How endosomes contribute to the maintenance of vesicular structures at presynaptic terminals remains controversial and poorly understood. Here, we have investigated synaptic endosomal compartments in the presynaptic terminals of C. elegans GABAergic motor neurons. Using RAB reporters, we find that several subsynaptic compartments reside in, or near, presynaptic regions. Loss of function in the C. elegans JIP3 protein, UNC-16, causes a RAB-5-containing compartment to accumulate abnormally at presynaptic terminals. Ultrastructural analysis shows that synapses in unc-16 mutants contain reduced number of synaptic vesicles, accompanied by an increase in the size and number of cisternae. FRAP analysis revealed a slow recovery of RAB-5 in unc-16 mutants, suggestive of an impairment of RAB-5 activity state and local vesicular trafficking. Overexpression of RAB-5:GDP partially suppresses, whereas overexpression of RAB-5:GTP enhances, the synaptic defects of unc-16 mutants. Our data demonstrate a novel function of UNC-16 in the regulation of synaptic membrane trafficking and suggest that the synaptic RAB-5 compartment contributes to synaptic vesicle biogenesis or maintenance.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dneu.20690 | DOI Listing |
J Biol Chem
January 2025
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; Molecular, Cellular & Integrated Neurosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; Cell & Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. Electronic address:
The Shab family voltage-gated K channels (i.e., Kv2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBio Protoc
January 2025
Department of Structural Interactomics, Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Berlin, Germany.
Neurons communicate through neurotransmission at highly specialized junctions called synapses. Each neuron forms numerous synaptic connections, consisting of presynaptic and postsynaptic terminals. Upon the arrival of an action potential, neurotransmitters are released from the presynaptic site and diffuse across the synaptic cleft to bind specialized receptors at the postsynaptic terminal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurobiol Dis
January 2025
Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada. Electronic address:
The consequences of non-pathogenic huntingtin (HTT) reduction in the mature brain are of substantial importance as clinical trials for numerous HTT-lowering therapies are underway; many of which are non-selective in that they reduce both mutant and wild type protein variants. In this study, we injected CaMKII-promoted AAV-Cre directly into the hippocampus of adult HTT floxed mice to explore the role of wild-type huntingtin (wtHTT) in adult hippocampal pyramidal neurons and the broader implications of its loss. Our findings reveal that wtHTT depletion results in profound macroscopic morphological abnormalities in hippocampal structure, accompanied by significant reactive gliosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurochem
January 2025
Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) is an abundant synaptic vesicle cargo with an as yet unconfirmed role in presynaptic function. It is also heavily implicated in epilepsy, firstly being the target of the leading anti-seizure medication levetiracetam and secondly with loss of function mutations culminating in human disease. A range of potential presynaptic functions have been proposed for SV2A; however its interaction with the calcium sensor for synchronous neurotransmitter release, synaptotagmin-1 (Syt1), has received particular attention over the past decade.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetab Brain Dis
January 2025
Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Hale Building for Transformative Medicine, Room 10006, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
α-Synuclein (αS) is a 140 amino-acid neuronal protein highly enriched in presynaptic nerve terminals. Its progressive accumulation in Lewy bodies and neurites is the hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD). A growing number of studies highlights a critical interplay between lipid metabolism and αS biology.
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