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Nanoscale dynamics of synaptic vesicle trafficking and fusion at the presynaptic active zone.


ABSTRACT: The cytomatrix at the active zone (CAZ) is a macromolecular complex that facilitates the supply of release-ready synaptic vesicles to support neurotransmitter release at synapses. To reveal the dynamics of this supply process in living synapses, we used super-resolution imaging to track single vesicles at voltage-clamped presynaptic terminals of retinal bipolar neurons, whose CAZ contains a specialized structure-the synaptic ribbon-that supports both fast, transient and slow, sustained modes of transmission. We find that the synaptic ribbon serves a dual function as a conduit for diffusion of synaptic vesicles and a platform for vesicles to fuse distal to the plasma membrane itself, via compound fusion. The combination of these functions allows the ribbon-type CAZ to achieve the continuous transmitter release required by synapses of neurons that carry tonic, graded visual signals in the retina.

SUBMITTER: Vaithianathan T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4786419 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Nanoscale dynamics of synaptic vesicle trafficking and fusion at the presynaptic active zone.

Vaithianathan Thirumalini T   Henry Diane D   Akmentin Wendy W   Matthews Gary G  

eLife 20160211


The cytomatrix at the active zone (CAZ) is a macromolecular complex that facilitates the supply of release-ready synaptic vesicles to support neurotransmitter release at synapses. To reveal the dynamics of this supply process in living synapses, we used super-resolution imaging to track single vesicles at voltage-clamped presynaptic terminals of retinal bipolar neurons, whose CAZ contains a specialized structure-the synaptic ribbon-that supports both fast, transient and slow, sustained modes of  ...[more]

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