Endosome-mediated endocytic mechanism replenishes the majority of synaptic vesicles at mature CNS synapses in an activity-dependent manner

Role of adaptor protein complexes in generating functionally distinct synaptic vesicle pools

The synaptic vesicle (SV) cycle ensures the release of neurotransmitters and the replenishment of SVs to sustain neuronal activity. Multiple endocytosis and sorting pathways contribute to the recapture of the SV membrane and proteins after fusion. Adaptor protein (AP) complexes are among the critical components of the SV retrieval machinery. The canonical clathrin adaptor AP2 ensures the replenishment of most SVs across many neuronal populations. An alternative AP1/AP3-dependent process mediates the formation of a subset of SVs that differ from AP2 vesicles in molecular composition and respond preferentially during higher frequency firing. Furthermore, recent studies show that vesicular transporters for different neurotransmitters depend to a different extent on the AP3 pathway and this affects the release properties of the respective neurotransmitters. This review focuses on the current understanding of the AP-dependent molecular and functional diversity among SVs. We also discuss the contribution of these pathways to the regulation of neurotransmitter release across neuronal populations.

Synaptic endocytosis in adult adipose stromal cell-derived neurons

Synapses are essential for facilitating the transmission of information between neurons and for executing neurophysiological processes. Following the exocytosis of neurotransmitters, the synaptic vesicle may quickly undergo endocytosis to preserve the structural integrity of the synapse. When converting adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) into neurons, the ADSCs have already demonstrated comparable morphology, structure, and electrophysiological characteristics to neurons. Nevertheless, there is currently no published study on the endocytotic function of neurons that are produced from ADSCs. This study aimed to examine synaptic endocytosis in neurons derived from ADSCs by qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing the presence of Ap-2, Clathrin, Endophilin, Dynamin, and Hsc70, which are the key proteins involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), as well as by using FM1-43 and cadmium selenide quantum dots (CdSe QDs). Additionally, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was used to look at the levels of both neuronal markers and markers related to CME at the same time. The results of this study provide evidence that synapses in neurons produced from ADSCs have a role in endocytosis, mainly through the CME route.

CtBP1-Mediated Membrane Fission Contributes to Effective Recycling of Synaptic Vesicles

Compensatory endocytosis of released synaptic vesicles (SVs) relies on coordinated signaling at the lipid-protein interface. Here, we address the synaptic function of C-terminal binding protein 1 (CtBP1), a ubiquitous regulator of gene expression and membrane trafficking in cultured hippocampal neurons. In the absence of CtBP1, synapses form in greater density and show changes in SV distribution and size. The increased basal neurotransmission and enhanced synaptic depression could be attributed to a higher vesicular release probability and a smaller fraction of release-competent SVs, respectively. Rescue experiments with specifically targeted constructs indicate that, while synaptogenesis and release probability are controlled by nuclear CtBP1, the efficient recycling of SVs relies on its synaptic expression. The ability of presynaptic CtBP1 to facilitate compensatory endocytosis depends on its membrane-fission activity and the activation of the lipid-metabolizing enzyme PLD1. Thus, CtBP1 regulates SV recycling by promoting a permissive lipid environment for compensatory endocytosis.

A positive feedback loop between Flower and PI(4,5)P2 at periactive zones controls bulk endocytosis in Drosophila

Synaptic vesicle (SV) endocytosis is coupled to exocytosis to maintain SV pool size and thus neurotransmitter release. Intense stimulation induces activity-dependent bulk endocytosis (ADBE) to recapture large quantities of SV constituents in large endosomes from which SVs reform. How these consecutive processes are spatiotemporally coordinated remains unknown. Here, we show that Flower Ca²⁺ channel-dependent phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P₂) compartmentalization governs control of these processes in Drosophila. Strong stimuli trigger PI(4,5)P₂ microdomain formation at periactive zones. Upon exocytosis, Flower translocates from SVs to periactive zones, where it increases PI(4,5)P₂ levels via Ca²⁺ influxes. Remarkably, PI(4,5)P₂ directly enhances Flower channel activity, thereby establishing a positive feedback loop for PI(4,5)P₂ microdomain compartmentalization. PI(4,5)P₂ microdomains drive ADBE and SV reformation from bulk endosomes. PI(4,5)P₂ further retrieves Flower to bulk endosomes, terminating endocytosis. We propose that the interplay between Flower and PI(4,5)P₂ is the crucial spatiotemporal cue that couples exocytosis to ADBE and subsequent SV reformation.

