Vesicle fusion is a fundamental cell biological process similar from yeasts to humans. For secretory vesicles, swelling is considered a step required for the expulsion of intravesicular content. Here this concept is revisited providing evidence that it may instead represent a general mechanism. We report the first example that non-secretory vesicles, committed to insert the Aquaporin-2 water channel into the plasma membrane, swell and this phenomenon is required for fusion to plasma membrane. Through an interdisciplinary approach, using atomic force microscope (AFM), a fluorescence-based assay of vesicle volume changes and NMR spectroscopy to measure water self-diffusion coefficient, we provide evidence that Gi protein modulation of potassium channel TASK-2 localized in AQP2 vesicles, is required for vesicle swelling. Estimated intravesicular K⁺ concentration in AQP2 vesicles, as measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, was 5.3 mM, demonstrating the existence of an inwardly K⁺ chemical gradient likely generating an osmotic gradient causing vesicle swelling upon TASK-2 gating. Of note, abrogation of K⁺ gradient significantly impaired fusion between vesicles and plasma membrane. We conclude that vesicle swelling is a potentially important prerequisite for vesicle fusion to the plasma membrane and may be required also for other non-secretory vesicles, depicting a general mechanism for vesicle fusion.
Keywords: Aquaporin-2; Gi protein; TASK-2; exocytosis; swelling.