scholarly journals Postsynaptic synucleins mediate vesicular exocytosis of endocannabinoids

Author(s):  
Jun Ding ◽  
Eddy Albarran ◽  
Yue Sun ◽  
Yu Liu ◽  
Karthik Raju ◽  
...  

Abstract Two seemingly unrelated questions have long motivated studies in neuroscience: How are endocannabinoids, among the most powerful modulators of synaptic transmission, released from neurons? What are the physiological functions of synucleins, key contributors to Parkinson’s Disease? Here, we report an unexpected convergence of these two questions: Endocannabinoids are released via vesicular exocytosis from postsynaptic neurons by a synuclein-dependent mechanism. Specifically, we find that deletion of all synucleins selectively blocks all endocannabinoid-dependent synaptic plasticity; this block is reversed by postsynaptic expression of wildtype but not of mutant α-synuclein. Loading postsynaptic neurons with endocannabinoids via patch-pipette dialysis suppressed presynaptic neurotransmitter release in wildtype but not in synuclein-deficient neurons, suggesting that the synuclein deletion blocks endocannabinoid release. Direct optical monitoring of endocannabinoid release confirmed the requirement of synucleins. Given the role of synucleins in vesicular exocytosis, the requirement for synucleins in endocannabinoid release indicates that endocannabinoids are secreted via exocytosis. Consistent with this hypothesis, postsynaptic expression of tetanus-toxin light chain, which cleaves synaptobrevin SNAREs, also blocked endocannabinoid-dependent plasticity and release. The unexpected finding that endocannabinoids are released via synuclein-dependent exocytosis assigns a function to synucleins and resolves a longstanding puzzle of how neurons release endocannabinoids to induce synaptic plasticity.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eddy Albarran ◽  
Yue Sun ◽  
Yu Liu ◽  
Karthik Raju ◽  
Ao Dong ◽  
...  

Two seemingly unrelated questions have long motivated studies in neuroscience: How are endocannabinoids, among the most powerful modulators of synaptic transmission, released from neurons? What are the physiological functions of synucleins, key contributors to Parkinson's Disease? Here, we report an unexpected convergence of these two questions: Endocannabinoids are released via vesicular exocytosis from postsynaptic neurons by a synuclein-dependent mechanism. Specifically, we find that deletion of all synucleins selectively blocks all endocannabinoid-dependent synaptic plasticity; this block is reversed by postsynaptic expression of wildtype but not of mutant α-synuclein. Loading postsynaptic neurons with endocannabinoids via patch-pipette dialysis suppressed presynaptic neurotransmitter release in wildtype but not in synuclein-deficient neurons, suggesting that the synuclein deletion blocks endocannabinoid release. Direct optical monitoring of endocannabinoid release confirmed the requirement of synucleins. Given the role of synucleins in vesicular exocytosis, the requirement for synucleins in endocannabinoid release indicates that endocannabinoids are secreted via exocytosis. Consistent with this hypothesis, postsynaptic expression of tetanus-toxin light chain, which cleaves synaptobrevin SNAREs, also blocked endocannabinoid-dependent plasticity and release. The unexpected finding that endocannabinoids are released via synuclein-dependent exocytosis assigns a function to synucleins and resolves a longstanding puzzle of how neurons release endocannabinoids to induce synaptic plasticity.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyne W. Miller-Fleming ◽  
Andrea Cuentas-Condori ◽  
Laura Manning ◽  
Sierra Palumbos ◽  
Janet E. Richmond ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTSynapses are actively dismantled to mediate circuit refinement, but the developmental pathways that regulate synaptic disassembly are largely unknown. We have previously shown that the epithelial sodium channel UNC-8 triggers an activity-dependent mechanism that drives the removal of presynaptic proteins liprin-α/SYD-2, Synaptobrevin/SNB-1, RAB-3 and Endophilin/UNC-57 in remodeling GABAergic neurons in C. elegans (Miller-Fleming et al., 2016). Here, we report that the transcription factor Iroquois/IRX-1 regulates UNC-8 expression as well as an additional pathway, independent of UNC-8, that functions in parallel to dismantle functional presynaptic terminals. We show that the additional IRX-1-regulated pathway is selectively required for the removal of the presynaptic proteins, Munc13/UNC-13 and ELKS, which normally mediate synaptic vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release. Our findings are notable because they highlight the key role of transcriptional regulation in synapse elimination and reveal parallel-acting pathways that orchestrate synaptic disassembly by removing specific active zone proteins.


1994 ◽  
Vol 125 (5) ◽  
pp. 1015-1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Galli ◽  
T Chilcote ◽  
O Mundigl ◽  
T Binz ◽  
H Niemann ◽  
...  

