The position of mitochondria and ER in relation to that of the secretory sites in chromaffin cells

ABSTRACT Knowledge of the distribution of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in relation to the position of exocytotic sites is relevant to understanding the influence of these organelles in tuning Ca 2+ signals and secretion. Confocal images of probes tagged to mitochondria and the F-actin cytoskeleton revealed the existence of two populations of mitochondria, one that was cortical and one that was perinuclear. This mitochondrial distribution was also confirmed by using electron microscopy. In contrast, ER was sparse in the cortex and more abundant in deep cytoplasmic regions. The mitochondrial distribution might be due to organellar transport, which experiences increasing restrictions in the cell cortex. Further study of organelle distribution in relation to the position of SNARE microdomains and the granule fusion sites revealed that a third of the cortical mitochondria colocalized with exocytotic sites and another third located at a distance closer than two vesicle diameters. ER structures were also present in the vicinity of secretory sites but at a lower density. Therefore, mitochondria and ER have a spatial distribution that suggests a specialized role in modulation of exocytosis that fits with the role of cytosolic Ca 2+ microdomains described previously.