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Lamanna J, Gloria G, Villa A, Malgaroli A. Anomalous diffusion of synaptic vesicles and its influences on spontaneous and evoked neurotransmission. J Physiol 2024; 602:2873-2898. [PMID: 38723211 DOI: 10.1113/jp284926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurons in the central nervous system communicate with each other by activating billions of tiny synaptic boutons distributed along their fine axons. These presynaptic varicosities are very crowded environments, comprising hundreds of synaptic vesicles. Only a fraction of these vesicles can be recruited in a single release episode, either spontaneous or evoked by action potentials. Since the seminal work by Fatt and Katz, spontaneous release has been modelled as a memoryless process. Nevertheless, at central synapses, experimental evidence indicates more complex features, including non-exponential distributions of release intervals and power-law behaviour in their rate. To describe these features, we developed a probabilistic model of spontaneous release based on Brownian motion of synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic environment. To account for different diffusion regimes, we based our simulations on fractional Brownian motion. We show that this model can predict both deviation from the Poisson hypothesis and power-law features in experimental quantal release series, thus suggesting that the vesicular motion by diffusion could per se explain the emergence of these properties. We demonstrate the efficacy of our modelling approach using electrophysiological recordings at single synaptic boutons and ultrastructural data. When this approach was used to simulate evoked responses, we found that the replenishment of the readily releasable pool driven by Brownian motion of vesicles can reproduce the characteristic binomial release distributions seen experimentally. We believe that our modelling approach supports the idea that vesicle diffusion and readily releasable pool dynamics are crucial factors for the physiological functioning of neuronal communication. KEY POINTS: We developed a new probabilistic model of spontaneous and evoked vesicle fusion based on simple biophysical assumptions, including the motion of vesicles before they dock to the release site. We provide closed-form equations for the interval distribution of spontaneous releases in the special case of Brownian diffusion of vesicles, showing that a power-law heavy tail is generated. Fractional Brownian motion (fBm) was exploited to simulate anomalous vesicle diffusion, including directed and non-directed motion, by varying the Hurst exponent. We show that our model predicts non-linear features observed in experimental spontaneous quantal release series as well as ultrastructural data of synaptic vesicles spatial distribution. Evoked exocytosis based on a diffusion-replenished readily releasable pool might explain the emergence of power-law behaviour in neuronal activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Lamanna
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Communication (BNC), Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Gloria
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Communication (BNC), Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Malgaroli
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Communication (BNC), Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- San Raffaele Turro, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
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2
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Gordleeva S, Dembitskaya Y, Kazantsev V, Postnikov EB. Estimation of cumulative amplitude distributions of miniature postsynaptic currents allows characterising their multimodality, quantal size and variability. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15660. [PMID: 37731019 PMCID: PMC10511413 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42882-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
A miniature postsynaptic current (mPSC) is a small, rare, and highly variable spontaneous synaptic event that is generally caused by the spontaneous release of single vesicles. The amplitude and variability of mPSCs are key measures of the postsynaptic processes and are taken as the main characteristics of an elementary unit (quantal size) in traditional quantal analysis of synaptic transmission. Due to different sources of biological and measurement noise, recordings of mPSCs exhibit high trial-to-trial heterogeneity, and experimental measurements of mPSCs are usually noisy and scarce, making their analysis demanding. Here, we present a sequential procedure for precise analysis of mPSC amplitude distributions for the range of small currents. To illustrate the developed approach, we chose previously obtained experimental data on the effect of the extracellular matrix on synaptic plasticity. The proposed statistical technique allowed us to identify previously unnoticed additional modality in the mPSC amplitude distributions, indicating the formation of new immature synapses upon ECM attenuation. We show that our approach can reliably detect multimodality in the distributions of mPSC amplitude, allowing for accurate determination of the size and variability of the quantal synaptic response. Thus, the proposed method can significantly expand the informativeness of both existing and newly obtained experimental data. We also demonstrated that mPSC amplitudes around the threshold of microcurrent excitation follow the Gumbel distribution rather than the binomial statistics traditionally used for a wide range of currents, either for a single synapse or when taking into consideration small influences of the adjacent synapses. Such behaviour is argued to originate from the theory of extreme processes. Specifically, recorded mPSCs represent instant random current fluctuations, among which there are relatively larger spikes (extreme events). They required more level of coherence that can be provided by different mechanisms of network or system level activation including neuron circuit signalling and extrasynaptic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Gordleeva
- Scientific-Educational Mathematical Center "Mathematics of Future Technologies", Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia, 443079.
