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Short-range functional interaction between connexin35 and neighboring chemical synapses
A Pereda1, J O'Brien, J I Nagy
1Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY 10465, USA. apereda@aecom.yu.edu
Cell Communication & Adhesion
|December 19, 2003
Summary
Goldfish Mauthner cell synapses reveal that electrical synapses (gap junctions) containing connexin35 (Cx35) interact locally with chemical synapses. This interaction involves NMDA receptors and suggests broader implications for mammalian brain function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Synaptic Plasticity
Background:
- The goldfish Mauthner cell is a model for studying electrical and chemical synapses.
- Gap junctions and chemical synapses communicate differently but can interact.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the composition of gap junctions on Mauthner cells.
- Explore functional interactions between electrical and chemical synapses.
- Identify molecular players in synapse interaction.
Main Methods:
- Confocal microscopy
- Freeze-fracture replica immunogold labeling (FRIL)
- Simultaneous pre- and postsynaptic recordings
Main Results:
- Gap junctions contain connexin35 (Cx35), the fish ortholog of mammalian connexin36 (Cx36).
- Electrical and chemical synapses interact within micrometers on the same terminal.
- NR1 subunit of NMDA receptors is localized near Cx35 gap junctions.
Conclusions:
- Cx35 gap junctions are modulated by co-localized glutamatergic synapses.
- Local functional interactions at goldfish synapses may extend to mammalian brain synapses.
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