scholarly journals Synapsin I (protein I), a nerve terminal-specific phosphoprotein. III. Its association with synaptic vesicles studied in a highly purified synaptic vesicle preparation.

1983 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 1374-1388 ◽  
Author(s):  
W B Huttner ◽  
W Schiebler ◽  
P Greengard ◽  
P De Camilli
Keyword(s):  
Ionic Strength ◽  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Synaptic Vesicles ◽  
Immunological Methods ◽  
Synapsin I ◽  
Tail Region ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Calcium Dependent ◽  
Dependent Protein

Synapsin I (protein I) is a neuron-specific phosphoprotein, which is a substrate for cAMP-dependent and Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases. In two accompanying studies (De Camilli, P., R. Cameron, and P. Greengard, and De Camilli, P., S. M. Harris, Jr., W. B. Huttner, and P. Greengard, 1983, J. Cell Biol. 96:1337-1354 and 1355-1373) we have shown, by immunocytochemical techniques at the light microscopic and electron microscopic levels, that synapsin I is present in the majority of, and possibly in all, nerve terminals, where it is primarily associated with synaptic vesicles. In the present study we have prepared a highly purified synaptic vesicle fraction from rat brain by a procedure that involves permeation chromatography on controlled-pore glass as a final purification step. Using immunological methods, synapsin I concentrations were determined in various subcellular fractions obtained in the course of vesicle purification. Synapsin I was found to copurify with synaptic vesicles and to represent approximately 6% of the total protein in the highly purified synaptic vesicle fraction. The copurification of synapsin I with synaptic vesicles was dependent on the use of low ionic strength media throughout the purification. Synapsin I was released into the soluble phase by increased ionic strength at neutral pH, but not by nonionic detergents. The highly purified synaptic vesicle fraction contained a calcium-dependent protein kinase that phosphorylated endogenous synapsin I in its collagenase-sensitive tail region. The phosphorylation of this region appeared to facilitate the dissociation of synapsin I from synaptic vesicles under the experimental conditions used.

Synaptic vesicle-associated Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II is a binding protein for synapsin I

Nature ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 359 (6394) ◽  
pp. 417-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Benfenati ◽  
Flavia Valtorta ◽  
James L. Rubenstein ◽  
Fred S. Gorelick ◽  
Paul Greengard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Synapsin I ◽  
Dependent Protein Kinase ◽  
Protein Kinase Ii ◽  
Dependent Protein

scholarly journals Interactions of synapsin I with phospholipids: possible role in synaptic vesicle clustering and in the maintenance of bilayer structures.

1993 ◽  
Vol 123 (6) ◽  
pp. 1845-1855 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Benfenati ◽  
F Valtorta ◽  
M C Rossi ◽  
F Onofri ◽  
T Sihra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Synaptic Vesicles ◽  
High Surface ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Synapsin I ◽  
Hydrophobic Core ◽  
Membrane Phospholipids ◽  
Head Region ◽  
Vesicle Membrane ◽  
Liposome Fusion

Synapsin I is a synaptic vesicle-specific phosphoprotein composed of a globular and hydrophobic head and of a proline-rich, elongated and basic tail. Synapsin I binds with high affinity to phospholipid and protein components of synaptic vesicles. The head region of the protein has a very high surface activity, strongly interacts with acidic phospholipids and penetrates the hydrophobic core of the vesicle membrane. In the present paper, we have investigated the possible functional effects of the interaction between synapsin I and vesicle phospholipids. Synapsin I enhances both the rate and the extent of Ca(2+)-dependent membrane fusion, although it has no detectable fusogenic activity per se. This effect, which appears to be independent of synapsin I phosphorylation and localized to the head region of the protein, is attributable to aggregation of adjacent vesicles. The facilitation of Ca(2+)-induced liposome fusion is maximal at 50-80% of vesicle saturation and then decreases steeply, whereas vesicle aggregation does not show this biphasic behavior. Association of synapsin I with phospholipid bilayers does not induce membrane destabilization. Rather, 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy demonstrated that synapsin I inhibits the transition of membrane phospholipids from the bilayer (L alpha) to the inverted hexagonal (HII) phase induced either by increases in temperature or by Ca2+. These properties might contribute to the remarkable selectivity of the fusion of synaptic vesicles with the presynaptic plasma membrane during exocytosis.

