Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Judyta K. Juranek, Konark Mukherjee, Reinhard Jahn, Jia-Yi Li
Summary: Synaptic transmission relies on neurotransmitters stored in synaptic vesicles and released at the active zone. Research shows a robust bi-directional, coordinated trafficking of synaptic vesicle and active zone proteins in peripheral nerves, which plays a critical role in neuronal function and neurodegenerative diseases.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Mason Parkes, Nathan L. Landers, Michael W. Gramlich
Summary: Presynapses efficiently communicate information by locally recycling synaptic vesicles. This study investigates the mechanisms of trafficking older synaptic vesicles back to the soma for recycling, and shows that the choice of microtubule or actin cytoskeleton networks depends on the speed of vesicle trafficking and the direction of transport. The loss of synaptic vesicle with bound myosin V is identified as the differentiating mechanism. These findings provide insights into the maintenance and plasticity of presynaptic function.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christiana Kontaxi, Nawon Kim, Michael A. Cousin
Summary: The protein Amph1 plays an important role in coordinating endocytosis in non-neuronal cells and synaptic vesicles at central nerve terminals. It interacts with lipids and proteins, with all interactions except for the PRD domain required for synaptic vesicle endocytosis. This study reveals that the interaction between the PRD domain of Amph1 and endophilin A1 is essential for efficient synaptic vesicle endocytosis.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Karen J. Smillie, Michael A. Cousin, Sarah L. Gordon
Summary: The synapse is the connection formed between a presynapse, which releases neurotransmitter, and a postsynapse, which transduces the chemical signal. Over the past decade, presynaptic dysfunction has been recognized as a key mediator in various neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. This special issue will focus on the disrupted presynaptic molecules and mechanisms in these conditions, as well as potential therapeutic approaches.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sumiko Mochida
Summary: Action potentials trigger neurotransmitter release from synaptic vesicles at the specialized release site called the active zone. This highly organized structure facilitates vesicle exocytosis mediated by proteins such as SNARE complex and Ca2+ sensor proteins. Active zone proteins play a crucial role in replenishing release-ready sites with synaptic vesicles for sustainable synaptic transmission.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Richard E. Carson, Mika Naganawa, Takuya Toyonaga, Sheida Koohsari, Yanghong Yang, Ming-Kai Chen, David Matuskey, Sjoerd J. Finnema
Summary: PET technology has developed radiopharmaceuticals targeting specific brain proteins. A new approach of imaging synaptic density by targeting SV2A protein has emerged. SV2A PET imaging shows potential clinical value and has been applied in various neurodegenerative diseases.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Chao Tan, Giovanni de Nola, Claire Qiao, Cordelia Imig, Richard T. Born, Nils Brose, Pascal S. Kaeser
Summary: Active zone-anchored Munc13 and non-active zone-anchored Munc13 may independently support vesicle fusion. Removal of RIM and ELKS disrupts vesicle docking, but other ultrastructural features remain near-normal.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Callista B. Harper, Karen J. Smillie
Summary: In the past few decades, it has become increasingly apparent that synaptic defects play a significant role in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Advances in new technologies and imaging techniques have enabled researchers to explore the molecular details of pre-synaptic function, leading to a better understanding of dysfunction and potential therapeutic targets. The application of these techniques with higher spatial and temporal resolution allows for a more comprehensive investigation into the role of synaptic dysfunction in pathogenicity.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Zhao Xuan, Daniel A. Colon-Ramos
Summary: Through forward genetic screens in C. elegans neurons, researchers identified the long isoform of active zone protein CLA-1 as crucial for sorting ATG-9-containing vesicles at the presynapse. Disruption of CLA-1 L leads to abnormal accumulation of clathrin-enriched ATG-9 vesicles. This study reveals novel roles for active zone proteins in the sorting of ATG-9 and in presynaptic macroautophagy/autophagy.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Susann Michanski, Rohan Kapoor, Anna M. Steyer, Wiebke Moebius, Iris Frueholz, Frauke Ackermann, Mehmet Gueltas, Craig C. Garner, F. Kent Hamra, Jakob Neef, Nicola Strenzke, Tobias Moser, Carolin Wichmann
Summary: In this study, the role of piccolino in the structure and function of inner hair cell synapses was investigated using piccolo gene-trap mutant rats. The findings suggest that piccolino is essential for normal hearing and contributes to the organization of the active zone in inner hair cells.