DNA Methylation-Mediated Modulation of Endocytosis as Potential Mechanism for Synaptic Function Regulation in Murine Inhibitory Cortical Interneurons

The balance of excitation and inhibition is essential for cortical information processing, relying on the tight orchestration of the underlying subcellular processes. Dynamic transcriptional control by DNA methylation, catalyzed by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), and DNA demethylation, achieved by ten–eleven translocation (TET)-dependent mechanisms, is proposed to regulate synaptic function in the adult brain with implications for learning and memory. However, focus so far is laid on excitatory neurons. Given the crucial role of inhibitory cortical interneurons in cortical information processing and in disease, deciphering the cellular and molecular mechanisms of GABAergic transmission is fundamental. The emerging relevance of DNMT and TET-mediated functions for synaptic regulation irrevocably raises the question for the targeted subcellular processes and mechanisms. In this study, we analyzed the role dynamic DNA methylation has in regulating cortical interneuron function. We found that DNMT1 and TET1/TET3 contrarily modulate clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Moreover, we provide evidence that DNMT1 influences synaptic vesicle replenishment and GABAergic transmission, presumably through the DNA methylation-dependent transcriptional control over endocytosis-related genes. The relevance of our findings is supported by human brain sample analysis, pointing to a potential implication of DNA methylation-dependent endocytosis regulation in the pathophysiology of temporal lobe epilepsy, a disease characterized by disturbed synaptic transmission.

APache Is an AP2-Interacting Protein Involved in Synaptic Vesicle Trafficking and Neuronal Development

Synaptic transmission is critically dependent on synaptic vesicle (SV) recycling. Although the precise mechanisms of SV retrieval are still debated, it is widely accepted that a fundamental role is played by clathrin-mediated endocytosis, a form of endocytosis that capitalizes on the clathrin/adaptor protein complex 2 (AP2) coat and several accessory factors. Here, we show that the previously uncharacterized protein KIAA1107, predicted by bioinformatics analysis to be involved in the SV cycle, is an AP2-interacting clathrin-endocytosis protein (APache). We found that APache is highly enriched in the CNS and is associated with clathrin-coated vesicles via interaction with AP2. APache-silenced neurons exhibit a severe impairment of maturation at early developmental stages, reduced SV density, enlarged endosome-like structures, and defects in synaptic transmission, consistent with an impaired clathrin/AP2-mediated SV recycling. Our data implicate APache as an actor in the complex regulation of SV trafficking, neuronal development, and synaptic plasticity.

Altered Synaptic Membrane Retrieval after Strong Stimulation of Cerebellar Granule Neurons in Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinase II (cGKII) Knockout Mice

The nitric oxide (NO)/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)/cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGK) signaling pathway regulates the clustering and the recruitment of proteins and vesicles to the synapse, thereby adjusting the exoendocytic cycle to the intensity of activity. Accordingly, this pathway can accelerate endocytosis following large-scale exocytosis, and pre-synaptic cGK type II (cGKII) plays a major role in this process, controlling the homeostatic balance of vesicle exocytosis and endocytosis. We have studied synaptic vesicle recycling in cerebellar granule cells from mice lacking cGKII under strong and sustained stimulation, combining imaging techniques and ultrastructural analyses. The ultrastructure of synapses in the adult mouse cerebellar cortex was also examined in these animals. The lack of cGKII provokes structural changes to synapses in cultured cells and in the cerebellar cortex. Moreover, endocytosis is slowed down in a subset of boutons in these cells when they are stimulated strongly. In addition, from the results obtained with the selective inhibitor of cGKs, KT5823, it can be concluded that cGKI also regulates some aspects of vesicle cycling. Overall, these results confirm the importance of the cGMP pathway in the regulation of vesicle cycling following strong stimulation of cerebellar granule cells.