Identification of synapsin I peptides that insert into lipid membranes

2001 ◽  
Vol 354 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. CHEETHAM ◽  
Sabine HILFIKER ◽  
Fabio BENFENATI ◽  
Thomas WEBER ◽  
Paul GREENGARD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Synaptic Vesicles ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Phospholipid Bilayer ◽  
Synapsin I ◽  
Affinity Binding ◽  
Hydrophobic Core ◽  
Vesicle Membrane ◽  
High Affinity Binding ◽  
High Affinity

The synapsins constitute a family of synaptic vesicle-associated phosphoproteins essential for regulating neurotransmitter release and synaptogenesis. The molecular mechanisms underlying the selective targeting of synapsin I to synaptic vesicles are thought to involve specific protein–protein interactions, while the high-affinity binding to the synaptic vesicle membrane may involve both protein–protein and protein–lipid interactions. The highly hydrophobic N-terminal region of the protein has been shown to bind with high affinity to the acidic phospholipids phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol and to penetrate the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer. To precisely identify the domains of synapsin I which mediate the interaction with lipids, synapsin I was bound to liposomes containing the membrane-directed carbene-generating reagent 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(m-[125I]iodophenyl)diazirine and subjected to photolysis. Isolation and N-terminal amino acid sequencing of 125I-labelled synapsin I peptides derived from CNBr cleavage indicated that three distinct regions in the highly conserved domain C of synapsin I insert into the hydrophobic core of the phospholipid bilayer. The boundaries of the regions encompass residues 166–192, 233–258 and 278–327 of bovine synapsin I. These regions are surface-exposed in the crystal structure of domain C of bovine synapsin I and are evolutionarily conserved among isoforms across species. The present data offer a molecular explanation for the high-affinity binding of synapsin I to phospholipid bilayers and synaptic vesicles.

scholarly journals Characterization of synapsin I fragments produced by cysteine-specific cleavage: a study of their interactions with F-actin.

1989 ◽  
Vol 108 (5) ◽  
pp. 1841-1849 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Bähler ◽  
F Benfenati ◽  
F Valtorta ◽  
A J Czernik ◽  
P Greengard
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Vesicles ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Synapsin I ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Tail Region ◽  
Head Region ◽  
Parent Molecule

Synapsin I is a neuron-specific phosphoprotein that is concentrated in the presynaptic nerve terminal in association with the cytoplasmic surface of synaptic vesicles. It has been demonstrated to bundle F-actin in a phosphorylation-dependent manner in vitro, a property consistent with its proposed role in linking synaptic vesicles to the cytoskeleton and its involvement in the regulation of neurotransmitter release. Synapsin I is composed of two distinct domains, a COOH terminal, collagenase-sensitive, hydrophilic, and strongly basic tail region, and an NH2 terminal, collagenase-resistant head region relatively rich in hydrophobic amino acids. To elucidate the structural basis for the interactions between synapsin I and F-actin and how it relates to other characteristics of synapsin I, we have performed a structure-function analysis of fragments of synapsin I produced by cysteine-specific cleavage with 2-nitro-5-thiocyanobenzoic acid. The fragments were identified and aligned with the parent molecule using the deduced primary structure of synapsin I and the known phosphorylation sites as markers. We have purified these fragments and examined their interactions with F-actin. Two distinct fragments, a 29-kD NH2-terminal fragment and a 15-kD middle fragment, were shown to contain F-actin binding sites. A 51/54-kD middle/tail fragment retained the F-actin binding and bundling activity of synapsin I, but the isolated tail fragment did not retain either activity. In contrast to phosphorylation of sites two and three in intact synapsin I, which abolishes F-actin bundling activity, phosphorylation of these sites in the middle/tail fragment failed to abolish this activity. In conclusion, three domains of synapsin I appear to be involved in F-actin binding and bundling.

scholarly journals Synaptotagmin-12, a synaptic vesicle phosphoprotein that modulates spontaneous neurotransmitter release

2006 ◽  
Vol 176 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Maximov ◽  
Ok-Ho Shin ◽  
Xinran Liu ◽  
Thomas C. Südhof
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Neurotransmitter Release ◽  
Synaptic Vesicles ◽  
Spontaneous Release ◽  
Dependent Protein Kinase ◽  
Synaptic Vesicle Exocytosis ◽  
Vesicle Exocytosis ◽  
Synaptotagmin 1 ◽  
Dependent Protein ◽  
Central Synapses

Central synapses exhibit spontaneous neurotransmitter release that is selectively regulated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA). We now show that synaptic vesicles contain synaptotagmin-12, a synaptotagmin isoform that differs from classical synaptotagmins in that it does not bind Ca2+. In synaptic vesicles, synaptotagmin-12 forms a complex with synaptotagmin-1 that prevents synaptotagmin-1 from interacting with SNARE complexes. We demonstrate that synaptotagmin-12 is phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent PKA on serine97, and show that expression of synaptotagmin-12 in neurons increases spontaneous neurotransmitter release by approximately threefold, but has no effect on evoked release. Replacing serine97 by alanine abolishes synaptotagmin-12 phosphorylation and blocks its effect on spontaneous release. Our data suggest that spontaneous synaptic-vesicle exocytosis is selectively modulated by a Ca2+-independent synaptotagmin isoform, synaptotagmin-12, which is controlled by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation.

scholarly journals Redistribution of synaptophysin and synapsin I during alpha-latrotoxin-induced release of neurotransmitter at the neuromuscular junction.

