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PubMed1993

Coordinate and noncoordinate regulation of synaptic vesicle protein genes during embryonic development.

Because the formation of a mature nerve terminal requires the accumulation of large quantities of synaptic vesicles, the expression of synaptic vesicle proteins would be expected to correlate with synaptogenesis. However, previous studies have provided conflicting evidence on this point. We have examined the developmental pattern of expression of mRNA and protein for three RNAs derived from two genes coding for synaptic vesicle membrane proteins. For these experiments, we cloned a chick p65 (synaptotagmin) cDNA using a reduced stringency screen with a rat p65 cDNA probe. We examined p65 expression in chick forebrain in conjunction with that of synaptophysin II. RNase protection assays for p65 and the two isoforms of synaptophysin II (Bixby, 1992) show essentially coordinate increases of these three mRNAs in embryonic forebrain during the peak period of synaptogenesis (E17 to E20). However, each of the three mRNAs has a distinct temporal pattern of expression during the early stages of embryogenesis. In the ciliary ganglion, upregulation of synaptophysin II mRNA correlates very well with synaptogenesis. Our results suggest that the regulation of expression of vesicle membrane protein mRNA can serve as a marker for synaptogenesis, despite temporal differences in early expression patterns. In contrast to mRNA expression, assays for vesicle protein expression show a relatively steady rise in both p65 and synaptophysin II throughout the embryonic period, without a sharp increase corresponding to that seen in message levels. These results suggest that the expression both of the p65 and of the synaptophysin II proteins is post-transcriptionally regulated.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1988

Ultrastructural localization of N-acetylaspartylglutamate in synaptic vesicles of retinal neurons.

Localization of N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) in a variety of central and peripheral neurons, as well as its receptor-mediated activation of membrane conductance have led to speculation that this peptide has a role in chemical neurotransmission. We previously identified NAAG in retinal neurons of several species, including the grass frog, and now have determined its ultrastructural distribution within the plexiform layers of this amphibian retina. NAAG immunoreactivity was localized within vesicles in synaptic endings of presumptive amacrine and bipolar neurons in the inner plexiform layer. Additionally, the peptide was present in vesicles within ribbon synapses in the outer plexiform layer, a result suggestive of release from photoreceptor cells. These data support the hypothesis that NAAG is secreted at points of synaptic contact between neurons, including retinal amacrine, bipolar and photoreceptor cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Munc13-1 is essential for fusion competence of glutamatergic synaptic vesicles.

Neurotransmitter release at synapses between nerve cells is mediated by calcium-triggered exocytotic fusion of synaptic vesicles. Before fusion, vesicles dock at the presynaptic release site where they mature to a fusion-competent state. Here we identify Munc13-1, a brain-specific presynaptic phorbol ester receptor, as an essential protein for synaptic vesicle maturation. We show that glutamatergic hippocampal neurons from mice lacking Munc13-1 form ultrastructurally normal synapses whose synaptic-vesicle cycle is arrested at the maturation step. Transmitter release from mutant synapses cannot be triggered by action potentials, calcium-ionophores or hypertonic sucrose solution. In contrast, release evoked by alpha-latrotoxin is indistinguishable from wild-type controls, indicating that the toxin can bypass Munc13-1-mediated vesicle maturation. A small subpopulation of synapses of any given glutamatergic neuron as well as all synapses of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)-containing neurons are unaffected by Munc13-1 loss, demonstrating the existence of multiple and transmitter-specific synaptic vesicle maturation processes in synapses.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1990

H(+)-ATPase, a primary pump for accumulation of neurotransmitters, is a major constituent of brain synaptic vesicles.

Upon treatment with sodium carbonate, rat brain synaptic vesicles lost ATP-dependent H+ transport and released major polypeptide components (about 72, 57, 41, 34 and 33 kDa). These polypeptides, consisting about 15% of the total protein, were identified as subunits of H(+)-ATPase by immunoblotting with antibodies against H(+)-ATPase from chromaffin granules. The same treatment also abolished the ATP-dependent, bafilomycin-sensitive uptakes of glutamate, serotonin and gamma-aminobutyrate by the synaptic vesicles. These results indicated that H(+)-ATPase is a major constituent of the vesicles (consisting about 20% of their total protein) and is a primary pump for accumulation of neurotransmitters.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Clathrin-dependent and clathrin-independent retrieval of synaptic vesicles in retinal bipolar cells.