Article
Cell Biology
Milana Fraiberg, Bat-Chen Tamim-Yecheskel, Kamilya Kokabi, Nemanja Subic, Gali Heimer, Franziska Eck, Karsten Nalbach, Christian Behrends, Bruria Ben-Zeev, Oren Shatz, Zvulun Elazar
Summary: TECPR2, a large, multi-domain protein, plays a crucial role in lysosomal targeting of autophagosomes by associating with Atg8-family proteins on autophagosomes and VAMP8 on lysosomes. This protein is linked to spastic paraplegia type 49 (SPG49), where impaired autophagic flux is observed in patient fibroblasts.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lennart Brodin, Dragomir Milovanovic, Silvio O. Rizzoli, Oleg Shupliakov
Summary: This review discusses recent data suggesting the protein alpha-synuclein as a component of the synaptic vesicle liquid phase, and considers possible implications of these data for disease.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Hiromitsu Tanaka, Junichiro Funahashi, Tomoo Hirano
Summary: This study investigated the endocytosis of presynaptic terminals and postsynaptic receptors using live-cell imaging. The researchers found that both clathrin-dependent and clathrin-independent endocytosis occurred within seconds after electrical stimulation, with clathrin-independent endocytosis being more prominent with a higher number of stimulation pulses. In addition, they found that ultrafast endocytosis was the predominant type when the number of stimulation pulses was small and the temperature was close to physiological.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vilmos Toth, Henrietta Vadaszi, Lilla Ravasz, Daniel Mittli, Dominik Matyas, Tamas Molnar, Andras Micsonai, Tamas Szaniszlo, Reka A. Kovacs, Tunde Juhasz, Tamas Beke-Somfai, Gabor Juhasz, Balazs Andras Gyorffy, Katalin A. Kekesi, Jozsef Kardos, Peter Lorincz
Summary: This study found that neuronal-specific septin-3 is associated with synaptic/neuronal autophagy, can bind autophagy protein Atg8, and localize to autophagic membranes. The elevated levels of septin-3 may indicate enhanced or impeded autophagy in neurons.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Joseph A. Szule
Summary: This report proposes a unified hypothesis for the regulation of vesicle trafficking events in neuronal synapses by integrating knowledge of macromolecular structures and synaptic protein biochemistry. The hypothesis combines electron tomography with biochemical studies to characterize the different classes of macromolecules involved in these events. The goal is to guide future research in understanding how the Active Zone Material regulates neurotransmitter secretion.
FRONTIERS IN SYNAPTIC NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Daniela Ivanova, Cordelia Imig, Marcial Camacho, Annika Reinhold, Debarpan Guhathakurta, Carolina Montenegro-Venegas, Michael A. Cousin, Eckart D. Gundelfinger, Christian Rosenmund, Benjamin Cooper, Anna Fejtova
Article
Biology
Sheila Hoffmann-Conaway, Marisa M. Brockmann, Katharina Schneider, Anil Annamneedi, Kazi Atikur Rahman, Christine Bruns, Kathrin Textoris-Taube, Thorsten Trimbuch, Karl-Heinz Smalla, Christian Rosenmund, Eckart D. Gundelfinger, Craig Curtis Garner, Carolina Montenegro-Venegas
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Xiao Lin, Michael G. K. Brunk, Pingan Yuanxiang, Andrew W. Curran, Enqi Zhang, Franziska Stoeber, Juergen Goldschmidt, Eckart D. Gundelfinger, Maike Vollmer, Max F. K. Happel, Rodrigo Herrera-Molina, Dirk Montag
Summary: The study found that the absence of neuroplastin in mice leads to hearing impairment, accompanied by degeneration of hair cells and spiral ganglion cells, as well as reduced baseline blood flow in the auditory cortex. Neuroplastin is required for the expression of PMCA 2 in outer hair cells, suggesting that altered Ca2+ homeostasis underlies the observed hearing impairments and hair cell degeneration.
