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Zhai RG. The Architecture of the Presynaptic Release Site. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 33:1-21. [PMID: 37615861 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-34229-5_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
The architecture of the presynaptic release site is exquisitely designed to facilitate and regulate synaptic vesicle exocytosis. With the identification of some of the building blocks of the active zone and the advent of super resolution imaging techniques, we are beginning to understand the morphological and functional properties of synapses in great detail. Presynaptic release sites consist of the plasma membrane, the cytomatrix, and dense projections. These three components are morphologically distinct but intimately connected with each other and with postsynaptic specializations, ensuring the fidelity of synaptic vesicle tethering, docking, and fusion, as well as signal detection. Although the morphology and molecular compositions of active zones may vary among species, tissues, and cells, global architectural design of the release sites is highly conserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Grace Zhai
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
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Vlasiuk A, Asari H. Feedback from retinal ganglion cells to the inner retina. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254611. [PMID: 34292988 PMCID: PMC8297895 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are thought to be strictly postsynaptic within the retina. They carry visual signals from the eye to the brain, but do not make chemical synapses onto other retinal neurons. Nevertheless, they form gap junctions with other RGCs and amacrine cells, providing possibilities for RGC signals to feed back into the inner retina. Here we identified such feedback circuitry in the salamander and mouse retinas. First, using biologically inspired circuit models, we found mutual inhibition among RGCs of the same type. We then experimentally determined that this effect is mediated by gap junctions with amacrine cells. Finally, we found that this negative feedback lowers RGC visual response gain without affecting feature selectivity. The principal neurons of the retina therefore participate in a recurrent circuit much as those in other brain areas, not being a mere collector of retinal signals, but are actively involved in visual computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia Vlasiuk
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
- Collaboration for joint PhD degree between EMBL and Heidelberg University, Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hiroki Asari
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Gan Q, Watanabe S. Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis in Different Model Systems. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:171. [PMID: 30002619 PMCID: PMC6031744 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurotransmission in complex animals depends on a choir of functionally distinct synapses releasing neurotransmitters in a highly coordinated manner. During synaptic signaling, vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane to release their contents. The rate of vesicle fusion is high and can exceed the rate at which synaptic vesicles can be re-supplied by distant sources. Thus, local compensatory endocytosis is needed to replenish the synaptic vesicle pools. Over the last four decades, various experimental methods and model systems have been used to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic vesicle cycle. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is thought to be the predominant mechanism for synaptic vesicle recycling. However, recent studies suggest significant contribution from other modes of endocytosis, including fast compensatory endocytosis, activity-dependent bulk endocytosis, ultrafast endocytosis, as well as kiss-and-run. Currently, it is not clear whether a universal model of vesicle recycling exist for all types of synapses. It is possible that each synapse type employs a particular mode of endocytosis. Alternatively, multiple modes of endocytosis operate at the same synapse, and the synapse toggles between different modes depending on its activity level. Here we compile review and research articles based on well-characterized model systems: frog neuromuscular junctions, C. elegans neuromuscular junctions, Drosophila neuromuscular junctions, lamprey reticulospinal giant axons, goldfish retinal ribbon synapses, the calyx of Held, and rodent hippocampal synapses. We will compare these systems in terms of their known modes and kinetics of synaptic vesicle endocytosis, as well as the underlying molecular machineries. We will also provide the future development of this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Gan
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Shigeki Watanabe