Synaptic vesicles can be retrieved rapidly or slowly, but the molecular basis of these kinetic differences has not been defined. We now show that substantially different sets of molecules mediate fast and slow endocytosis in the synaptic terminal of retinal bipolar cells. Capacitance measurements of membrane retrieval were made in terminals in which peptides and protein domains were introduced to disrupt known interactions of clathrin, the AP2 adaptor complex, and amphiphysin. All these manipulations caused a selective inhibition of the slow phase of membrane retrieval (time constant approximately 10 s), leaving the fast phase (approximately 1 s) intact. Slow endocytosis after strong stimulation was therefore dependent on the formation of clathrin-coated membrane. Fast endocytosis occurring after weaker stimuli retrieves vesicle membrane in a clathrin-independent manner. All compensatory endocytosis required GTP hydrolysis, but only a subset of released vesicles were primed for fast, clathrin-independent endocytosis.

Adaptor Protein Complex 2↗

PubMed2005

The general anesthetic isoflurane depresses synaptic vesicle exocytosis.

General anesthetics have marked effects on synaptic transmission, but the mechanisms of their presynaptic actions are unclear. We used quantitative laser-scanning fluorescence microscopy to analyze the effects of the volatile anesthetic isoflurane on synaptic vesicle cycling in cultured neonatal rat hippocampal neurons monitored using either transfection of a pH-sensitive form of green fluorescent protein fused to the luminal domain of VAMP (vesicle-associated membrane protein), (synapto-pHluorin) or vesicle loading with the fluorescent dye FM 1-43. Isoflurane reversibly inhibited action potential-evoked exocytosis over a range of concentrations, with little effect on vesicle pool size. In contrast, exocytosis evoked by depolarization in response to an elevated extracellular concentration of KCl, which is insensitive to the selective Na+ channel blocker tetrodotoxin, was relatively insensitive to isoflurane. Inhibition of exocytosis by isoflurane was resistant to bicuculline, indicating that this presynaptic effect is not caused by the well known GABA(A) receptor modulation by volatile anesthetics. Depression of exocytosis was mimicked by a reduction in stimulus frequency, suggesting a reduction in action potential initiation, conduction, or coupling to Ca2+ channel activation. There was no evidence for a direct effect on endocytosis. The effects of isoflurane on synaptic transmission are thus caused primarily by inhibition of action potential-evoked synaptic vesicle exocytosis at a site upstream of Ca2+ entry and exocytosis, possibly as a result of Na+ channel blockade and/or K+ channel activation, with the possibility of lesser contributions from Ca2+ channel blockade and/or soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor-mediated vesicle fusion.

Anesthetics, General↗

PubMed1991

The ontogeny of the uptake systems for glycine, GABA and glutamate in synaptic vesicles isolated from rat spinal cord-medulla.

Synaptic vesicles have been isolated from rat spinal cord-medulla at different postnatal ages, and the ontogeny of the uptake of glycine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate has been investigated. The accumulation of the 3 amino acids increased with increasing time after birth reaching adult level at about postnatal day 30. This developmental increase probably parallels the synaptogenesis and suggests a functional role of the uptake of the amino acids into synaptic vesicles in the nerve terminals. The developmental time course for these vesicular uptake systems was totally different from those of the corresponding plasma membrane uptakes.

Aging↗

PubMed1996

Is the Mg(2+)-ATP-dependent proton pumping activity of the synaptic vesicles a factor involved in the cerebral hypoxia?