| | - Yulia Dembitskaya
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 117997
| | - Victor Kazantsev
- Scientific-Educational Mathematical Center "Mathematics of Future Technologies", Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia, 443079
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Wender M, Bornschein G, Brachtendorf S, Hallermann S, Eilers J, Schmidt H. Ca v2.2 Channels Sustain Vesicle Recruitment at a Mature Glutamatergic Synapse. J Neurosci 2023; 43:4005-4018. [PMID: 37185239 PMCID: PMC10255130 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1279-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The composition of voltage-gated Ca2+ channel (Cav) subtypes that gate action potential (AP)-evoked release changes during the development of mammalian CNS synapses. Cav2.2 and Cav2.3 lose their function in gating-evoked release during postnatal synapse maturation. In mature boutons, Cav2.1 currents provide the almost exclusive trigger for evoked release, and Cav2.3 currents are required for the induction of presynaptic long-term potentiation. However, the functional significance of Cav2.2 remained elusive in mature boutons, although they remain present at active zones and continue contributing significantly to presynaptic Ca2+ influx. Here, we addressed the functional significance of Cav2.2 and Cav2.3 at mature parallel-fiber (PF) to Purkinje neuron synapses of mice of either sex. These synapses are known to exhibit the corresponding developmental Cav subtype changes in gating release. We addressed two hypotheses, namely that Cav2.2 and Cav2.3 are involved in triggering spontaneous glutamate release and that they are engaged in vesicle recruitment during repetitive evoked release. We found that spontaneous miniature release is Ca2+ dependent. However, experiments with Cav subtype-specific blockers excluded the spontaneous opening of Cavs as the Ca2+ source for spontaneous glutamate release. Thus, neither Cav2.2 nor Cav2.3 controls spontaneous release from PF boutons. Furthermore, vesicle recruitment during brief bursts of APs was also independent of Ca2+ influx through Cav2.2 and Cav2.3. However, Cav2.2, but not Cav2.3, currents significantly boosted vesicle recruitment during sustained high-frequency synaptic transmission. Thus, in mature PF boutons Cav2.2 channels are specifically required to sustain synaptic transmission during prolonged neuronal activity.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT At young CNS synapses, action potential-evoked release is gated via three subtypes of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels: Cav2.1, Cav2.2, and Cav2.3. During postnatal maturation, Cav2.2 and Cav2.3 lose their function in gating evoked release, such that at mature synapses Cav2.1 provides the almost exclusive source for triggering evoked release. Cav2.3 currents are required for the induction of presynaptic long-term potentiation. However, the function of the still abundant Cav2.2 in mature boutons remained largely elusive. Here, we studied mature cerebellar parallel-fiber synapses and found that Cav2.2 does not control spontaneous release. However, Ca2+ influx through Cav2.2 significantly boosted vesicle recruitment during trains of action potentials. Thus, Cav2.2 in mature parallel-fiber boutons participate in sustaining synaptic transmission during prolonged activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Wender
- Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Grit Bornschein
- Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Simone Brachtendorf
- Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefan Hallermann
- Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jens Eilers
- Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hartmut Schmidt
- Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Feldthouse MG, Vyleta NP, Smith SM. PLC regulates spontaneous glutamate release triggered by extracellular calcium and readily releasable pool size in neocortical neurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1193485. [PMID: 37260580 PMCID: PMC10228687 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1193485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Dynamic physiological changes in brain extracellular calcium ([Ca2+]o) occur when high levels of neuronal activity lead to substantial Ca2+ entry via ion channels reducing local [Ca2+]o. Perturbations of the extracellular microenvironment that increase [Ca2+]o are commonly used to study how [Ca2+] regulates neuronal activity. At excitatory synapses, the Ca2+-sensing receptor (CaSR) and other G-protein coupled receptors link [Ca2+]o and spontaneous glutamate release. Phospholipase C (PLC) is activated by G-proteins and is hypothesized to mediate this process. Methods Patch-clamping cultured neocortical neurons, we tested how spontaneous glutamate release was affected by [Ca2+]o and inhibition of PLC activity. We used hypertonic sucrose (HS) to evaluate the readily releasable pool (RRP) and test if it was affected by inhibition of PLC activity. Results Spontaneous glutamate release substantially increased with [Ca2+]o, and inhibition of PLC activity, with U73122, abolished this effect. PLC-β1 is an abundant isoform in the neocortex, however, [Ca2+]o-dependent spontaneous release was unchanged in PLC-β1 null mutants (PLC-β1-/-). U73122 completely suppressed this response in PLC-β1-/- neurons, indicating that this residual [Ca2+]o-sensitivity may be mediated by other PLC isoforms. The RRP size was substantially reduced after incubation in U73122, but not U73343. Phorbol esters increased RRP size after PLC inhibition. Discussion Together these data point to a strong role for PLC in mediating changes in spontaneous release elicited by [Ca2+]o and other extracellular cues, possibly by modifying the size of the RRP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya G. Feldthouse
- Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Research and Development, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Nicholas P. Vyleta
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Stephen M. Smith
- Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Research and Development, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, United States
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
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Le Guellec B, Gomez LC, Malagon G, Collin T, Marty A. Depolarization-induced bursts of miniature synaptic currents in individual synapses of developing cerebellum. J Gen Physiol 2023; 155:e202213212. [PMID: 37010482 PMCID: PMC10072220 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202213212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In central synapses, spontaneous transmitter release observed in the absence of action potential firing is often considered as a random process lacking time or space specificity. However, when studying miniature glutamatergic currents at cerebellar synapses between parallel fibers and molecular layer interneurons, we found that these currents were sometimes organized in bursts of events occurring at high frequency (about 30 Hz). Bursts displayed homogeneous quantal size amplitudes. Furthermore, in the presence of the desensitization inhibitor cyclothiazide, successive events within a burst displayed quantal amplitude occlusion. Based on these findings, we conclude that bursts originate in individual synapses. Bursts were enhanced by increasing either the external potassium concentration or the external calcium concentration, and they were strongly inhibited when blocking voltage-gated calcium channels by cadmium. Bursts were prevalent in elevated potassium concentration during the formation of the molecular layer but were infrequent later in development. Since postsynaptic AMPA receptors are largely calcium permeant in developing parallel fiber-interneuron synapses, we propose that bursts involve presynaptic calcium transients implicating presynaptic voltage-gated calcium channels, together with postsynaptic calcium transients implicating postsynaptic AMPA receptors. These simultaneous pre- and postsynaptic calcium transients may contribute to the formation and/or stabilization of synaptic connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastien Le Guellec
- Université Paris Cité, Saints Pères Paris Institute for the Neurosciences, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Laura C. Gomez
- Université Paris Cité, Saints Pères Paris Institute for the Neurosciences, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Gerardo Malagon
- Université Paris Cité, Saints Pères Paris Institute for the Neurosciences, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Thibault Collin
- Université Paris Cité, Saints Pères Paris Institute for the Neurosciences, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Alain Marty
- Université Paris Cité, Saints Pères Paris Institute for the Neurosciences, CNRS, Paris, France
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6
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Wen L, Yang X, Wu Z, Fu S, Zhan Y, Chen Z, Bi D, Shen Y. The complement inhibitor CD59 is required for GABAergic synaptic transmission in the dentate gyrus. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112349. [PMID: 37027303 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Complement-dependent microglia pruning of excitatory synapses has been widely reported in physiological and pathological conditions, with few reports concerning pruning of inhibitory synapses or direct regulation of synaptic transmission by complement components. Here, we report that loss of CD59, an important endogenous inhibitor of the complement system, leads to compromised spatial memory performance. Furthermore, CD59 deficiency impairs GABAergic synaptic transmission in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). This depends on regulation of GABA release triggered by Ca2+ influx through voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) rather than inhibitory synaptic pruning by microglia. Notably, CD59 colocalizes with inhibitory pre-synaptic terminals and regulates SNARE complex assembly. Together, these results demonstrate that the complement regulator CD59 plays an important role in normal hippocampal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lang Wen
- Department of Neurology and Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Xiaoli Yang
- Department of Neurology and Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Zujun Wu
- Department of Neurology and Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Shumei Fu
- Department of Neurology and Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yaxi Zhan
- Department of Neurology and Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Zuolong Chen
- Department of Neurology and Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Suzhou Institute for Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Danlei Bi
- Department of Neurology and Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Biomedical Aging Research, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230026, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
| | - Yong Shen
- Department of Neurology and Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Biomedical Aging Research, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
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Bykhovskaia M. Probabilities of evoked and spontaneous synaptic transmission at individual active zones: Lessons from Drosophila. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 15:1110538. [PMID: 36683858 PMCID: PMC9846329 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1110538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nerve terminals release neuronal transmitters at morphological specializations known as active zones (AZs). Synaptic vesicle fusion at individual AZs is probabilistic, and this property is fundamental for the neuronal information transfer. Until recently, a lack of appropriate tools limited the studies of stochastic properties of neuronal secretion at individual AZs. However, Drosophila transgenic lines that express postsynaptically tethered Ca2+ sensor GCaMP enabled the visualization of single exocytic event at individual AZs. The present mini-review discusses how this powerful approach enables the investigation of the evoked and spontaneous transmission at single AZs and promotes the understanding of the properties of both release components.
