Time-Resolved Dynamics of the Vesicle Membrane During Individual Exocytotic Secretion Events, as Extracted from Amperometric Monitoring of Adrenaline Exocytosis from Chromaffin Cells

A theoretical description of the opening of adrenal cell vesicles during exocytosis (schematically depicted here) is proposed. Single secretion events measured amperometrically can thus be treated with a much better resolution than achievable by patch-clamp techniques. It is concluded that the exocytosis is driven by swelling of the polyelectrolyte gel matrix of the secretory vesicle.