Do osmotic forces play a role in renin secretion?

Secretory granules swell during exocytosis. Swelling may follow fusion and assist in extrusion of the granular content, or swelling may cause granular fusion with the plasmalemma. A granular proton gradient has been suggested to be involved in such preexocytic granular swelling. Exocytosis of renin from juxtaglomerular cells of isolated preparations is very sensitive to changes in the extracellular osmolality. Extracellular hyposmolality causes swelling of secretory granules, fusions between peripherally located granules and plasmalemma, and an increased number of release episodes. Induction of granule swelling at constant extracellular osmolality also stimulates renin release. Newly recruited renin granules are osmosensitive, and a high extracellular osmolality blocks secretion induced by other means (low calcium). Dissipation of granular proton gradients inhibits renin release without affecting the osmosensitivity. Thus, in renin release in vitro, a granular swelling precedes fusion and exocytosis, and a granular proton gradient may contribute to preexocytic swelling when extracellular osmolality is constant. The osmosensitivity may be important for macula densamediated renin release.