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Updated: Sep 11, 2026

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy
Published on: January 4, 2010
Unwebbing the presynaptic web
1Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
Abstract:
The release of neurotransmitter from nerve terminals occurs at a specialized region of the presynaptic plasma membrane called the active zone. A dense matrix of proteins associated with the active zone, called the presynaptic web, is thought to play a fundamental role in defining these neurotransmitter release sites. In this issue of Neuron, Phillips et al. have identified conditions for the biochemical purification of the presynaptic web and show that the web is comprised of proteins involved in the docking, fusion, and recycling of synaptic vesicles.
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