The changes in the Mg(2+)-dependent V-type ATPase activity and the Mg(2+)-ATP-dependent H+ pumping activity of the synaptic vesicles from the cerebral cortex of rats submitted to intermittent chronic (4 weeks) mild or severe hypoxia were evaluated. The adaptation to the chronic severe hypoxia increases both the ATPase and the H+ pumping activities which are inhibited by NEM with an exponential relationship between the IC(50) values and the in vivo O2 concentration. The Mg(2+)-dependent increase in H+ pumping activity of synaptic vesicles from the rats subjected to in vivo chronic hypoxia may be antagonized by nigericin (dissipating delta pH) and by FCCP (dissipating delta pH and delta psi SV). In contrast, valinomycin (dissipating the delta psi SV) and facilitating an enhancement in delta pH) increases in vitro the H+ pumping activity that is inhibited by the addition of high concentration of K gluconate (reducing the rate of K+ efflux). The preincubation of vesicles from hypoxic rats with FCCP, but not with nigericin, inhibits the valinomycin-increased H+ pumping activity. L-glutamate increases the H+ pumping activity in synaptic vesicles from the cerebral cortex of chronic hypoxic rats, whereas other amino acids (i.e., L-aspartate and L-homocysteate) and glutamate analogs (i.e., quisqualate and ibotenate) are ineffective. The adaptation to both chronic intermittent severe hypoxia and in vivo treatment with posatireline causes a decrease in the Mg(2+)-ATPase activity consistent with the decrease in the H+ pumping one of the synaptic vesicles. The addition of nigericin into incubation medium magnifies the decrease in the H+ pumping activity, while the addition of FCCP is ineffective, suggesting that the treatment with posatireline interferes with the delta psi SV component in the delta mu H+ of the synaptic vesicles from rats submitted to chronic hypoxia. The results of the in vivo and in vitro experiments suggest that in the synaptic vesicles from hypoxic rats the delta psi SV component in delta mu H+ may be most effective in increasing the Mg(2+)-ATP-dependent H+ pumping activity.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed1996

SV2proteoglycan: a potential synaptic vesicle transporter and nerve terminal extracellular matrix receptor.

SV2Proteoglycan (SV2pg) is a specific component of small clear synaptic vesicles. It is a keratan sulfate proteoglycan with oligosaccharide side chains N-linked to a core protein of 80 kDa. Two glycosylated forms, H and L, are present in synaptic vesicles. The amino acid sequence suggests that SV2pg contains 12 transmembrane domains and is homologous to bacterial and eukaryotic sugar transporters. Although its structure suggests that SV2pg is a vesicular transporter, what it transports is unknown. SV2pg is probably not a neurotransmitter transporter, since that function resides in an unrelated family of synaptic vesicle proteins. In addition to its vesicular function, SV2pg may have a secondary function as an extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor on the nerve terminal surface. At the electric organ synapse, which is closely related to the neuromuscular junction. SV2pg is bound to laminin, a component of the synaptic ECM. SV2pg is only associated with laminin on the nerve terminal surface, not in the synaptic vesicle. Studies on synaptogenesis during motor nerve regeneration have suggested that nerve terminal ECM receptors play an important role in synaptic recognition.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Acetylcholine active transport by rat brain synaptic vesicles.

Uptake of acetylcholine was studied in a synaptic vesicle fraction isolated from rat brain. Hyposmotically treated P3 vesicles took up acetylcholine (ACh) in the presence of MgATP, and the uptake was inhibited by low temperature, ammonium ions, the protonophore carbonyl cyanide p-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone (FCCP) and bafilomycin A1, a specific inhibitor of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase. Uptake was also inhibited by drugs that bind allosterically to the ACh transporter, namely vesamicol (IC50 value of 170 nM) and 4-aminobenzovesamicol (IC50 value of 25 nM). KM and Vmax values for ACh active transport were estimated to be 5 mM and 4 nmol min-1 mg-1 of cholinergic vesciles, respectively. Active transport of ACh by synaptic vesicles partially purified from brain is mediated by a vesamicol-sensitive transporter and is dependent on a proton gradient generated by the vesicular H(+)-ATPase.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed2005

Single synaptic vesicle tracking in individual hippocampal boutons at rest and during synaptic activity.

How synaptic vesicles move within central nervous synapses to their docking sites at the plasma membrane is widely discussed in synaptic physiology. This question is especially difficult to investigate in the small hippocampal boutons, which themselves can slowly move during observation in primary cell culture. Here, we describe a single particle tracking method using dual fluorescent dye labels that enabled us to visualize the movements of a single vesicle and the respective synaptic bouton simultaneously during resting conditions and stimulation. We found vesicle mobility to be very low in the absence of stimulation, in line with previous studies. Interestingly, mobility was also found to be low during synaptic activity. We found that vesicles labeled preferentially via early, late, and spontaneous endocytotic mechanisms behaved similarly at rest and during stimulation.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1996

Differential synaptic vesicle protein expression in the barrel field of developing cortex.