Cellubrevin is a member of the synaptobrevin/VAMP family of SNAREs, which has a broad tissue distribution. In fibroblastic cells it is concentrated in the vesicles which recycle transferrin receptors but its role in membrane trafficking and fusion remains to be demonstrated. Cellubrevin, like the synaptic vesicle proteins synaptobrevins I and II, can be cleaved by tetanus toxin, a metallo-endoprotease which blocks neurotransmitter release. However, nonneuronal cells are unaffected by the toxin due to lack of cell surface receptors for its heavy chain. To determine whether cellubrevin cleavage impairs exocytosis of recycling vesicles, we tested the effect of tetanus toxin light chain on the release of preinternalized transferrin from streptolysin-O-perforated CHO cells. The release was found to be temperature and ATP dependent as well as NEM sensitive. Addition of tetanus toxin light chain, but not of a proteolytically inactive form of the toxin, resulted in a partial inhibition of transferrin release which correlated with the toxin-mediated cleavage of cellubrevin. The residual release of transferrin occurring after complete cellubrevin degradation was still ATP dependent. Our results indicate that cellubrevin plays an important role in the constitutive exocytosis of vesicles which recycle plasmalemma receptors. The incomplete inhibition of transferrin release produced by the toxin suggests the existence of a cellubrevin-independent exocytotic mechanism, which may involve tetanus toxin-insensitive proteins of the synaptobrevin/VAMP family.


2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 2004-2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Fuenzalida ◽  
Miguel Ángel Pérez ◽  
Hugo R. Arias

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 7887
Author(s):  
Carmen Nanclares ◽  
Andres Mateo Baraibar ◽  
Alfonso Araque ◽  
Paulo Kofuji

Recent studies implicate astrocytes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD); however, their role in pathogenesis is poorly understood. Astrocytes have well-established functions in supportive functions such as extracellular ionic homeostasis, structural support, and neurovascular coupling. However, emerging research on astrocytic function in the healthy brain also indicates their role in regulating synaptic plasticity and neuronal excitability via the release of neuroactive substances named gliotransmitters. Here, we review how this “active” role of astrocytes at synapses could contribute to synaptic and neuronal network dysfunction and cognitive impairment in AD.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 359
Author(s):  
Maximilian Lenz ◽  
Amelie Eichler ◽  
Andreas Vlachos

Inflammation of the central nervous system can be triggered by endogenous and exogenous stimuli such as local or systemic infection, trauma, and stroke. In addition to neurodegeneration and cell death, alterations in physiological brain functions are often associated with neuroinflammation. Robust experimental evidence has demonstrated that inflammatory cytokines affect the ability of neurons to express plasticity. It has been well-established that inflammation-associated alterations in synaptic plasticity contribute to the development of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Nevertheless, diagnostic approaches and interventional strategies to restore inflammatory deficits in synaptic plasticity are limited. Here, we review recent findings on inflammation-associated alterations in synaptic plasticity and the potential role of the blood–brain interface, i.e., the blood–brain barrier, in modulating synaptic plasticity. Based on recent findings indicating that brain stimulation promotes plasticity and modulates vascular function, we argue that clinically employed non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, could be used for monitoring and modulating inflammation-induced alterations in synaptic plasticity.


Biomaterials ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (38) ◽  
pp. 10172-10181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Chen ◽  
Yanyan Miao ◽  
Lin Chen ◽  
Peipei Jin ◽  
Yingying Zha ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eder Gambeta ◽  
Maria A. Gandini ◽  
Ivana A. Souza ◽  
Laurent Ferron ◽  
Gerald W. Zamponi

AbstractA novel missense mutation in the CACNA1A gene that encodes the pore forming α1 subunit of the CaV2.1 voltage-gated calcium channel was identified in a patient with trigeminal neuralgia. This mutation leads to a substitution of proline 2455 by histidine (P2455H) in the distal C-terminus region of the channel. Due to the well characterized role of this channel in neurotransmitter release, our aim was to characterize the biophysical properties of the P2455H variant in heterologously expressed CaV2.1 channels. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings of wild type and mutant CaV2.1 channels expressed in tsA-201 cells reveal that the mutation mediates a depolarizing shift in the voltage-dependence of activation and inactivation. Moreover, the P2455H mutant strongly reduced calcium-dependent inactivation of the channel that is consistent with an overall gain of function. Hence, the P2455H CaV2.1 missense mutation alters the gating properties of the channel, suggesting that associated changes in CaV2.1-dependent synaptic communication in the trigeminal system may contribute to the development of trigeminal neuralgia.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document