Membrane trafficking in nerve terminals

Synapsins contribute to the dynamic spatial organization of synaptic vesicles in an activity-dependent manner

The precise subcellular organization of synaptic vesicles (SVs) at presynaptic sites allows for rapid and spatially restricted exocytotic release of neurotransmitter. The synapsins (Syns) are a family of presynaptic proteins that control the availability of SVs for exocytosis by reversibly tethering them to each other and to the actin cytoskeleton in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. Syn ablation leads to reduction in the density of SV proteins in nerve terminals and increased synaptic fatigue under high-frequency stimulation, accompanied by the development of an epileptic phenotype. We analyzed cultured neurons from wild-type and Syn I,II,III(-/-) triple knock-out (TKO) mice and found that SVs were severely dispersed in the absence of Syns. Vesicle dispersion did not affect the readily releasable pool of SVs, whereas the total number of SVs was considerably reduced at synapses of TKO mice. Interestingly, dispersion apparently involved exocytosis-competent SVs as well; it was not affected by stimulation but was reversed by chronic neuronal activity blockade. Altogether, these findings indicate that Syns are essential to maintain the dynamic structural organization of synapses and the size of the reserve pool of SVs during intense SV recycling, whereas an additional Syn-independent mechanism, whose molecular substrate remains to be clarified, targets SVs to synaptic boutons at rest and might be outpaced by activity.

Ultrastructural evidence of piecemeal degranulation in large dense-core vesicles of brain neurons

Large dense-core vesicles (LDCV) are a group of neuronal secretory organelles with different size and characteristically condensed morphology. LDCV release their specific cargo by regulated exocytosis, either in the form of "full fusion" or "kiss-and-run" exocytosis. In this paper, we provide ultrastructural evidence indicative of a slow and particulate mode of secretion from LDCV, called piecemeal degranulation (PMD). A number of LDCV in the nerve boutons of mouse brain presented marked increase in their size accompanied by reduction and also disappearance of content material. Residual secretory constituents in altered LDCV displayed eroded marginated patterns, leading to eccentric "haloed" morphologies. Remarkably, altered LDCV never appeared to be fused with each other or with the nerve plasma membrane. Very small vesicles, empty or apparently loaded with the same material making-up the LDCV content, could be seen near or attached to LDCV and the plasma membrane. First described in basophils, mast cells and eosinophils, PMD has recently been recognized in various neuro-endocrine cells, like adrenal chromaffin cells and endocrine cells of the gastro-intestinal epithelia. Here we suggest that PMD may be a hitherto unrecognized pathway of neuron secretion. It would represent the morphological correlate of a long-lasting and low-level process of neuro-transmitter release. It extends the patterns of neuron secretion and possibly opens new perspectives in understanding neuron plasticity.

Taipoxin Induces Synaptic Vesicle Exocytosis and Disrupts the Interaction of Synaptophysin I with VAMP2

The application of the snake neurotoxin taipoxin to hippocampal neurons in culture induced Ca(2+)-dependent synaptic vesicle (SV) exocytosis, with swelling of nerve terminals and redistribution of SV proteins to the axolemma. Using digital imaging videomicroscopy to measure fluorescence resonance energy transfer in live neurons, we also found that taipoxin modulates the machinery for neurosecretion by causing dissociation of the SV proteins synaptobrevin 2 and synaptophysin I at a stage preceding taipoxin-induced facilitation of SV fusion. These early effects of the toxin are followed by severe impairment of SV exo-endocytosis, which might underlie the prevention of neurotransmitter release reported after intoxication by taipoxin.

Synaptophysin: leading actor or walk-on role in synaptic vesicle exocytosis?

Synaptophysin (Syp) was the first synaptic vesicle (SV) protein to be cloned. Since its discovery in 1985, it has been used by us and by many laboratories around the world as an invaluable marker to study the distribution of synapses in the brain and to uncover the basic features of the life cycle of SVs. Although single gene ablation of Syp does not lead to an overt phenotype, a large body of experimental data both in vitro and in vivo indicate that Syp (alone or in association with homologous proteins) is involved in multiple, important aspects of SV exo-endocytosis, including regulation of SNARE assembly into the fusion core complex, formation of the fusion pore initiating neurotransmitter release, activation of SV endocytosis and SV biogenesis. In this article, we summarise the main results of the studies on Syp carried out by our and other laboratories, and explain why we believe that Syp plays a major role in SV trafficking.

