Botulinum A and the light chain of tetanus toxins inhibit distinct stages of Mg.ATP-dependent catecholamine exocytosis from permeabilised chromaffin cells.

Susceptibilities of Mg.ATP-independent and Mg.ATP-requiring components of catecholamine secretion from digitonin-permeabilised chromaffin cells to inhibition by Clostridial botulinum type A and tetanus toxins were investigated. These toxins are Zn(2+)-dependent proteases which specifically cleave the 25-kDa synaptosomal-associated protein (SNAP-25) and vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP) II, respectively. When applied to permeabilised chromaffin cells they rapidly inhibited secretion in the presence of Mg.ATP but the catecholamine released in the absence of Mg.ATP, thought to represent fusion of primed granules, was not perturbed. The toxins can exert their effects per se in the abse…