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Postsynaptic Recordings at Afferent Dendrites Contacting Cochlear Inner Hair Cells: Monitoring Multivesicular Release at a Ribbon Synapse
Published on: February 11, 2011
RIBEYE, a component of synaptic ribbons: a protein's journey through evolution provides insight into synaptic ribbon
F Schmitz1, A Königstorfer, T C Südhof
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Basic Neuroscience, Department of Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
Abstract:
Photoreceptor cells utilize ribbon synapses to transmit sensory signals at high resolution. Ribbon synapses release neurotransmitters tonically, with a high release rate made possible by continuous docking of synaptic vesicles on presynaptic ribbons. We have partially purified synaptic ribbons from retina and identified a major protein component called RIBEYE. RIBEYE is composed of a unique A domain specific for ribbons, and a B domain identical with CtBP2, a transcriptional repressor that in turn is related to 2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases. The A domain mediates assembly of RIBEYE into large structures, whereas the B domain binds NAD(+) with high affinity, similar to 2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenases. Our results define a unique component of synaptic ribbons and suggest that RIBEYE evolved in vertebrates under utilization of a preexisting protein to build a unique scaffold for a specialized synapse.
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