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer detection of synaptophysin I and vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 interactions during exocytosis from single live synapses

To investigate the molecular interactions of synaptophysin I and vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2)/synaptobrevin II during exocytosis, we have used time-lapse videomicroscopy to measure fluorescence resonance energy transfer in live neurons. For this purpose, fluorescent protein variants fused to synaptophysin I or VAMP2 were expressed in rat hippocampal neurons. We show that synaptophysin I and VAMP2 form both homo- and hetero-oligomers on the synaptic vesicle membrane. When exocytosis is stimulated with alpha-latrotoxin, VAMP2 dissociates from synaptophysin I even in the absence of appreciable exocytosis, whereas synaptophysin I oligomers disassemble only upon incorporation of the vesicle with the plasma membrane. We propose that synaptophysin I has multiple roles in neurotransmitter release, regulating VAMP2 availability for the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor complex and possibly participating in the late steps of exocytosis.

Synaptic vesicles: is kissing a matter of competence?

The "kiss-and-run" model of exocytosis and endocytosis predicts that synaptic vesicles can undergo fast and efficient recycling, after fusion with the plasmalemma, without intermixing of membranes. Evidence is mounting from several new experimental approaches that kiss-and-run occurs at synapses. Distinct vesicle pools, which initially were identified in morphological terms, are now being characterized in biochemical and functional terms. In addition, at least two functional recycling pathways, operating on different time scales (from milliseconds to tens of seconds), have been shown to coexist in the same synaptic system, and the two pathways appear to be differentially regulated. Taken together, these data suggest that kiss-and-run operates in parallel with the classical, coated-vesicle recycling. Here, we review recent evidence for kiss-and-run recycling and discuss whether it is a distinct process, dependent on the molecular organization of the fusing vesicle. We propose that vesicles undergo a process of "competence maturation". According to this view, the specific molecular make-up of the vesicles, their location and their interactions with nerve terminal proteins might determine not only the differential availability of the vesicles for fusion and neurotransmitter release but also the recycling path that they will follow.

Use of phosphosynapsin I-specific antibodies for image analysis of signal transduction in single nerve terminals

We have developed a semi-quantitative method for indirectly revealing variations in the concentration of second messengers (Ca(2+), cyclic AMP) in single presynaptic boutons by detecting the phosphorylation of the synapsins, excellent nerve terminal substrates for cyclic AMP- and Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases. For this purpose, we employed polyclonal, antipeptide antibodies recognising exclusively synapsin I phosphorylated by Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (at site 3) or synapsins I/II phosphorylated by either cAMP-dependent protein kinase or Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I (at site 1). Cerebellar granular neurones in culture were double-labelled with a monoclonal antibody to synapsins I/II and either of the polyclonal antibodies. Digitised images were analysed to determine the relative phosphorylation stoichiometry at each individual nerve terminal. We have found that: (i) under basal conditions, phosphorylation of site 3 was undetectable, whereas site 1 exhibited some degree of constitutive phosphorylation; (ii) depolarisation in the presence of extracellular Ca(2+) was followed by a selective and widespread increase in site 3 phosphorylation, although the relative phosphorylation stoichiometry varied among individual terminals; and (iii) phosphorylation of site 1 was increased by stimulation of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase but not by depolarisation and often occurred in specific nerve terminal sub-populations aligned along axon branches. In addition to shedding light on the regulation of synapsin phosphorylation in living nerve terminals, this approach permits the spatially-resolved analysis of the activation of signal transduction pathways in the presynaptic compartment, which is usually too small to be studied with other currently available techniques.