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8
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Wang ZW, Riaz S, Niu L. Roles and Sources of Calcium in Synaptic Exocytosis. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 33:139-170. [PMID: 37615866 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-34229-5_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Calcium ions (Ca2+) play a critical role in triggering neurotransmitter release. The rate of release is directly related to the concentration of Ca2+ at the presynaptic site, with a supralinear relationship. There are two main sources of Ca2+ that trigger synaptic vesicle fusion: influx through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane and release from the endoplasmic reticulum via ryanodine receptors. This chapter will cover the sources of Ca2+ at the presynaptic nerve terminal, the relationship between neurotransmitter release rate and Ca2+ concentration, and the mechanisms that achieve the necessary Ca2+ concentrations for triggering synaptic exocytosis at the presynaptic site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao-Wen Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
| | - Sadaf Riaz
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Longgang Niu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
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9
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Carvalhais LG, Martinho VC, Ferreiro E, Pinheiro PS. Unraveling the Nanoscopic Organization and Function of Central Mammalian Presynapses With Super-Resolution Microscopy. Front Neurosci 2021; 14:578409. [PMID: 33584169 PMCID: PMC7874199 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.578409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The complex, nanoscopic scale of neuronal function, taking place at dendritic spines, axon terminals, and other minuscule structures, cannot be adequately resolved using standard, diffraction-limited imaging techniques. The last couple of decades saw a rapid evolution of imaging methods that overcome the diffraction limit imposed by Abbe's principle. These techniques, including structured illumination microscopy (SIM), stimulated emission depletion (STED), photo-activated localization microscopy (PALM), and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), among others, have revolutionized our understanding of synapse biology. By exploiting the stochastic nature of fluorophore light/dark states or non-linearities in the interaction of fluorophores with light, by using modified illumination strategies that limit the excitation area, these methods can achieve spatial resolutions down to just a few tens of nm or less. Here, we review how these advanced imaging techniques have contributed to unprecedented insight into the nanoscopic organization and function of mammalian neuronal presynapses, revealing new organizational principles or lending support to existing views, while raising many important new questions. We further discuss recent technical refinements and newly developed tools that will continue to expand our ability to delve deeper into how synaptic function is orchestrated at the nanoscopic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lia G Carvalhais
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Vera C Martinho
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Elisabete Ferreiro
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Paulo S Pinheiro
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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10
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Synaptic vesicles transiently dock to refill release sites. Nat Neurosci 2020; 23:1329-1338. [PMID: 32989294 PMCID: PMC8054220 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-00716-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Synaptic vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane to release neurotransmitter following an action potential, after which new vesicles must ‘dock’ to refill vacated release sites. To capture synaptic vesicle exocytosis at cultured mouse hippocampal synapses, we induced single action potentials by electrical field stimulation then subjected neurons to high-pressure freezing to examine their morphology by electron microscopy. During synchronous release, multiple vesicles can fuse at a single active zone. Fusions during synchronous release are distributed throughout the active zone, whereas fusions during asynchronous release are biased toward the center of the active zone. After stimulation, the total number of docked vesicles across all synapses decreases by ~40%. Within 14 ms, new vesicles are recruited and fully replenish the docked pool, but this docking is transient and they either undock or fuse within 100 ms. These results demonstrate that recruitment of synaptic vesicles to release sites is rapid and reversible.
