AI Article Synopsis
- This study reveals that in Lymnaea stagnalis neurons, synaptic transmission does not rely on the direct interaction between calcium channels and SNARE proteins, as previously thought.
- Instead, it depends on a specific C-terminal splice variant of calcium channels that interacts with proteins Mint1 and CASK.
- The findings indicate that these proteins help position calcium channels effectively at synapses, allowing these invertebrate neurons to fine-tune calcium entry without needing the usual calcium channel-SNARE association.
Article Abstract
We report here that unlike what was suggested for many vertebrate neurons, synaptic transmission in Lymnaea stagnalis occurs independent of a physical interaction between presynaptic calcium channels and a functional complement of SNARE proteins. Instead, synaptic transmission in Lymnaea requires the expression of a C-terminal splice variant of the Lymnaea homolog to mammalian N- and P/Q-type calcium channels. We show that the alternately spliced region physically interacts with the scaffolding proteins Mint1 and CASK, and that synaptic transmission is abolished following RNA interference knockdown of CASK or after the injection of peptide sequences designed to disrupt the calcium channel-Mint1 interactions. Our data suggest that Mint1 and CASK may serve to localize the non-L-type channels at the active zone and that synaptic transmission in invertebrate neurons utilizes a mechanism for optimizing calcium entry, which occurs independently of a physical association between calcium channels and SNARE proteins.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M211076200 | DOI Listing |
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