Abstract
The mechanism by which cells control plasma membrane (PM) area is poorly understood. Changes in PM area cannot arise from stretching the membrane. One possibility is that folds in the PM flatten out to follow shape changes. This model would predict that membrane tension increases and limit the shape change induced by cell spreading. However, we found that PM tension decreased during spreading, indicating that PM area increased. Accordingly, exocytosis increased PM area by 40-60% during spreading. Moreover the increase in PM area was proportional to the spread area. Golgi, lysosomes and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein vesicles (GPI vesicles) exocytosed during spreading, but no fusion of endoplasmic reticulum or transferrin receptor containing vesicles was detected. Microtubule depolymerization blocked lysosome and Golgi exocytosis, but not GPI vesicle exocytosis and PM area increase. We propose that the dramatic increase in PM area during spreading originates selectively from a recycling pool of GPI-anchored protein vesicles.
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