of membrane retrieval. This indicates that tyrosine
kinases specifically govern the kinetics, not the amount, of membrane
retrieval. The kinetic effects of tyrosine kinases may be crucial under
conditions of strong stimulation because rapid endocytosis may be
rate-limiting in such circumstances (Klingauf et al., 1998 ). In
contrast, on longer time scales rapid endocytosis may act to maintain
surface area homeostasis (Ceccarelli et al., 1972 ; Heuser and Reese,
1973 ); our results suggest that tyrosine kinases are less likely to be
directly involved in the regulation of this process.
Dynamic tyrosine phosphorylation plays an important part in modulating
synaptic efficiency. The inhibition of N-type
Ca2+ channels by
GABAB receptor activation can be partially
blocked by treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors
(Diverse-Pierluissi et al., 1997 ). Tyrosine kinases also regulate
voltage-dependent facilitation of T-type
Ca2+ channels (Arnoult et al., 1997 ) and
Ca2+ currents in smooth muscle cells
(Wijetunge et al., 1998 ). Although there is evidence of a role for
Ca2+ in the control of rapid endocytosis
(Neher and Zucker, 1993 ; Smith and Neher, 1997 ; Engisch and Nowycky,
1998 ), we did not observe significant changes in
Ca2+ influx in chromaffin cells after
treatment with tyrphostin 23. Consequently, the slowing of rapid
endocytosis by tyrosine kinase inhibition was probably mediated by a
novel synaptic regulatory mechanism. This conclusion is supported by
the finding that rapid endocytosis was slowed even in experiments
specifically designed to increase Ca2+
influx (data not shown).
Neither the rate nor the amount of exocytosis was significantly
affected by tyrphostin 23. Because exocytosis is known to be a
Ca2+-dependent process, this is consistent
with our observations that Ca2+ influx was
not affected by tyrosine kinase inhibition. These findings are
especially intriguing because a study by Cox et al. (1996) showed that
tyrphostin 23 and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors significantly
reduced catecholamine secretion by adrenal chromaffin cells. It is
important to note that the stimulations in their work were
approximately two orders of magnitude longer than those described in
this paper. Long-term failure of catecholamine secretion after
treatment with tyrphostin 23, which quickly interferes with rapid
endocytosis, suggests that competent endocytosis may be necessary for
cells to maintain exocytosis for extended periods, and interference
with endocytosis may impair the mobilization of filled granules.
At least two kinetic parameters were altered by tyrphostin 23: the time
constant of rapid endocytosis and the plateau time. The plateau phase
most likely reflects a slowing or delay in the onset of rapid
endocytosis. Alternately, the longer plateau time might reflect an
upregulation of exocytosis that was precisely balanced by rapid
endocytosis. The latter hypothesis seems unlikely because longer
plateau times were associated with slower time constants of rapid
endocytosis, and there was no evidence of a change in exocytosis during
the rising phase of the capacitance trace. Furthermore, a recent study
has shown that neurotransmitter release ends <1 sec after stimulation
(Albillos et al., 1997 ). These findings argue that the primary effect
of tyrphostin 23 was on the kinetics of rapid endocytosis, although the
possibility remains that multiple regulatory components of rapid
endocytosis are tyrosine phosphorylated.
What is the target of tyrosine phosphorylation in rapid endocytosis? It
is tempting to speculate that dynamin is tyrosine phosphorylated in
rapid endocytosis as well as in ligand-dependent endocytosis.
Alternately, our observations may reflect a requirement for the
phosphorylation of other proteins, such as eps15. Finally, although the
kinase(s) required for rapid endocytosis has not yet been identified,
many proteins involved in rapid endocytosis interact with src,
including dynamin, synapsin Ia, and synapsin Ib (Onofri et al., 1997 ;
Foster-Barber and Bishop, 1998 ). Src is thought to promote
ligand-dependent endocytosis (Ware et al., 1997 ), and the src family
kinase fyn is activated during stimulation in adrenal chromaffin cells
(Allen et al., 1996 ). Thus, activation of src family kinases might
represent a common pathway for ligand-dependent endocytosis and rapid endocytosis.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
Received May 28, 1999; revised Aug. 23, 1999; accepted Sept. 1, 1999.
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants to
A.P.F. and by Medical Scientist Training Program funding to P.G.P.N. We
thank Drs. Kevin Currie and Chien-Yuan Pan for kindly preparing the
chromaffin cells.
Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Aaron P. Fox, The University
of Chicago, Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences,
947 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637. E-mail:
Aaron{at}Drugs.bsd.uchicago.edu.
 |
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