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Endocytosis and synaptic plasticity: might the tail wag the dog?
Robert S Wilkinson1, Michael Y Lin
1Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. wilk@cellbio.wustl.edu
Abstract:
In nerve terminals, endocytosis in compensation for transmitter exocytosis was once thought 'housekeeping'. Now, several lines of research utilizing optical endocytic probes have coalesced into a new functional model. The model comprises two distinct endocytosis and vesicle-processing paradigms that are differentially regulated in response to demand for transmitter. Under some circumstances, such as recovery from short-term depression, it appears that endocytosis, and not exocytosis, is rate-limiting for transmitter release and is therefore a principal determinant of synaptic strength.
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