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Eickenscheidt M, Jenkner M, Thewes R, Fromherz P, Zeck G. Electrical stimulation of retinal neurons in epiretinal and subretinal configuration using a multicapacitor array. J Neurophysiol 2012; 107:2742-55. [PMID: 22357789 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00909.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Electrical stimulation of retinal neurons offers the possibility of partial restoration of visual function. Challenges in neuroprosthetic applications are the long-term stability of the metal-based devices and the physiological activation of retinal circuitry. In this study, we demonstrate electrical stimulation of different classes of retinal neurons with a multicapacitor array. The array—insulated by an inert oxide—allows for safe stimulation with monophasic anodal or cathodal current pulses of low amplitude. Ex vivo rabbit retinas were interfaced in either epiretinal or subretinal configuration to the multicapacitor array. The evoked activity was recorded from ganglion cells that respond to light increments by an extracellular tungsten electrode. First, a monophasic epiretinal cathodal or a subretinal anodal current pulse evokes a complex burst of action potentials in ganglion cells. The first action potential occurs within 1 ms and is attributed to direct stimulation. Within the next milliseconds additional spikes are evoked through bipolar cell or photoreceptor depolarization, as confirmed by pharmacological blockers. Second, monophasic epiretinal anodal or subretinal cathodal currents elicit spikes in ganglion cells by hyperpolarization of photoreceptor terminals. These stimuli mimic the photoreceptor response to light increments. Third, the stimulation symmetry between current polarities (anodal/cathodal) and retina-array configuration (epi/sub) is confirmed in an experiment in which stimuli presented at different positions reveal the center-surround organization of the ganglion cell. A simple biophysical model that relies on voltage changes of cell terminals in the transretinal electric field above the stimulation capacitor explains our results. This study provides a comprehensive guide for efficient stimulation of different retinal neuronal classes with low-amplitude capacitive currents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Eickenscheidt
- Department of Membrane and Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried; and
| | - Martin Jenkner
- Corporate Research, Infineon Technologies, Munich, Germany
| | - Roland Thewes
- Corporate Research, Infineon Technologies, Munich, Germany
| | - Peter Fromherz
- Department of Membrane and Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried; and
| | - Günther Zeck
- Department of Membrane and Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried; and
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Abstract
The gain of signaling in primary sensory circuits is matched to the stimulus intensity by the process of adaptation. Retinal neural circuits adapt to visual scene statistics, including the mean (background adaptation) and the temporal variance (contrast adaptation) of the light stimulus. The intrinsic properties of retinal bipolar cells and synapses contribute to background and contrast adaptation, but it is unclear whether both forms of adaptation depend on the same cellular mechanisms. Studies of bipolar cell synapses identified synaptic mechanisms of gain control, but the relevance of these mechanisms to visual processing is uncertain because of the historical focus on fast, phasic transmission rather than the tonic transmission evoked by ambient light. Here, we studied use-dependent regulation of bipolar cell synaptic transmission evoked by small, ongoing modulations of membrane potential (V(M)) in the physiological range. We made paired whole-cell recordings from rod bipolar (RB) and AII amacrine cells in a mouse retinal slice preparation. Quasi-white noise voltage commands modulated RB V(M) and evoked EPSCs in the AII. We mimicked changes in background luminance or contrast, respectively, by depolarizing the V(M) or increasing its variance. A linear systems analysis of synaptic transmission showed that increasing either the mean or the variance of the presynaptic V(M) reduced gain. Further electrophysiological and computational analyses demonstrated that adaptation to mean potential resulted from both Ca channel inactivation and vesicle depletion, whereas adaptation to variance resulted from vesicle depletion alone. Thus, background and contrast adaptation apparently depend in part on a common synaptic mechanism.
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Abstract
AbstractZebrafish are an existing model for genetic and developmental studies due to their rapid external development and transparent embryos, which allow easy manipulation and observation of early developmental stages. The application of the zebrafish model to vision research has allowed for examination of retinal development and the characteristics of different retinal cell types, including bipolar cells. In particular, bipolar cell development, including differentiation, maturation, and gene expression, has been documented, as has physiological properties, such as voltage- and ligand-gated currents, and neurotransmitter receptor and ion channel expression. Mutant strains and transgenic lines have been used to document how bipolar cell connections and/or development may be altered, and toxicological studies examining how environmental factors may impact bipolar cell activity have been performed. The purpose of this paper was to review the existing literature on zebrafish bipolar cells, to provide a comprehensive overview of current information pertaining to this retinal cell type.