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11
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Ge D, Noakes PG, Lavidis NA. What are Neurotransmitter Release Sites and Do They Interact? Neuroscience 2020; 425:157-168. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Revised: 11/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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12
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Williams CL, Smith SM. Calcium dependence of spontaneous neurotransmitter release. J Neurosci Res 2018; 96:335-347. [PMID: 28699241 PMCID: PMC5766384 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Revised: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Spontaneous release of neurotransmitters is regulated by extracellular [Ca2+ ] and intracellular [Ca2+ ]. Curiously, some of the mechanisms of Ca2+ signaling at central synapses are different at excitatory and inhibitory synapses. While the stochastic activity of voltage-activated Ca2+ channels triggers a majority of spontaneous release at inhibitory synapses, this is not the case at excitatory nerve terminals. Ca2+ release from intracellular stores regulates spontaneous release at excitatory and inhibitory terminals, as do agonists of the Ca2+ -sensing receptor. Molecular machinery triggering spontaneous vesicle fusion may differ from that underlying evoked release and may be one of the sources of heterogeneity in release mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney L Williams
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
- Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, Oregon
| | - Stephen M Smith
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
- Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, Oregon
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13
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Babiec WE, O'Dell TJ. Novel Ca 2+-dependent mechanisms regulate spontaneous release at excitatory synapses onto CA1 pyramidal cells. J Neurophysiol 2017; 119:597-607. [PMID: 29142096 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00628.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although long thought to simply be a source of synaptic noise, spontaneous, action potential-independent release of neurotransmitter from presynaptic terminals has multiple roles in synaptic function. We explored whether and to what extent the two predominantly proposed mechanisms for explaining spontaneous release, stochastic activation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs) or activation of Ca2+-sensing receptors (CaSRs) by extracellular Ca2+, played a role in the sensitivity of spontaneous release to the level of extracellular Ca2+ concentration at excitatory synapses at CA1 pyramidal cells of the adult male mouse hippocampus. Blocking VGCCs with Cd2+ had no effect on spontaneous release, ruling out stochastic activation of VGCCs. Although divalent cation agonists of CaSRs, Co2+ and Mg2+, dramatically enhanced miniature excitatory postsynaptic current (mEPSC) frequency, potent positive and negative allosteric modulators of CaSRs had no effect. Moreover, immunoblot analysis of hippocampal lysates failed to detect CaSR expression, ruling out the CaSR. Instead, the increase in mEPSC frequency induced by Co2+ and Mg2+ was mimicked by lowering postsynaptic Ca2+ levels with BAPTA. Together, our results suggest that a reduction in intracellular Ca2+ may trigger a homeostatic-like compensatory response that upregulates spontaneous transmission at excitatory synapses onto CA1 pyramidal cells in the adult hippocampus. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We show that the predominant theories for explaining the regulation of spontaneous, action potential-independent synaptic release do not explain the sensitivity of this type of synaptic transmission to external Ca2+ concentration at excitatory synapses onto hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. In addition, our data indicate that intracellular Ca2+ levels in CA1 pyramidal cells regulate spontaneous release, suggesting that excitatory synapses onto CA1 pyramidal cells may express a novel, rapid form of homeostatic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter E Babiec
- Department of Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA , Los Angeles, California
| | - Thomas J O'Dell
- Department of Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA , Los Angeles, California.,UCLA Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California
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Pulido C, Marty A. Quantal Fluctuations in Central Mammalian Synapses: Functional Role of Vesicular Docking Sites. Physiol Rev 2017; 97:1403-1430. [DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00032.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantal fluctuations are an integral part of synaptic signaling. At the frog neuromuscular junction, Bernard Katz proposed that quantal fluctuations originate at “reactive sites” where specific structures of the presynaptic membrane interact with synaptic vesicles. However, the physical nature of reactive sites has remained unclear, both at the frog neuromuscular junction and at central synapses. Many central synapses, called simple synapses, are small structures containing a single presynaptic active zone and a single postsynaptic density of receptors. Several lines of evidence indicate that simple synapses may release several synaptic vesicles in response to a single action potential. However, in some synapses at least, each release event activates a significant fraction of the postsynaptic receptors, giving rise to a sublinear relation between vesicular release and postsynaptic current. Partial receptor saturation as well as synaptic jitter gives to simple synapse signaling the appearance of a binary process. Recent investigations of simple synapses indicate that the number of released vesicles follows binomial statistics, with a maximum reflecting the number of docking sites present in the active zone. These results suggest that at central synapses, vesicular docking sites represent the reactive sites proposed by Katz. The macromolecular architecture and molecular composition of docking sites are presently investigated with novel combinations of techniques. It is proposed that variations in docking site numbers are central in defining intersynaptic variability and that docking site occupancy is a key parameter regulating short-term synaptic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Pulido
- Laboratory of Brain Physiology, CNRS UMR 8118, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France
| | - Alain Marty
- Laboratory of Brain Physiology, CNRS UMR 8118, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France
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15
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Selective molecular impairment of spontaneous neurotransmission modulates synaptic efficacy. Nat Commun 2017; 8:14436. [PMID: 28186166 PMCID: PMC5311059 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that stimulus-evoked and spontaneous neurotransmitter release processes are mechanistically distinct. Here we targeted the non-canonical synaptic vesicle SNAREs Vps10p-tail-interactor-1a (vti1a) and vesicle-associated membrane protein 7 (VAMP7) to specifically inhibit spontaneous release events and probe whether these events signal independently of evoked release to the postsynaptic neuron. We found that loss of vti1a and VAMP7 impairs spontaneous high-frequency glutamate release and augments unitary event amplitudes by reducing postsynaptic eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2K) activity subsequent to the reduction in N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) activity. Presynaptic, but not postsynaptic, loss of vti1a and VAMP7 occludes NMDAR antagonist-induced synaptic potentiation in an intact circuit, confirming the role of these vesicular SNAREs in setting synaptic strength. Collectively, these results demonstrate that spontaneous neurotransmission signals independently of stimulus-evoked release and highlight its role as a key regulator of postsynaptic efficacy.
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16
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Reese AL, Kavalali ET. Single synapse evaluation of the postsynaptic NMDA receptors targeted by evoked and spontaneous neurotransmission. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27882871 PMCID: PMC5148599 DOI: 10.7554/elife.21170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies indicate that within individual synapses spontaneous and evoked release processes are segregated and regulated independently. In the hippocampus, earlier electrophysiological recordings suggested that spontaneous and evoked glutamate release can activate separate groups of postsynaptic NMDA receptors with limited overlap. However, it is still unclear how this separation of NMDA receptors is distributed across individual synapses. In a previous paper (Reese and Kavalali, 2015) we showed that NMDA receptor mediated spontaneous transmission signals to the postsynaptic protein translation machinery through Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release. Here, we show that in rat hippocampal neurons although spontaneous and evoked glutamate release driven NMDA receptor mediated Ca2+ transients often occur at the same synapse, these two signals do not show significant correlation or cross talk. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21170.001
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin L Reese
- Departments of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
| | - Ege T Kavalali
- Departments of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
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17
