VAMP (synaptobrevin) is present in the plasma membrane of nerve terminals

1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (20) ◽  
pp. 3559-3567
Author(s):  
P. Taubenblatt ◽  
J.C. Dedieu ◽  
T. Gulik-Krzywicki ◽  
N. Morel

Synaptic vesicle docking and exocytosis require the specific interaction of synaptic vesicle proteins (such as VAMP/synaptobrevin) with presynaptic plasma membrane proteins (such as syntaxin and SNAP 25). These proteins form a stable, SDS-resistant, multimolecular complex, the SNARE complex. The subcellular distribution of VAMP and syntaxin within Torpedo electric organ nerve endings was studied by immunogoldlabeling of SDS-digested freeze-fracture replicas (Fujimoto, 1995). This technique allowed us to visualize large surface areas of the presynaptic plasma membrane and numerous synaptic vesicles from rapidly frozen nerve endings and synaptosomes. VAMP was found associated with synaptic vesicles, as also shown by conventional electron microscopy immunolabeling, and to the presynaptic plasma membrane (P leaflet). Syntaxin was also detected in the nerve ending plasma membrane, without gold labeling of synaptic vesicles. Comparison of gold particle densities suggests that the presynaptic plasma membrane contains 3 VAMP molecules per molecule of syntaxin. After biotinylation of intact synaptosomes, the synaptosomal plasma membrane was isolated on Streptavidin coated magnetic beads. Its antigenic content was compared to that of purified synaptic vesicles. VAMP was present in both membranes whereas syntaxin and SNAP 25 were highly enriched in the synaptosomal plasma membrane. This membrane has a low content of classical synaptic vesicle proteins (synaptophysin, SV2 and the vesicular acetylcholine transporter). The VAMP to syntaxin stoichiometry in the isolated synaptosomal membrane was estimated by comparison with purified antigens and close to 2, in accordance with morphological data. SDS-resistant SNARE complexes were detected in the isolated presynaptic membrane but absent in purified synaptic vesicles. Taken together, these results show that the presence of VAMP in the plasma membrane of nerve endings cannot result from exocytosis of synaptic vesicles, a process which could, as far as SNAREs are concerned, very much resemble homotypic fusion.

2014 ◽  
Vol 205 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Vavassori ◽  
Andreas Mayer

Neurons fire by releasing neurotransmitters via fusion of synaptic vesicles with the plasma membrane. Fusion can be evoked by an incoming signal from a preceding neuron or can occur spontaneously. Synaptic vesicle fusion requires the formation of trans complexes between SNAREs as well as Ca2+ ions. Wang et al. (2014. J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/jcb.201312109) now find that the Ca2+-binding protein Calmodulin promotes spontaneous release and SNARE complex formation via its interaction with the V0 sector of the V-ATPase.


1993 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 575-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
M B Feany ◽  
A G Yee ◽  
M L Delvy ◽  
K M Buckley

We expressed the synaptic vesicle proteins SV2, synaptotagmin, and synaptophysin in CHO fibroblasts to investigate the targeting information contained by each protein. All three proteins entered different cellular compartments. Synaptotagmin was found on the plasma membrane. Both SV2 and synaptophysin were sorted to small intracellular vesicles, but synaptophysin colocalized with early endosomal markers, while SV2 did not. SV2-containing vesicles did not have the same sedimentation characteristics as authentic synaptic vesicles, even though transfected SV2 was sorted from endosomal markers. We also created cell lines expressing both SV2 and synaptotagmin, both synaptotagmin and synaptophysin, and lines expressing all three synaptic vesicle proteins. In all cases, the proteins maintained their distinct compartmentalizations, were not found in the same organelle, and did not created synaptic vesicle-like structures. These results have important implications for models of synaptic vesicle biogenesis.


1990 ◽  
Vol 111 (5) ◽  
pp. 2041-2052 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Thomas ◽  
H Betz

We have developed procedures for detecting synaptic vesicle-binding proteins by using glutaraldehyde-fixed or native vesicle fractions as absorbent matrices. Both adsorbents identify a prominent synaptic vesicle-binding protein of 36 kD in rat brain synaptosomes and mouse brain primary cultures. The binding of this protein to synaptic vesicles is competed by synaptophysin, a major integral membrane protein of synaptic vesicles, with half-maximal inhibition seen between 10(-8) and 10(-7) M synaptophysin. Because of its affinity for synaptophysin, we named the 36-kD synaptic vesicle-binding protein physophilin (psi nu sigma alpha, greek = bubble, vesicle; psi iota lambda os, greek = friend). Physophilin exhibits an isoelectric point of approximately 7.8, a Stokes radius of 6.6 nm, and an apparent sedimentation coefficient of 5.6 S, pointing to an oligomeric structure of this protein. It is present in synaptic plasma membranes prepared from synaptosomes but not in synaptic vesicles. In solubilization experiments, physophilin behaves as an integral membrane protein. Thus, a putative synaptic plasma membrane protein exhibits a specific interaction with one of the major membrane proteins of synaptic vesicles. This interaction may play a role in docking and/or fusion of synaptic vesicles to the presynaptic plasma membrane.