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Koulen P, Madry C, Duncan RS, Hwang JY, Nixon E, McClung N, Gregg EV, Singh M. Progesterone potentiates IP(3)-mediated calcium signaling through Akt/PKB. Cell Physiol Biochem 2008; 21:161-72. [PMID: 18209483 DOI: 10.1159/000113758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/02/2007] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The activity of cells critically depends on the control of their cytosolic free calcium ion (Ca(2+)) concentration. The objective of the present study was to identify mechanisms of action underlying the control of the gain of intracellular Ca(2+) release by circulating gonadal steroid hormones. Acute stimulation of isolated neurons with progesterone led to IP(3)R-mediated Ca(2+) transients that depend on the activation of the PI3 kinase/Akt/PKB signaling pathway. These results were confirmed at the molecular level and phosphorylation of IP(3)R type 1 by Akt/PKB was identified as the mechanism of action. Hence, it is likely that circulating gonadal steroid hormones control neuronal activity including phosporylation status through receptor- and kinase-mediated signaling. With a direct control of the gain of the Ca(2+) second messenger system as a signaling gatekeeper for neuronal activity the present study identifies a novel pathway for interaction of the endocrine and central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Koulen
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX 76107-2699, USA.
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Palanker D, Vankov A, Huie P, Baccus S. Design of a high-resolution optoelectronic retinal prosthesis. J Neural Eng 2005; 2:S105-20. [PMID: 15876646 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2560/2/1/012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 177] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
It has been demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the retina can produce visual percepts in blind patients suffering from macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. However, current retinal implants provide very low resolution (just a few electrodes), whereas at least several thousand pixels would be required for functional restoration of sight. This paper presents the design of an optoelectronic retinal prosthetic system with a stimulating pixel density of up to 2500 pix mm(-2) (corresponding geometrically to a maximum visual acuity of 20/80). Requirements on proximity of neural cells to the stimulation electrodes are described as a function of the desired resolution. Two basic geometries of sub-retinal implants providing required proximity are presented: perforated membranes and protruding electrode arrays. To provide for natural eye scanning of the scene, rather than scanning with a head-mounted camera, the system operates similar to 'virtual reality' devices. An image from a video camera is projected by a goggle-mounted collimated infrared LED-LCD display onto the retina, activating an array of powered photodiodes in the retinal implant. The goggles are transparent to visible light, thus allowing for the simultaneous use of remaining natural vision along with prosthetic stimulation. Optical delivery of visual information to the implant allows for real-time image processing adjustable to retinal architecture, as well as flexible control of image processing algorithms and stimulation parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Palanker
- Department of Ophthalmology and Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-4085, USA.
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Sikora MA, Gottesman J, Miller RF. A computational model of the ribbon synapse. J Neurosci Methods 2005; 145:47-61. [PMID: 15922025 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2004.11.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2004] [Revised: 11/15/2004] [Accepted: 11/19/2004] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A model of the ribbon synapse was developed to replicate both pre- and postsynaptic functions of this glutamatergic juncture. The presynaptic portion of the model is rich in anatomical and physiological detail and includes multiple release sites for each ribbon based on anatomical studies of presynaptic terminals, presynaptic voltage at the terminal, the activation of voltage-gated calcium channels and a calcium-dependent release mechanism whose rate varies as a function of the calcium concentration that is monitored at two different sites which control both an ultrafast, docked pool of vesicles and a release ready pool of tethered vesicles. The postsynaptic portion of the program models diffusion of glutamate and the physiological properties of glutamatergic neurotransmission in target cells. We demonstrate the behavior of the model using the retinal bipolar cell to ganglion cell ribbon synapse. The model was constrained by the anatomy of salamander bipolar terminals based on the ultrastructure of these synapses and presynaptic contacts were placed onto realistic ganglion cell morphology activated by a range of ribbon synapses (46-138). These inputs could excite the cell in a manner consistent with physiological observations. This model is a comprehensive, first-generation attempt to assemble our present understanding of the ribbon synapse into a domain that permits testing our understanding of this important structure. We believe that with minor modifications of this model, it can be fine tuned for other ribbon synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Sikora