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Arena A, Lamanna J, Gemma M, Ripamonti M, Ravasio G, Zimarino V, De Vitis A, Beretta L, Malgaroli A. Linear transformation of the encoding mechanism for light intensity underlies the paradoxical enhancement of cortical visual responses by sevoflurane. J Physiol 2016; 595:321-339. [PMID: 27416731 DOI: 10.1113/jp272215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS The mechanisms of action of anaesthetics on the living brain are still poorly understood. In this respect, the analysis of the differential effects of anaesthetics on spontaneous and sensory-evoked cortical activity might provide important and novel cues. Here we show that the anaesthetic sevoflurane strongly silences the brain but potentiates in a dose- and frequency-dependent manner the cortical visual response. Such enhancement arises from a linear scaling by sevoflurane of the power-law relation between light intensity and the cortical response. The fingerprint of sevoflurane action suggests that circuit silencing can boost linearly synaptic responsiveness presumably by scaling the number of responding units and/or their correlation following a sensory stimulation. ABSTRACT General anaesthetics, which are expected to silence brain activity, often spare sensory responses. To evaluate differential effects of anaesthetics on spontaneous and sensory-evoked cortical activity, we characterized their modulation by sevoflurane and propofol. Power spectra and the bust-suppression ratio from EEG data were used to evaluate anaesthesia depth. ON and OFF cortical responses were elicited by light pulses of variable intensity, duration and frequency, during light and deep states of anaesthesia. Both anaesthetics reduced spontaneous cortical activity but sevoflurane greatly enhanced while propofol diminished the ON visual response. Interestingly, the large potentiation of the ON visual response by sevoflurane was found to represent a linear scaling of the encoding mechanism for light intensity. To the contrary, the OFF cortical visual response was depressed by both anaesthetics. The selective depression of the OFF component by sevoflurane could be converted into a robust potentiation by the pharmacological blockade of the ON pathway, suggesting that the temporal order of ON and OFF responses leads to a depression of the latter. This hypothesis agrees with the finding that the enhancement of the ON response was converted into a depression by increasing the frequency of light-pulse stimulation from 0.1 to 1 Hz. Overall, our results support the view that inactivity-dependent modulation of cortical circuits produces an increase in their responsiveness. Among the implications of our findings, the silencing of cortical circuits can boost linearly the cortical responsiveness but with negative impact on their frequency transfer and with a loss of the information content of the sensory signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Arena
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.,Neurobiology of Learning Unit, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Jacopo Lamanna
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.,Neurobiology of Learning Unit, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Gemma
- Department of Neuro-anaesthesia and Neuro-intensive Care, Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Maddalena Ripamonti
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.,Neurobiology of Learning Unit, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuliano Ravasio
- Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Zimarino
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.,Neurobiology of Learning Unit, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Assunta De Vitis
- Department of Neuro-anaesthesia and Neuro-intensive Care, Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Luigi Beretta
- Department of Neuro-anaesthesia and Neuro-intensive Care, Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Malgaroli
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.,Neurobiology of Learning Unit, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
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18
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The ubiquitous nature of multivesicular release. Trends Neurosci 2015; 38:428-38. [PMID: 26100141 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2015.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Revised: 05/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
'Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability' (E.W. Dijkstra [1]) Presynaptic action potentials trigger the fusion of vesicles to release neurotransmitter onto postsynaptic neurons. Each release site was originally thought to liberate at most one vesicle per action potential in a probabilistic fashion, rendering synaptic transmission unreliable. However, the simultaneous release of several vesicles, or multivesicular release (MVR), represents a simple mechanism to overcome the intrinsic unreliability of synaptic transmission. MVR was initially identified at specialized synapses but is now known to be common throughout the brain. MVR determines the temporal and spatial dispersion of transmitter, controls the extent of receptor activation, and contributes to adapting synaptic strength during plasticity and neuromodulation. MVR consequently represents a widespread mechanism that extends the dynamic range of synaptic processing.
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19
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Lamanna J, Signorini MG, Cerutti S, Malgaroli A. A pre-docking source for the power-law behavior of spontaneous quantal release: application to the analysis of LTP. Front Cell Neurosci 2015; 9:44. [PMID: 25741239 PMCID: PMC4332339 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2014] [Accepted: 01/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In neurons, power-law behavior with different scaling exponents has been reported at many different levels, including fluctuations in membrane potentials, synaptic transmission up to neuronal network dynamics. Unfortunately in most cases the source of this non-linear feature remains controversial. Here we have analyzed the dynamics of spontaneous quantal release at hippocampal synapses and characterized their power-law behavior. While in control conditions a fractal exponent greater than zero was rarely observed, its value was greatly increased by α-latrotoxin (α-LTX), a potent stimulator of spontaneous release, known to act at the very last step of vesicle fusion. Based on computer modeling, we confirmed that at an increase in fusion probability would unmask a pre-docking phenomenon with 1/f structure, where α estimated from the release series appears to sense the increase in release probability independently from the number of active sites. In the simplest scenario the pre-docking 1/f process could coincide with the Brownian diffusion of synaptic vesicles. Interestingly, when the effect of long-term potentiation (LTP) was tested, a ~200% long-lasting increase in quantal frequency was accompanied by a significant increase in the scaling exponent. The similarity between the action of LTP and of α-LTX suggests an increased contribution of high release probability sites following the induction of LTP. In conclusion, our results indicate that the source of the synaptic power-law behavior arises before synaptic vesicles dock to the active zone and that the fractal exponent α is capable of sensing a change in release probability independently from the number of active sites or synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Lamanna
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele Milan, Italy ; Neurobiology of Learning Unit, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute Milan, Italy
| | - Maria G Signorini
- Department of Electronics Information and Bioengineering (DEIB), Politecnico di Milano Milan, Italy
| | - Sergio Cerutti
- Department of Electronics Information and Bioengineering (DEIB), Politecnico di Milano Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Malgaroli
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele Milan, Italy ; Neurobiology of Learning Unit, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute Milan, Italy
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20
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Leitz J, Kavalali ET. Fast retrieval and autonomous regulation of single spontaneously recycling synaptic vesicles. eLife 2014; 3:e03658. [PMID: 25415052 PMCID: PMC4270043 DOI: 10.7554/elife.03658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2014] [Accepted: 11/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Presynaptic terminals release neurotransmitters spontaneously in a manner that can be regulated by Ca(2+). However, the mechanisms underlying this regulation are poorly understood because the inherent stochasticity and low probability of spontaneous fusion events has curtailed their visualization at individual release sites. Here, using pH-sensitive optical probes targeted to synaptic vesicles, we visualized single spontaneous fusion events and found that they are retrieved extremely rapidly with faster re-acidification kinetics than their action potential-evoked counterparts. These fusion events were coupled to postsynaptic NMDA receptor-driven Ca(2+) signals, and at elevated Ca(2+) concentrations there was an increase in the number of vesicles that would undergo fusion. Furthermore, spontaneous vesicle fusion propensity in a synapse was Ca(2+)-dependent but regulated autonomously: independent of evoked fusion probability at the same synapse. Taken together, these results expand classical quantal analysis to incorporate endocytic and exocytic phases of single fusion events and uncover autonomous regulation of spontaneous fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Leitz
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
| | - Ege T Kavalali
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
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21
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Detection of fractal behavior in temporal series of synaptic quantal release events: a feasibility study. COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND NEUROSCIENCE 2012; 2012:704673. [PMID: 22924036 PMCID: PMC3424671 DOI: 10.1155/2012/704673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2012] [Revised: 06/01/2012] [Accepted: 06/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Since the pioneering work of Fatt and Katz at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), spontaneous synaptic release (minis), that is, the quantal discharge of neurotransmitter molecules which occurs in the absence of action potentials, has been unanimously considered a memoryless random Poisson process where each quantum is discharged with a very low release probability independently from other quanta. When this model was thoroughly tested, for both population and single-synapse recordings, some clear evidence in favor of a more complex scenario emerged. This included short- and long-range correlation in mini occurrences and divergence from mono-exponential inter-mini-interval distributions, both unexpected for a homogeneous Poisson process, that is, with a rate parameter that does not change over time. Since we are interested in accurately quantifying the fractal exponent α of the spontaneous neurotransmitter release process at central synaptic sites, this work was aimed at evaluating the sensitivity of the most established methods available, such as the periodogram, the Allan, factor and the detrended fluctuation analysis. For this analysis we matched spontaneous release series recorded at individual hippocampal synapses (single-synapse recordings) to generate large collections of simulated quantal events by means of a custom algorithm combining Monte Carlo sampling methods with spectral methods for the generation of 1/f series. These tests were performed by varying separately: (i) the fractal exponent α of the rate driving the release process; (ii) the distribution of intervals between successive releases, mimicking those encountered in single-synapse experimental series; (iii) the number of samples. The aims were to provide a methodological framework for approaching the fractal analysis of single-unit spontaneous release series recorded at central synapses.