The distribution of four proteins associated with synaptic vesicles, SV2, synaptophysin, synapsin I, and rab3a, was investigated during postnatal development of the posteromedial barrel subfield (PMBSF) in the rat somatosensory cortex. A distinct progression in the appearance of the different synaptic vesicle proteins within the PMBSF was observed. SV2, synapsin I, and synaptophysin revealed the organization of the barrel field in the neonate. This early demarcation of the cortical representation of the vibrissal array coincides with the earliest known age for the emergence of the cytoarchitectonic organization of this region. In contrast, rab3a did not delimit the barrels until the end of the 1st postnatal week, coincident with the known onset of adult-like physiological activity and the loss of plasticity in afferents to this region. In addition, the appearance of the different synaptic vesicle proteins occurred earlier within the PMBSF than in the adjacent extra-barrel regions of the cortex. These results show that the molecular differentiation of synaptic fields across the cortex is not a homogeneous and synchronous process in terms of synaptic vesicle protein expression. Because these proteins act together in mature synapses to ensure the regulated release of neurotransmitters, our results suggest that this temporo-spatial asynchrony may underlie different potentials for synaptic activity and thus contribute to the development of cortical maps.

Animals↗

PubMed1981

Newly synthesized L-[14C]dopamine failed to accumulate immediately in synaptic vesicles within isolated rat brain synaptosomal cytoplasm.

It was examined whether or not enzymically synthesized L-dopamine could be immediately incorporated and stored in synaptic vesicles within a synaptosomal cytoplasm fraction isolated from the rat brain. The synaptosomal cytoplasm was isotonically prepared by disrupting the synaptosomes in 0.32 M sucrose using an N2-gas pressure homogenizer. Synaptic vesicles present in the isolated synaptosomal cytoplasm appeared to be osmotically sensitive (i.e., not leaky vesicles) under iso-osmotic conditions. DOPA decarboxylase [EC 4.1.1.28] present in the soluble cytosol region synthesized L-[14C]dopamine from added L-[14C]DOPA. However, the newly synthesized L-[14C]dopamine was not immediately incorporated in the synaptic vesicles within the synaptosomal cytoplasm during the reaction period of 20 min at 30 degrees C. Plain synaptic vesicles prepared by the method of Kadota and Kadota (10) also failed to take up the newly synthesized dopamine under the same conditions. It was found that soluble protein(s) in the synaptosomal cytoplasm was able to bind as much added L-[3H]dopamine as 35 pmol per mg of protein, and the binding ability seemed to inhibit the amine uptake by synaptic vesicles within the synaptosomal cytoplasm. The [3H]dopamine bound to the protein(s) became unbound in the presence of Ca2+ (5 mM). This effect of Ca2+ may have an important role in the releasing process of neurotransmitters.

Animals↗

PubMed1983

Binding of concanavalin A to calf brain synaptic vesicles.

Concanavalin A was employed as a tool to investigate the organization of synaptic vesicle glycoproteins. The lectin was incubated in the presence of both intact and Triton X-100 treated calf brain synaptic vesicles. Electrophoresis of treated membranes clearly demonstrated that the majority of Concanavalin A binding sites was not exposed in intact synaptic vesicles. The vesicles were isolated by the procedure of DeLorenzo and Freedman (DeLorenzo, R. J., and Freedman, S. D. (1978) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 80, 183-192). However, an extra centrifugation step at 55,000 g was required to obtain plain vesicles nearly free from coated vesicles and membrane fragments.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Quantitative morphology of the zinc-iodide-osmium (ZIO) stained synaptic vesicles.

A computer assisted morphometric method has been elaborated to quantify synaptic vesicles evidenced by means of the Zinc-Iodide-Osmium (ZIO) staining procedure in nerve endings of a very discrete area of the cerebellar granular layer: the glomerulus. The following parameters were calculated directly on electron microscopic negatives of 4.67 microns 2 of surface terminal area: number of vesicles per unit area (Na), and per unit volume (Nv), volume density (Vv), average diameter (d) and average volume of the single vesicle (V). Ultrastructural changes taking place at nerve endings also cover synaptic vesicles, thus quantitative studies regarding vesicle population at synaptic regions can be correlated to functional changes occurring in the process of chemical transmission and reflect the plasticity of synaptic junctional zones. Although this histochemical staining method generally is referred to as unspecific, after comparing our data with the available literature reports, we propose that ZIO-positive vesicles could have a physiological significance. These ZIO-positive organelles could take part in the intraterminal homeostatic control of Ca++ ions.