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 6-146 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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Zhai RG, Bellen HJ. The Architecture of the Active Zone in the Presynaptic Nerve Terminal. Physiology (Bethesda) 2004; 19:262-70. [PMID: 15381754 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00014.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Active zones are highly specialized sites for release of neurotransmitter from presynaptic nerve terminals. The architecture of the active zone is exquisitely designed to facilitate the regulated tethering, docking, and fusing of the synaptic vesicles with the plasma membrane. Here we present our view of the structural and molecular organization of active zones across species and propose that all active zones are organized according to a common principle in which the structural differences correlate with the kinetics of transmitter release.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Grace Zhai
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Division of Neuroscience, Program In Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
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Potentiation of L-type calcium channels reveals nonsynaptic mechanisms that correlate spontaneous activity in the developing mammalian retina. J Neurosci 2001. [PMID: 11606640 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.21-21-08514.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Although correlated neural activity is a hallmark of many regions of the developing nervous system, the neural events underlying its propagation remain largely unknown. In the developing vertebrate retina, waves of spontaneous, correlated neural activity sweep across the ganglion cell layer. Here, we demonstrate that L-type Ca(2+) channel agonists induce large, frequent, rapidly propagating waves of neural activity in the developing retina. In contrast to retinal waves that have been described previously, these L-type Ca(2+) channel agonist-potentiated waves propagate independent of fast synaptic transmission. Bath application of nicotinic acetylcholine, AMPA, NMDA, glycine, and GABA(A) receptor antagonists does not alter the velocity, frequency, or size of the potentiated waves. Additionally, these antagonists do not alter the frequency or magnitude of spontaneous depolarizations that are recorded in individual retinal ganglion cells. Like normal retinal waves, however, the area over which the potentiated waves propagate is reduced dramatically by 18alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid, a blocker of gap junctions. Additionally, like normal retinal waves, L-type Ca(2+) channel agonist-potentiated waves are abolished by adenosine deaminase, which degrades extracellular adenosine, and by aminophylline, a general adenosine receptor antagonist, indicating that they are dependent on adenosine-mediated signaling. Our study indicates that although the precise spatiotemporal properties of retinal waves are shaped by local synaptic inputs, activity may be propagated through the developing mammalian retina by nonsynaptic pathways.
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Lenzi D, von Gersdorff H. Structure suggests function: the case for synaptic ribbons as exocytotic nanomachines. Bioessays 2001; 23:831-40. [PMID: 11536295 DOI: 10.1002/bies.1118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Synaptic ribbons, the organelles identified in electron micrographs of the sensory synapses involved in vision, hearing, and balance, have long been hypothesized to play an important role in regulating presynaptic function because they associate with synaptic vesicles at the active zone. Their physiology and molecular composition have, however, remained largely unknown. Recently, a series of elegant studies spurred by technical innovation have finally begun to shed light on the ultrastructure and function of ribbon synapses. Electrical capacitance measurements have provided sub-millisecond resolution of exocytosis, evanescent-wave microscopy has filmed the fusion of single 30 nm synaptic vesicles, electron tomography has revealed the 3D architecture of the synapse, and molecular cloning has begun to identify the proteins that make up ribbons. These results are consistent with the ribbon serving as a vesicle "conveyor belt" to resupply the active zone, and with the suggestion that ribbon and conventional chemical synapses have much in common.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Lenzi
- Department of Otolaryngology-HNS, University of Virginia School of Medicine, VA, USA
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Abstract
This study reports the distribution of the alpha1D and alpha1E calcium channel subunits in the neotenous tiger salamander retina based on immunohistochemical techniques. Confocal and light microscopy were used to localize staining with fluorescently tagged antibodies to alpha1D and alpha1E in cross-sectional and flatmount preparations of retina. Alpha1D-immunoreactivity (alpha1D-IR) was localized to the inner and outer plexiform layers (IPL and OPL, respectively), ganglion cell layer (GCL), and optic fiber layer. Alpha1E-IR was found predominantly in the IPL, with scattered, weak representation in the OPL. Alpha1E-IR was not detected in the GCL or fiber layer. These findings suggest that different alpha1 calcium channel proteins have distinctive distributions in retina, which may reflect their unique and different roles in retinal processing and homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Henderson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA
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