Role of secretory granules in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-dependent Ca2+ signaling: From phytoplankton to mammals

The majority of secretory cell calcium is stored in secretory granules that serve as the major IP3-dependent intracellular Ca2+ store. Even in unicellular phytoplankton secretory granules are responsible for the IP3-induced Ca2+ release that triggers exocytosis. The number of secretory granules in the cell is directly related not only to the magnitude of IP3-induced Ca2+ release, which accounts for the majority of the IP3-induced cytoplasmic Ca2+ release in neuroendocrine cells, but also to the IP3 sensitivity of the cytoplasmic IP3 receptor (IP3R)/Ca2+ channels. Moreover, secretory granules contain the highest IP3R concentrations and the largest amounts of IP(3)Rs in any subcellular organelles in neuroendocrine cells. Secretory granules from phytoplankton to mammals contain large amounts of polyanionic molecules, chromogranins being the major molecules in mammals, in addition to acidic intragranular pH and high Ca2+ concentrations. The polyanionic molecules undergo pH- and Ca2+-dependent conformational changes that serve as a molecular basis for condensation-decondensation phase transitions of the intragranular matrix. Likewise, chromogranins undergo pH- and Ca2+-dependent conformational changes with increased exposure of the structure and increased interactions with Ca2+ and other granule components at acidic pH. The unique physico-chemical properties of polyanionic molecules appear to be at the center of biogenesis, and physiological functions of secretory granules in living organisms from primitive to advanced species. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.