BRAIN STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anil Annamneedi, Miguel del Angel, Eckart D. Gundelfinger, Oliver Stork, Gursel Caliskan
Summary: Bassoon, an active zone organizer protein, plays a crucial role in coordinating various functions at the presynaptic active zone. The absence of Bassoon in forebrain glutamatergic synapses leads to developmental disturbances in the dentate gyrus and may affect signaling pathways related to TrkB and neurogenesis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carolina Montenegro-Venegas, Debarpan Guhathakurta, Eneko Pina-Fernandez, Maria Andres-Alonso, Florian Plattner, Eckart D. Gundelfinger, Anna Fejtova
Summary: This study reveals that the protein bassoon organizes the release of neurotransmitters by regulating synaptic phosphorylation and cAMP homeostasis. Synapses lacking bassoon exhibit decreased release competence of synaptic vesicles and increased resting pool of vesicles. Furthermore, the CDK5/PDE4/cAMP signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the regulation of neurotransmitter release.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sanga Mitra Boppudi, Stefanie Scheil-Bertram, Elisabeth Faust, Anil Annamneedi, Annette Fisseler-Eckhoff
Summary: This study tested the performance and accuracy of Idylla assays on different tumor source materials and found that they exhibit high efficiency and accuracy. Additionally, the assays performed exceptionally well on archival FFPE tissues and other solid tumor samples. However, there are limitations to the use of Idylla assays.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Priyadharshini Prabhakar, Rainer Pielot, Peter Landgraf, Josef Wissing, Anne Bayrhammer, Marco van Ham, Eckart D. Gundelfinger, Lothar Jaensch, Daniela C. Dieterich, Anke Mueller
Summary: Astrocytes display regional heterogeneity in morphology, function, and molecular composition, and play a role in supporting and modulating neuronal function and signaling. Using mass spectrometry and gene enrichment analysis, we discovered subtle differences in astrocytic proteomes among different brain regions, with the cerebellum showing a strong association with the calcium signaling pathway or bipolar disorder. Additionally, our toolbox proved to be applicable for studying astrocytic proteome differences in vivo.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lukas Hoehn, Wilhelm Hussler, Anni Richter, Karl-Heinz Smalla, Anna-Maria Birkl-Toeglhofer, Christoph Birkl, Stefan Vielhaber, Stefan L. Leber, Eckart D. Gundelfinger, Johannes Haybaeck, Stefanie Schreiber, Constanze I. Seidenbecher
Summary: The study investigates changes in the brain's extracellular matrix (ECM) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and finds spatially segregated molecular rearrangements of the ECM at RNA or protein levels.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Anil Annamneedi, Caroline Gora, Ana Dudas, Xavier Leray, Veronique Bozon, Pascale Crepieux, Lucie P. Pellissier
Summary: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, and stereotyped behaviors, affect 1 in 100 children worldwide. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest family of cell-surface receptors, have been found to be genetically associated with ASD. Among the 23 GPCRs identified in the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) gene database, D2, 5-HT2A, CB1, OTR, and V1A show promising therapeutic potential for ASD.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Armand Blondiaux, Shaobo Jia, Anil Annamneedi, Gursel Caliskan, Jana Nebel, Carolina Montenegro-Venegas, Robert C. Wykes, Anna Fejtova, Matthew C. Walker, Oliver Stork, Eckart D. Gundelfinger, Alexander Dityatev, Constanze I. Seidenbecher
Summary: In this study, different epilepsy models were used to investigate the relationship between epileptic seizures and neural extracellular matrix (ECM) composition. The results showed that the absence of the protein Bassoon at different synapses had diverse effects on epilepsy-related phenotypes, and the changes in ECM components associated with epilepsy could reliably predict seizure properties.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jana Schulze, Anil Annamneedi, Oliver Stork, Eckart Gundelfinger, Constanze Seidenbecher
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2022)
