Role of Actin Cortex in the Subplasmalemmal Transport of Secretory Granules in PC-12 Cells

In neuroendocrine PC-12 cells, evanescent-field fluorescence microscopy was used to track motions of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled actin or GFP-labeled secretory granules in a thin layer of cytoplasm where cells adhered to glass. The layer contained abundant filamentous actin (F-actin) locally condensed into stress fibers. More than 90% of the granules imaged lay within the F-actin layer. One-third of the granules did not move detectably, while two-thirds moved randomly; the average diffusion coefficient was 23 × 10 −4 μm 2/s. A small minority (