1990 ◽  
Vol 110 (2) ◽  
pp. 449-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Torri-Tarelli ◽  
A Villa ◽  
F Valtorta ◽  
P De Camilli ◽  
P Greengard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Synaptic Vesicles ◽  
Low Dose ◽  
Synapsin I ◽  
Nerve Terminals ◽  
Frozen Sections ◽  
Vesicle Membrane ◽  
Ultrathin Frozen Sections ◽  
Nerve Muscle ◽  
Molecular Components

The distribution of two synaptic vesicle-specific phosphoproteins, synaptophysin and synapsin I, during intense quantal secretion was studied by applying an immunogold labeling technique to ultrathin frozen sections. In nerve-muscle preparations treated for 1 h with a low dose of alpha-latrotoxin in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ (a condition under which nerve terminals are depleted of both quanta of neurotransmitter and synaptic vesicles), the immunolabeling for both proteins was distributed along the axolemma. These findings indicate that, in the presence of a block of endocytosis, exocytosis leads to the permanent incorporation of the synaptic vesicle membrane into the axolemma and suggest that, under this condition, at least some of the synapsin I molecules remain associated with the vesicle membrane after fusion. When the same dose of alpha-latrotoxin was applied in the presence of extracellular Ca2+, the immunoreactivity patterns resembled those obtained in resting preparations: immunogold particles were selectively associated with the membrane of synaptic vesicles, whereas the axolemma was virtually unlabeled. Under this condition an active recycling of both quanta of neurotransmitter and vesicles operates. These findings indicate that the retrieval of components of the synaptic vesicle membrane is an efficient process that does not involve extensive intermixing between molecular components of the vesicle and plasma membrane, and show that synaptic vesicles that are rapidly recycling still have the bulk of synapsin I associated with their membrane.

scholarly journals Synaptic vesicle recycling in synapsin I knock-out mice.

1996 ◽  
Vol 134 (5) ◽  
pp. 1219-1227 ◽  
Author(s):  
T A Ryan ◽  
L Li ◽  
L S Chin ◽  
P Greengard ◽  
S J Smith
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Synapsin I ◽  
Synaptic Vesicle Recycling ◽  
Knock Out ◽  
Vesicle Recycling ◽  
Dependent Protein ◽  
Synaptic Boutons ◽  
Knock Out Mice ◽  
Vesicle Pool ◽  
Kinetics Of

The synapsins are a family of four neuron-specific phosphoproteins that have been implicated in the regulation of neurotransmitter release. Nevertheless, knock-out mice lacking synapsin Ia and Ib, family members that are major substrates for cAMP and Ca2+/ Calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinases, show limited phenotypic changes when analyzed electrophysiologically (Rosahl, T.W., D. Spillane, M. Missler, J. Herz, D.K. Selig, J.R. Wolff, R.E. Hammer, R.C. Malenka, and T.C. Sudhof. 1995. Nature (Lond.). 375: 488-493; Rosahl, T.W., M. Geppert, D. Spillane, D., J. Herz, R.E. Hammer, R.C. Malenka, and T.C. Sudhof. 1993. Cell. 75:661-670; Li, L., L.S. Chin, O. Shupliakov, L. Brodin, T.S. Sihra, O. Hvalby, V. Jensen, D. Zheng, J.O. McNamara, P. Greengard, and P. Andersen. 1995. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 92:9235-9239; see also Pieribone, V.A., O. Shupliakov, L. Brodin, S. Hilfiker-Rothenfluh, A.J. Czernik, and P. Greengard. 1995. Nature (Lond.). 375:493-497). Here, using the optical tracer FM 1-43, we characterize the details of synaptic vesicle recycling at individual synaptic boutons in hippocampal cell cultures derived from mice lacking synapsin I or wild-type equivalents. These studies show that both the number of vesicles exocytosed during brief action potential trains and the total recycling vesicle pool are significantly reduced in the synapsin I-deficient mice, while the kinetics of endocytosis and synaptic vesicle repriming appear normal.

scholarly journals Incomplete vesicular docking limits synaptic strength under high release probability conditions

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Malagon ◽  
Takafumi Miki ◽  
Van Tran ◽  
Laura C Gomez ◽  
Alain Marty
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Synaptic Vesicles ◽  
Calcium Concentration ◽  
Site Occupancy ◽  
Calcium Entry ◽  
Maximum Output ◽  
Calcium Dependent ◽  
Maximum Value ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
External Calcium

Central mammalian synapses release synaptic vesicles in dedicated structures called docking/release sites. It has been assumed that when voltage-dependent calcium entry is sufficiently large, synaptic output attains a maximum value of one synaptic vesicle per action potential and per site. Here we use deconvolution to count synaptic vesicle output at single sites (mean site number per synapse: 3.6). When increasing calcium entry with tetraethylammonium in 1.5 mM external calcium concentration, we find that synaptic output saturates at 0.22 vesicle per site, not at 1 vesicle per site. Fitting the results with current models of calcium-dependent exocytosis indicates that the 0.22 vesicle limit reflects the probability of docking sites to be occupied by synaptic vesicles at rest, as only docked vesicles can be released. With 3 mM external calcium, the maximum output per site increases to 0.47, indicating an increase in docking site occupancy as a function of external calcium concentration.

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