Animals↗

PubMed1982

Effects of iron deficiency on serotonin uptake in vitro by rat brain synaptic vesicles.

The effects of moderate and severe degrees of iron deficiency on brain and liver nonhaem iron levels and 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin; 5-HT) uptake by synaptic vesicles in vitro were investigated in experimental rats. Data obtained suggested that in both moderate and severe forms of iron deficiency, 5-HT uptake by brain synaptic vesicles is decreased and is accompanied by a reduction in brain and liver nonhaem iron levels. On repletion with iron for 4 weeks, the deficient group of rats showed a normalisation of 5-HT uptake by synaptic vesicles and liver nonhaem iron content, whereas the brain nonhaem iron concentration still showed a significant deficit. The data thus suggest that changes in the uptake of 5-HT by brain synaptic vesicles that accompany iron depletion and repletion are more rapid than changes in the total nonhaem iron concentration in the brain. The observation that 5-HT uptake by brain synaptic vesicles is decreased in iron deficiency suggests a probable role for iron in 5-HT storage in rat brain.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Distribution of [3H]dihydrotetrabenazine binding in bovine striatal subsynaptic fractions: enrichment of higher affinity binding in a synaptic vesicle fraction.

[3H]Dihydrotetrabenazine bound to a single class of binding sites in bovine striatal synaptic vesicles with an apparent dissociation constant of 3-9 nM. This is comparable to the inhibitory potency of dihydrotetrabenazine in catecholamine transport assays. In contrast to these results, [3H]dihydrotetrabenazine bound to at least two classes of sites in all other subsynaptic fractions investigated. The higher affinity class of sites was comparable in affinity to that of synaptic vesicles, whereas the lower affinity sites exhibited an apparent dissociation constant of 95-400 nM. Higher affinity sites were most abundant in the synaptic vesicle fraction, and little higher affinity binding was observed in mitochondrial and myelin fractions, or in highly purified synaptic plasma membranes. Lower affinity binding was not enriched in any subsynaptic fraction and was the only class of binding sites detected in homogenates of liver and diaphragm. The distribution of the presynaptic vesicle marker synaptophysin corresponded with that of higher affinity but not lower affinity binding. These results are consistent with the expectation that the higher affinity sites are associated primarily with synaptic vesicles and other neuronal entities that are in communication with these organelles.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Synaptic vesicle dynamics in living cultured hippocampal neurons visualized with CY3-conjugated antibodies directed against the lumenal domain of synaptotagmin.

Antibodies directed against the lumenal domain of synaptotagmin I conjugated to CY3 (CY3-Syt1-Abs) and video microscopy were used to study the dynamics of synaptic vesicles in cultured hippocampal neurons. When applied to cultures after synapse formation, CY3-Syt1-Abs produced a strong labeling of presynaptic vesicle clusters which was markedly increased by membrane depolarization. The increase of the rate of CY3-Syt1-Ab uptake in a high K+ medium was maximal during the first few minutes but persisted for as long as 60 min. In axons developing in isolation, CY3-Syt1-Abs, in combination with electron microscopy immunocytochemistry, revealed the presence of synaptic vesicle clusters which move in bulk in anterograde and retrograde direction. Clusters are present both in the axon shaft and in filopodia but not in the filopodia of the growth cone. Both presynaptic vesicle clusters and clusters present in isolated axons were disrupted by okadaic acid as previously shown for synaptic vesicle clusters at the frog neuromuscular junction. These findings indicate that synaptic vesicle aggregation may occur independently of cell-cell interaction, but that, in the absence of a synaptic contact, vesicle clusters are not stably anchored to a given region of the cell surface. Labeling of synaptic vesicles in immature isolated neurons was found to be depolarization and Ca2+ dependent, demonstrating that Ca(2+)-regulated exocytosis is an intrinsic characteristic of synaptic vesicles irrespective of their localization at a synapse.

Animals↗