A synthetic N-myristoylated peptide corresponding to the amino-terminal domain of ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1) markedly increases, in a cell-free system using post-nuclear supernatant from PC12 cells, the biogenesis of constitutive secretory vesicles and immature secretory granules from the trans-Goigi network (TGN). The related N-myristoylated ARF4 peptide only weakly stimulates, and the non-myristoylated ARF1 and ARF4 peptides inhibit, the biogenesis of these secretory vesicles. In a modified cell-free system using TGN membranes, eoatomer-depleted cytosol supports the biogenesis of TGNderived secretory vesicles to the same extent as control cytosol. These results suggest a role for ARF1, but not the COP I coat, in secretory vesicle biogenesis from the TGN, possibly via the activation of phospholipase D. [10,11], the biogenesis of both CSVs and ISGs, collectively referred to as TGN-derived secretory vesicles, is inhibited by brefeldin A. If one extrapolates from the observations on the formation of cis-Golgi-derived vesicles to the biogenesis of TGN-derived secretory vesicles, the inhibition by brefeldin A would be indicative of an involvement of ARF in the latter process [12]. In the present study, we have examined a possible role of ARF in the biogenesis of TGN-derived secretory vesicles. In addition, we have addressed the related question of whether or not coatomer is required for the biogenesis of these vesicles.
Materials and methods