Neurite extension occurs in the absence of regulated exocytosis in PC12 subclones

We have investigated the process leading to differentiation of PC12 cells. This process is known to include extension of neurites and changes in the expression of subsets of proteins involved in cytoskeletal rearrangements or in neurosecretion. To this aim, we have studied a PC12 clone (trk-PC12) stably transfected with the nerve growth factor receptor TrkA. These cells are able to undergo both spontaneous and neurotrophin-induced morphological differentiation. However, both undifferentiated and nerve growth factor-differentiated trk-PC12 cells appear to be completely defective in the expression of proteins of the secretory apparatus, including proteins of synaptic vesicles and large dense-core granules, neurotransmitter transporters, and neurotransmitter-synthesizing enzymes. These results indicate that neurite extension can occur independently of the presence of the neurosecretory machinery, including the proteins that constitute the fusion machine, suggesting the existence of differential activation pathways for the two processes during neuronal differentiation. These findings have been confirmed in independent clones obtained from PC12-27, a previously characterized PC12 variant clone globally incompetent for regulated secretion. In contrast, the integrity of the Rab cycle appears to be necessary for neurite extension, because antisense oligonucleotides against the neurospecific isoform of Rab-guanosine diphosphate-dissociation inhibitor significantly interfere with process formation.

Synapsin-like molecules in Aplysia punctata and Helix pomatia: identification and distribution in the nervous system and during the formation of synaptic contacts in vitro

The distribution and biochemical features of the synapsin-like peptides recognized in Aplysia and Helix by various antibodies directed against mammalian synapsins were studied. The peptides can be extracted at low pH and are digested by collagenase; further, they can be phosphorylated by both protein kinase A and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. In the ganglia of both snails, they are associated with the soma of most neurons and with the neuropil; punctate immunostaining is present along the neurites. Using cocultures of a Helix serotoninergic neuron and of its target cell, we analysed the redistribution of the synapsin-like peptides during the formation of active synaptic contacts. When the presynaptic neuron is plated in isolation, both synapsin and serotonin immunoreactivities are restricted to the distal axonal segments and to the growth cones; in the presence of the target, the formation of a chemical connection is accompanied by redistribution of the synapsin and serotonin immunoreactivities that concentrate in highly fluorescent round spots scattered along the newly grown neurites located close to the target cell. Almost every spot that is stained for serotonin is also positive for synapsin. In the presynaptic cell plated alone, the number of these varicosity-like structures is substantially stable throughout the whole period; by contrast, when the presynaptic cell synapses the target, their number increases progressively parallel to the increase in the mean amplitude of cumulative excitatory postsynaptic potentials recorded at the same times. The data indicate that mollusc synapsin-like peptides to some extent resemble their mammalian homologues, although they are not exclusively localized in nerve terminals and their expression strongly correlates with the formation of active synaptic contacts.

Dephosphorylated synapsin I anchors synaptic vesicles to actin cytoskeleton: an analysis by videomicroscopy

Synapsin I is a synaptic vesicle-associated protein which inhibits neurotransmitter release, an effect which is abolished upon its phosphorylation by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II). Based on indirect evidence, it was suggested that this effect on neurotransmitter release may be achieved by the reversible anchoring of synaptic vesicles to the actin cytoskeleton of the nerve terminal. Using video-enhanced microscopy, we have now obtained experimental evidence in support of this model: the presence of dephosphorylated synapsin I is necessary for synaptic vesicles to bind actin; synapsin I is able to promote actin polymerization and bundling of actin filaments in the presence of synaptic vesicles; the ability to cross-link synaptic vesicles and actin is specific for synapsin I and is not shared by other basic proteins; the cross-linking between synaptic vesicles and actin is specific for the membrane of synaptic vesicles and does not reflect either a non-specific binding of membranes to the highly surface active synapsin I molecule or trapping of vesicles within the thick bundles of actin filaments; the formation of the ternary complex is virtually abolished when synapsin I is phosphorylated by CaM kinase II. The data indicate that synapsin I markedly affects synaptic vesicle traffic and cytoskeleton assembly in the nerve terminal and provide a molecular basis for the ability of synapsin I to regulate the availability of synaptic vesicles for exocytosis and thereby the efficiency of neurotransmitter release.