Considerations in repetitive activation of light sensitive ion channels for long-term studies: Channel rhodopsin in the Drosophila model

Optogenetics is a technique used in various animal models and holds a potential for therapeutic possibilities in mammals. There are technical issues with the use of light sensitive ion channels: reproducible effects over time, controlling where the non-native proteins are targeted within the cell and changes in the biophysical properties of the cells they are expressed in. We used a variant of channel rhodopsin (ChR2-XXL) and targeted expression in neurons of larval Drosophila to investigate the acute and chronic activation, with light pulses, of the channels on synaptic function. The rhodopsin channel modifier all trans retinal (ATR) also plays a role in the sensitivity of the channel to light. Periods of acute, repetitive, and pulsatile blue light exposure over larval development produced attenuated responses. These blue light sensitive ion channels, with ATR, show accommodation and produce an electrical refractory period in inducing synaptic responses. The biological significance and aim of this study is to demonstrate that in controlling particular neurons or neuronal circuits with optogenetics, over time and throughout development, one will have to understand the dynamic nature of activating and silencing the light sensitive channels as well as the biophysical effects on neuronal activity.

Critical importance of RAB proteins for synaptic function

Neurons are highly polarized cells that exhibit one of the more complex morphology and function. Neuronal intracellular trafficking plays a key role in dictating the directionality and specificity of vesicle formation, transport and fusion, allowing the transmission of information in sophisticate cellular network. Thus, the integrity of protein trafficking and spatial organization is especially important in neuronal cells. RAB proteins, small monomeric GTPases belonging to the RAS superfamily, spatially and temporally orchestrate specific vesicular trafficking steps.

In this review we summarise the known roles of RAB GTPases involved in the maintenance of neuronal vesicular trafficking in the central nervous system. In particular, we discriminate the axonal pre-synaptic trafficking and dendritic post-synaptic trafficking, to better underlie how a correct orchestration of vesicle movement is necessary to maintain neuronal polarity and then, to permit an accurate architecture and functionality of synaptic activity.

Brefeldin A sensitive mechanisms contribute to endocytotic membrane retrieval and vesicle recycling in cerebellar granule cells

The recycling of synaptic vesicle (SV) proteins and transmitter release occur at multiple sites along the axon. These processes are sensitive to inhibition of the small GTP binding protein ARF1, which regulates the adaptor protein 1 and 3 complex (AP-1/AP-3). As the axon matures, SV recycling becomes restricted to the presynaptic bouton, and its machinery undergoes a complex process of maturation. We used the styryl dye FM1-43 to highlight differences in the efficiency of membrane recycling at different sites in cerebellar granule cells cultured for 7 days in vitro. We used Brefeldin A (BFA) to inhibit AP-1/AP-3-mediated recycling and to test the contribution of this pathway to the heterogeneity of the responses when these cells are strongly stimulated. Combining imaging techniques and ultrastructural analyses, we found a significant decrease in the density of functional boutons and an increase in the presence of endosome-like structures within the boutons of cells incubated with BFA prior to FM1-43 loading. Such effects were not observed when BFA was added 5 min after the end of the loading step, when endocytosis was almost fully completed. In this situation, vesicles were found closer to the active zone (AZ) in boutons exposed to BFA. Together, these data suggest that the AP-1/AP-3 pathway contributes to SV recycling, affecting different steps in all boutons but not equally, and thus being partly responsible for the heterogeneity of the different recycling efficiencies. Cover Image for this issue: doi. 10.1111/jnc.13801.