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22
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Smith SM, Chen W, Vyleta NP, Williams C, Lee CH, Phillips C, Andresen MC. Calcium regulation of spontaneous and asynchronous neurotransmitter release. Cell Calcium 2012; 52:226-33. [PMID: 22748761 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceca.2012.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2012] [Revised: 05/23/2012] [Accepted: 06/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The molecular machinery underlying action potential-evoked, synchronous neurotransmitter release, has been intensely studied. It was presumed that two other forms of exocytosis, delayed (asynchronous) and spontaneous transmission, were mediated by the same voltage-activated Ca(2+) channels (VACCs), intracellular Ca(2+) sensors and vesicle pools. However, a recent explosion in the study of spontaneous and asynchronous release has shown these presumptions to be incorrect. Furthermore, the finding that different forms of synaptic transmission may mediate distinct physiological functions emphasizes the importance of identifying the mechanisms by which Ca(2+) regulates spontaneous and asynchronous release. In this article, we will briefly summarize new and published data on the role of Ca(2+) in regulating spontaneous and asynchronous release at a number of different synapses. We will discuss how an increase of extracellular [Ca(2+)] increases spontaneous and asynchronous release, show that VACCs are involved at only some synapses, and identify regulatory roles for other ion channels and G protein-coupled receptors. In particular, we will focus on two novel pathways that play important roles in the regulation of non-synchronous release at two exemplary synapses: one modulated by the Ca(2+)-sensing receptor and the other by transient receptor potential cation channel sub-family V member 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M Smith
- Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, United States.
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23
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Ariel P, Ryan TA. New insights into molecular players involved in neurotransmitter release. Physiology (Bethesda) 2012; 27:15-24. [PMID: 22311967 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00035.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The strength of a synapse can profoundly influence network function. How this strength is set at the molecular level is a key question in neuroscience. Here, we review a simple model of neurotransmission that serves as a convenient framework to discuss recent studies on RIM and synaptotagmin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Ariel
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
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24
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Ramirez DMO, Khvotchev M, Trauterman B, Kavalali ET. Vti1a identifies a vesicle pool that preferentially recycles at rest and maintains spontaneous neurotransmission. Neuron 2012; 73:121-34. [PMID: 22243751 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/18/2011] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that synaptic vesicles (SVs) giving rise to spontaneous neurotransmission are distinct from those that carry out evoked release. However, the molecular basis of this dichotomy remains unclear. Here, we focused on two noncanonical SNARE molecules, Vps10p-tail-interactor-1a (vti1a) and VAMP7, previously shown to reside on SVs. Using simultaneous multicolor imaging at individual synapses, we could show that compared to the more abundant vesicular SNARE synaptobrevin2, both vti1a and VAMP7 were reluctantly mobilized during activity. Vti1a, but not VAMP7, showed robust trafficking under resting conditions that could be partly matched by synaptobrevin2. Furthermore, loss of vti1a function selectively reduced high-frequency spontaneous neurotransmitter release detected postsynaptically. Expression of a truncated version of vti1a augmented spontaneous release more than full-length vti1a, suggesting that an autoinhibitory process regulates vti1a function. Taken together, these results support the premise that in its native form vti1a selectively maintains spontaneous neurotransmitter release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise M O Ramirez
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA
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25
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Lamanna J, Esposti F, Malgaroli A, Signorini MG. Fractal behavior of spontaneous neurotransmitter release: from single-synapse to whole-cell recordings. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2012; 2011:3346-9. [PMID: 22255056 DOI: 10.1109/iembs.2011.6090907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Spontaneous release of neurotransmitter vesicles at brain chemical synapses has been deeply investigated in the last decades at several levels. First and second order statistics have been widely adopted as a tool for assessing, inter-alia, dependence of spontaneous release on the concentration of ionic species in the intra- or extra-cellular environment. Furthermore, several studies demonstrated that spontaneous release exhibits fractal, and generally non purely random, behavior. Most experimental work on this topic exploits population whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in order to acquire post-synaptic currents elicited by neurotransmitter release into the synaptic cleft. Since several synapses merge on the dendritic arbor of a single neuronal cell, whole-cell recordings of miniature excitatory post-synaptic currents (mEPSCs) implies the temporal superimposition of releasing events from all active synapses on the arbor. This limitation can be overcome by exploiting the loose-patch clamp technique on single synapses, thus acquiring spontaneous release events from individual synapses. Here, we present results obtained by applying well-established methods for the quantification of fractal behavior in the series of mEPSCs acquired through the use of both whole-cell and single-synapse loose-patch recording techniques on hippocampal neurons and synapses. Our long-term aim is to get a better understanding of the release process and of the mechanisms of neuronal integration when the information is coming from several simultaneously active synaptic sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Lamanna
- Dipartimento di Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy.
