The Clinical Importance of Intracellular Membranes for Secretion

Considerable discussion has been devoted to the function of intracellular membranes in the production of secretory products. The importance of these membranes in the transport of secretory material is 

Enzymes for the resynthesis of triglycerides exist within both the 

As more is learned about the normal mechanisms of cellular secretion, it may be possible, in future studies of certain diseases, to link the pathologic process to some abnormality in the intracellular transport of secretory material. 

An excellent example of the role of microtubules in secretory product release is provided by the work of Malaisse et al. (1975) in the pancreatic endocrine cell. In this cell type, the microtubules are found scattered throughout the cytoplasm they are particularly conspicuous in the ectoplasm and near both the nucleus and Golgi complex. At the 

Deuterium oxide was known to stabilize microtubules and, when applied to pancreatic endocrine cells, resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of secretion which eventually reached complete cessation of insulin release. Pretreatment of cells with D2O protected them from the effects of colchicine or vinblastine when D2O was removed from the incubation media. Similarly, pretreatment of cells with cytocholasin B protected the cells from the effects of D2O. 

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