Detergents inhibit exocytosis in PC 12 cells: evidence for an effect on ion fluxes.

Membrane events in exocytosis were studied by examining the effect of different detergents on the K+-stimulated release of noradrenaline in the secretory cell line PC 12. The nonionic detergent Triton X-100 and the cationic detergent cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) inhibit the noradrenaline release evoked by 55 mM K+ by 50% at very low concentrations (30 microM and 10 microM, respectively). These values are tenfold lower than the critical micellar concentrations (CMC). No such effect was seen with the anionic detergent sodium dodecyl sulphate (NaDodSO4). The inhibitory effect of 30 microM Triton X-100 is reversible, and the recovery from inhibition correlates with the loss of detergent from the cells as demonstrated by binding studies using [3H]Triton X-100. The possible relationship between this inhibition of secretion and the structural properties of the detergent was investigated. The inhibition in the presence of purified Triton X-100 subfractions turned out to be a function of the length of the oligometric ethyleneglycol chain (C6 to C26). The maximal effect was observed for Triton X-100 molecules having a chain length of 16 carbon atoms, which can penetrate just half of the lipid bilayer of the membrane. Additionally, the phase transition at 13-14 degrees C observed in an Arrhenius plot of noradrenaline release in stimulated cells was abolished. In the presence of 30 microM Triton X-100, 22Na+ uptake, 86Rb+ release, and 45Ca2+ uptake were reduced by 50-60%. These data suggest that the site of action of Triton X-100 is at the level of altering the movement of ions in PC 12 cells during the stimulatory phase of secretion.