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26
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Ramirez DM, Kavalali ET. Differential regulation of spontaneous and evoked neurotransmitter release at central synapses. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2011; 21:275-82. [PMID: 21334193 PMCID: PMC3092808 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2011.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2011] [Accepted: 01/25/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have begun to scrutinize the presynaptic machinery and vesicle populations that give rise to action potential evoked and spontaneous forms of neurotransmitter release. In several cases this work produced unexpected results which lend support to the notion that regulation, mechanisms, postsynaptic targets and possibly presynaptic origins of evoked and spontaneous neurotransmitter release differ. Furthermore, the list of regulatory pathways that impact spontaneous and evoked release in a divergent manner is rapidly growing. These findings challenge our classical views on the relationship between evoked and spontaneous neurotransmission. In contrast to the well-characterized neuromodulatory pathways that equally suppress or augment all forms of neurotransmitter release, molecular substrates specifically controlling spontaneous release remain unclear. In this review, we outline possible mechanisms that may underlie the differential regulation of distinct forms of neurotransmission and help demultiplex complex neuronal signals and generate parallel signaling events at their postsynaptic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise M.O. Ramirez
- Department of Neuroscience UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA
| | - Ege T. Kavalali
- Department of Neuroscience UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA
- Department of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA
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27
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Nadkarni S, Bartol TM, Sejnowski TJ, Levine H. Modelling vesicular release at hippocampal synapses. PLoS Comput Biol 2010; 6:e1000983. [PMID: 21085682 PMCID: PMC2978677 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2010] [Accepted: 10/01/2010] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
We study local calcium dynamics leading to a vesicle fusion in a stochastic, and spatially explicit, biophysical model of the CA3-CA1 presynaptic bouton. The kinetic model for vesicle release has two calcium sensors, a sensor for fast synchronous release that lasts a few tens of milliseconds and a separate sensor for slow asynchronous release that lasts a few hundred milliseconds. A wide range of data can be accounted for consistently only when a refractory period lasting a few milliseconds between releases is included. The inclusion of a second sensor for asynchronous release with a slow unbinding site, and thereby a long memory, affects short-term plasticity by facilitating release. Our simulations also reveal a third time scale of vesicle release that is correlated with the stimulus and is distinct from the fast and the slow releases. In these detailed Monte Carlo simulations all three time scales of vesicle release are insensitive to the spatial details of the synaptic ultrastructure. Furthermore, our simulations allow us to identify features of synaptic transmission that are universal and those that are modulated by structure. Chemical synaptic transmission in neurons takes place when a neurotransmitter released from a nerve terminal of the presynaptic neuron signals to the postsynaptic neuron that an event has occurred. The goal of our research was to model the release at a type of synapse found in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that is involved with learning and memory. The synapse model was simulated in a computer that kept track of all of the important molecules in the nerve terminal. The model led to a better understanding of the extant experimental data including exact conditions that lead to the release of a single packet of neurotransmitter. According to our model, the release of more than one packet can be triggered by a single presynaptic event but the packets are released one at a time. Furthermore, we uncovered the mechanisms underlying an extremely fast form of release that had not been previously studied. The model made predictions for other properties of the synapse that can be tested experimentally. A better understanding of how the normal synapses in the hippocampus work will help us to better understand what goes wrong with synapses in mental disorders such as depression and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suhita Nadkarni
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Thomas M. Bartol
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Terrence J. Sejnowski
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Herbert Levine
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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28
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Mino H, Durand DM. Enhancement of information transmission of sub-threshold signals applied to distal positions of dendritic trees in hippocampal CA1 neuron models with stochastic resonance. BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2010; 103:227-36. [PMID: 20552219 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-010-0395-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2009] [Accepted: 05/28/2010] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Stochastic resonance (SR) has been shown to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and detection of low level signals in neurons. It is not yet clear how this effect of SR plays an important role in the information processing of neural networks. The objective of this article is to test the hypothesis that information transmission can be enhanced with SR when sub-threshold signals are applied to distal positions of the dendrites of hippocampal CA1 neuron models. In the computer simulation, random sub-threshold signals were presented repeatedly to a distal position of the main apical branch, while the homogeneous Poisson shot noise was applied as a background noise to the mid-point of a basal dendrite in the CA1 neuron model consisting of the soma with one sodium, one calcium, and five potassium channels. From spike firing times recorded at the soma, the mutual information and information rate of the spike trains were estimated. The simulation results obtained showed a typical resonance curve of SR, and that as the activity (intensity) of sub-threshold signals increased, the maximum value of the information rate tended to increased and eventually SR disappeared. It is concluded that SR can play a key role in enhancing the information transmission of sub-threshold stimuli applied to distal positions on the dendritic trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Mino
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kanto Gakuin University, 1-50-1 Mutsuura E., Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-8501, Japan.
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29
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Ariel M, Johny MB. Analysis of quantal size of voltage responses to retinal stimulation in the accessory optic system. Brain Res 2007; 1157:41-55. [PMID: 17543898 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2007.04.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2006] [Revised: 04/16/2007] [Accepted: 04/17/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
In the intact vertebrate central nervous system, the quantal nature of synaptic transmission is difficult to measure because the postsynaptic sites may be distributed along a tortuous dendritic tree that cannot be readily clamped spatially to a uniform potential. Titrating the intact brain's extracellular concentration of calcium ions is also challenging because of its strong buffering mechanisms. In this study, using a whole brain with eye attached preparation, quantal neurotransmission was examined in the turtle brainstem in vitro, by recording from accessory optic system neurons that receive direct input from visually responsive retinal ganglion cells. Unitary EPSPs, evoked by microstimulation of a single ganglion cell, were measured during whole cell current-clamp recordings. In this preparation, the neurons exhibit direction-selectivity, despite the hypoxic conditions. Bath application of cadmium to reduce calcium influx also reduced evoked EPSP amplitudes to that of the spontaneous synaptic events. Statistical analyses indicated that these evoked response amplitudes could be well fitted to a Poisson distribution for most brainstem neurons. Therefore, the spontaneous miniature excitatory synaptic events of approximately 1 mV, as also observed during spike blockade of the retina [Kogo, N., Ariel, M., 1997. Membrane properties and monosynaptic retinal excitation of neurons in the turtle accessory optic system. Journal of Neurophysiology 78, 614-627], are likely responses to the neurotransmitter of single vesicles release by retinal axon terminals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Ariel
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, Saint Louis University, School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63104, USA.
