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Related Experiment Videos

Visualizing synaptic ribbons in the living cell.

David Zenisek1, Nicole K Horst, Christien Merrifield

  • 1Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA. david.zenisek@yale.edu

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|November 5, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Researchers developed a fluorescent peptide to visualize synaptic ribbons in living neurons. This tool confirmed the ribbon

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Sensory neurons utilize synaptic ribbons for high-rate neurotransmitter release.
  • The precise function and dynamics of synaptic ribbons remain largely unknown.
  • Visualizing synaptic ribbons in living neurons is crucial for studying their dynamics and relationship with calcium and vesicle activity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a method for visualizing synaptic ribbons in living nerve terminals.
  • To investigate the dynamics of synaptic ribbons and their interaction with calcium influx and vesicle release.
  • To determine the molecular composition of the synaptic ribbon.

Main Methods:

  • Design and synthesis of a short fluorescent peptide with affinity for RIBEYE, a synaptic ribbon protein.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Introduction of the peptide into nerve terminals via whole-cell patch pipettes.
  • Confocal and electron microscopy to visualize and validate the peptide's binding and localization to synaptic ribbons.

    • Main Results:

    • The fluorescent peptide specifically labeled synaptic ribbons in living ribbon-type terminals.
    • Labeling did not affect ribbon morphology, vesicle tethering, or exocytosis.
    • Synaptic ribbons were found to be immobile over minutes, with calcium influx concentrated at the ribbon.
    • Each ribbon contains approximately 4000 molecules of RIBEYE, identifying it as the primary ribbon component.

    Conclusions:

    • A novel fluorescent peptide allows for live visualization of synaptic ribbons and their dynamics.
    • Synaptic ribbons are stable structures with localized calcium influx, playing a key role in neurotransmission.
    • RIBEYE is the major molecular component of the synaptic ribbon.