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Abstract

An increase in free Ca2+ triggers exocytosis in pituitary nerve terminals leading to an increase in membrane area and membrane capacitance. When Ca2+ is increased by step depolarization, an instantaneous capacitance increase during the first 80 ms is followed by a slow increase extending over several seconds. We measured capacitance changes associated with exocytosis and endocytosis in single pituitary nerve terminals internally perfused with high Ca2+. At 50 microM Ca2+ the capacitance increased by up to 2%/s, similar to the slow phase observed during depolarization. Our results indicate that at the site of fusion very high Ca2+ is required. Following exocytosis, large downward capacitance steps were measured, reflecting endocytosis of large vacuoles. These events were not abrupt but reflected a gradual decrease of fission pore conductance from 8 nS to < 40 pS during 500 ms, revealing the dynamics of individual fission pore closures. Above 300 pS, narrowing of the endocytotic fission pore was approximately 10 times slower than the previously reported expansion of the exocytotic fusion pore. The transition between 300 pS and 0 pS took approximately 200 ms, whereas it has been reported that the exocytotic fusion pore measured in mast cells opens from 0 to 280 pS in < 100 microseconds. The time course of closing of the fission pore may be explained by an exponential decrease in pore diameter occurring at a constant rate.