Spectrin (betaSpIIsigma1) is an essential component of synaptic transmission

The cellular mechanism that underlies the regulated release of synaptic vesicles during neurotransmission is not fully known. Our previous data has shown that brain spectrin (alphaSpIIsigma1/betaSpIIsigma1)2 is localized in axons and nerve terminals and we have shown that the beta subunit (betaSpIIsigma1) contains a synapsin-binding domain capable of interacting with synapsin and small synaptic vesicles in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggested a role for brain beta-spectrin in synaptic neurotransmission. To examine this possibility further, peptide-specific antibodies directed against epitopes within the synapsin-binding domain of brain beta-spectrin, or against flanking regions, were injected into the presynaptic neuron of synaptically paired rat hippocampal neurons in culture. Here, we show that the antibodies directed against the synapsin-binding domain specifically blocked synaptic neurotransmission.