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Leao RN, Leao FN, Walmsley B. Non-random nature of spontaneous mIPSCs in mouse auditory brainstem neurons revealed by recurrence quantification analysis. Proc Biol Sci 2006; 272:2551-9. [PMID: 16271982 PMCID: PMC1599776 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2005.3258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A change in the spontaneous release of neurotransmitter is a useful indicator of processes occurring within presynaptic terminals. Linear techniques (e.g. Fourier transform) have been used to analyse spontaneous synaptic events in previous studies, but such methods are inappropriate if the timing pattern is complex. We have investigated spontaneous glycinergic miniature synaptic currents (mIPSCs) in principal cells of the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body. The random versus deterministic (or periodic) nature of mIPSCs was assessed using recurrence quantification analysis. Nonlinear methods were then used to quantify any detected determinism in spontaneous release, and to test for chaotic or fractal patterns. Modelling demonstrated that this procedure is much more sensitive in detecting periodicities than conventional techniques. mIPSCs were found to exhibit periodicities that were abolished by blockade of internal calcium stores with ryanodine, suggesting calcium oscillations in the presynaptic inhibitory terminals. Analysis indicated that mIPSC occurrences were chaotic in nature. Furthermore, periodicities were less evident in congenitally deaf mice than in normal mice, indicating that appropriate neural activity during development is necessary for the expression of deterministic chaos in mIPSC patterns. We suggest that chaotic oscillations of mIPSC occurrences play a physiological role in signal processing in the auditory brainstem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richardson N Leao
- Division of Neuroscience, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University Synapse and Hearing Laboratory PO Box 334, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
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Abstract
Synaptic ultrastructure is critical to many basic hypotheses about synaptic transmission. Various aspects of synaptic ultrastructure have also been implicated in the mechanisms of short-term plasticity. These forms of plasticity can greatly affect synaptic strength during ongoing activity. We review the evidence for how synaptic ultrastructure may contribute to facilitation, depletion, saturation, and desensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Xu-Friedman
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
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Bekkers JM. Convolution of mini distributions for fitting evoked synaptic amplitude histograms. J Neurosci Methods 2004; 130:105-14. [PMID: 14667540 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2003.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
According to a basic formulation of the quantal model, evoked synaptic currents are made up of a linear summation of uniquantal synaptic currents, which in turn are equivalent to the spontaneous miniature synaptic currents ('minis') that often persist when evoked neurotransmitter release is blocked. Here I describe a convolution method for calculating linear summations of the 'mini' amplitude distribution, which can then be fitted to the measured amplitude distribution for evoked synaptic currents. Provided certain conditions are satisfied, this method can give information about the statistics of neurotransmitter release even when clear quantal peaks are not apparent in the evoked amplitude distribution. The method is illustrated by an experiment in which the appropriate minis are identified with the asynchronous excitatory postsynaptic currents that follow synaptic stimulation when the cell is bathed in strontium. Finally, I discuss the assumptions behind the convolution method, and the conditions under which the properties of the minis are likely to be appropriate for an analysis of this type.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Bekkers
- Division of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR), Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
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Hallermann S, Pawlu C, Jonas P, Heckmann M. A large pool of releasable vesicles in a cortical glutamatergic synapse. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003; 100:8975-80. [PMID: 12815098 PMCID: PMC166423 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1432836100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To probe exocytosis at a cortical glutamatergic synapse, we made capacitance measurements in whole-cell recorded hippocampal mossy fiber terminals. Evaluation of different methods by using a morphology-based equivalent electrical model revealed that quantitative capacitance measurements are possible in this presynaptic structure. Voltage pulses leading to presynaptic Ca2+ inflow evoked large capacitance signals that showed saturation with increasing pulse duration. The mean peak capacitance increase was 100 fF, corresponding to a pool of approximately 1,400 releasable vesicles. Thus hippocampal mossy fiber synapses have a vesicular "maxipool." Large pool size and rapid vesicle recycling may underlie the uniquely large extent of activity-dependent plasticity in this synapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Hallermann
- Physiologisches Institut, Universität Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
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Sharma G, Vijayaraghavan S. Modulation of presynaptic store calcium induces release of glutamate and postsynaptic firing. Neuron 2003; 38:929-39. [PMID: 12818178 DOI: 10.1016/s0896-6273(03)00322-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 237] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Action potential-independent transmitter release is random and produces small depolarizations in the postsynaptic neuron. This process is, therefore, not thought to play a significant role in impulse propagation across synapses. Here we show that calcium flux through presynaptic neuronal nicotinic receptors leads to mobilization of store calcium by calcium-induced calcium release. Recruitment of store calcium induces vesicular release of glutamate in a manner consistent with synchronization across multiple active zones in the CA3 region of the rat hippocampus. This modulation of action potential-independent release of glutamate is sufficient to drive the postsynaptic pyramidal cell above its firing threshold, thus providing a mechanism for impulse propagation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geeta Sharma
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics and The Neuroscience Program, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA
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Freed MA, Smith RG, Sterling P. Timing of quantal release from the retinal bipolar terminal is regulated by a feedback circuit. Neuron 2003; 38:89-101. [PMID: 12691667 DOI: 10.1016/s0896-6273(03)00166-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In isolation, a presynaptic terminal generally releases quanta according to Poisson statistics, but in a circuit its release statistics might be shaped by synaptic interactions. We monitored quantal glutamate release from retinal bipolar cell terminals (which receive GABA-ergic feedback from amacrine cells) by recording spontaneous EPSCs (sEPSCs) in their postsynaptic amacrine and ganglion cells. In about one-third of these cells, sEPSCs were temporally correlated, arriving in brief bursts (10-55 ms) more often than expected from a Poisson process. Correlations were suppressed by antagonizing the GABA(C) receptor (expressed on bipolar terminals), and correlations were induced by raising extracellular calcium or osmolarity. Simulations of the feedback circuit produced "bursty" release when the bipolar cell escaped intermittently from inhibition. Correlations of similar duration were present in the light-evoked sEPSCs and spike trains of sluggish-type ganglion cells. These correlations were suppressed by antagonizing GABA(C) receptors, indicating that glutamate bursts from bipolar terminals induce spike bursts in ganglion cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Freed
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
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