1982 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
G P Miljanich ◽  
A R Brasier ◽  
R B Kelly

During transmitter release, synaptic vesicle membrane is specifically inserted into the nerve terminal plasma membrane only at specialized sites or "active zones." In an attempt to obtain a membrane fraction enriched in active zones, we have utilized the electric organ of the marine ray. From this organ, a fraction enriched in nerve terminals (synaptosomes) was prepared by conventional means. These synaptosomes were bound to microscopic beads by an antiserum to purified electric organ synaptic vesicles (anti-SV). The success of this immunoadsorption procedure was demonstrated by increased specific activities of bead-bound nerve terminal cytoplasmic markers and decreased specific activities of markers for contaminating membranes. To obtain a presynaptic plasma membrane (PSPM) fraction, we lysed the bead-bound synaptosomes by hypoosmotic shock and sonication, resulting in complete release of cytoplasmic markers. When the synaptosomal fraction was surface-labeled with iodine before immunoadsorption, 10% of this label remained bead-bound after lysis, compared with 2% of the total protein, indicating an approximately fivefold enrichment of bead-bound plasma membrane. Concomitantly, the specific activity of bead-bound anti-SV increased approximately 30-fold, indicating an enrichment of plasma membrane which contained inserted synaptic vesicle components. This PSPM preparation is not simply synaptic vesicle membrane since two-dimensional electrophoresis revealed that the polypeptides of the surface-iodinated PSPM preparation include both vesicle and numerous nonvesicle components. Secondly, antiserum to the PSPM fraction is markedly different from anti-SV and binds to external, nonvesicle, nerve terminal components.


Author(s):  
Peggy Mason

The biochemical and physiological processes of neurotransmitter release from an active zone, a specialized region of synaptic membrane, are examined. Synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters are docked at the active zone and then primed for release by SNARE complexes that bring them into extreme proximity to the plasma membrane. Entry of calcium ions through voltage-gated calcium channels triggers synaptic vesicle fusion with the synaptic terminal membrane and the consequent diffusion of neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft. Release results when the fusion pore bridging the synaptic vesicle and plasma membrane widens and neurotransmitter from the inside of the synaptic vesicle diffuses into the synaptic cleft. Membrane from the active zone membrane is endocytosed, and synaptic vesicle proteins are then reassembled into recycled synaptic vesicles, allowing for more rounds of neurotransmitter release.


1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1022-1023
Author(s):  
Sharon M. Sweitzer ◽  
Jenny E. Hinshaw

Dynamin, a 100 kDa GTPase, is essential for receptor mediated endocytosis and synaptic vesicle recycling; however its mechanism of action is unknown. The requirement for dynamin was first elucidated by the discovery that the shibire gene product in Drosophila melanogaster was homologous to mammalian dynamin-1 (1,2). The shibire flies exhibit a depletion of synaptic vesicles and an accumulation of collared clathrin-coated pits at the plasma membrane of their nerve termini (3). It was later demonstrated that endocytosis was inhibited by the overexpression of dominant negative mutants of dynamin (4,5), and that purified dynamin can self-associate to form spirals which resemble the collars of shibire and structures seen in synaptosomes treated with GTPγS (6,7). These observations led to the speculation that dynamin pinches the clathrin-coated bud from the plasma membrane. In support of this hypothesis, we show that purified recombinant dynamin can bind to a lipid bilayer in a regular and repeating pattern to form helical tubes which vesiculate upon the addition of GTP.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Gething ◽  
Joshua Ferrar ◽  
Bishal Misra ◽  
Giovanni Howells ◽  
Ucheor B. Choi

AbstractNeurotransmitter release of synaptic vesicles relies on the assembly of the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex, consisting of syntaxin and SNAP-25 on the plasma membrane and synaptobrevin on the synaptic vesicle. The formation of the SNARE complex progressively zippers towards the membranes, which drives membrane fusion between the plasma membrane and the synaptic vesicle. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of SNARE complex regulation is unclear. In this study, we investigate the syntaxin-3b isoform found in the retinal ribbon synapses using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) to monitor the conformational changes of syntaxin-3b that modulate the SNARE complex formation. We found that syntaxin-3b is predominantly in a self-inhibiting closed conformation, inefficiently forming the ternary SNARE complex. Conversely, a phosphomimetic mutation (T14E) at the N-terminal region of syntaxin-3b promoted the open conformation, similar to the constitutively open form of syntaxin LE mutant. When syntaxin-3b is bound to Munc18-1, SNARE complex formation is almost completely blocked. Surprisingly, the T14E mutation of syntaxin-3b partially abolishes Munc18-1 regulation, acting as a conformational switch to trigger SNARE complex assembly. Thus, we suggest a model where the conformational change of syntaxin-3b induced by phosphorylation initiates the release of neurotransmitters in the ribbon synapses.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document