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Related Concept Videos

Synaptic Signaling01:12

Synaptic Signaling

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Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.
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Exocytosis00:50

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Exocytosis is a process that releases molecules outside the cell. Like other bulk transport mechanisms, exocytosis requires energy.
Exocytosis is the opposite of endocytosis, which brings molecules inside the cell. Sometimes, the released materials are signaling molecules. For example, neurons typically use exocytosis to release neurotransmitters. Cells also use exocytosis to insert proteins such as ion channels into their cell membranes, secrete proteins for use in the extracellular matrix, or...
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Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane01:26

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Proteins and neurotransmitters in secretory vesicles can be released from a cell upon vesicle docking, priming, and fusion with the plasma membrane. Vesicles are docked and primed in preparation for the quick exocytosis of their contents in response to a stimulus. The fusion process is mainly carried out by a SNAP Receptor or SNARE complex, consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin-1, and SNAP-25.
In 1993, Jim Rothman proposed that the antiparallel pairing of vesicular and transmembrane SNAREs, or...
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Synaptic Signaling01:09

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Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.
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Chemical Synapses01:26

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Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
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Chemical Synapses01:26

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Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 6, 2026

Measuring Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons
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Measuring Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

Published on: September 4, 2017

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Open syntaxin docks synaptic vesicles.

Marc Hammarlund1, Mark T Palfreyman, Shigeki Watanabe

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America.

Plos Biology
|July 25, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synaptic vesicle docking at synapses requires the SNARE protein syntaxin. The protein UNC-13 activates syntaxin, enabling vesicle docking to the plasma membrane.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Synaptic vesicles must dock to the plasma membrane for neurotransmitter release.
  • The role of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins in this process has been debated.
  • Previous studies suggested docking might be independent of SNARE proteins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of SNARE proteins, specifically syntaxin, in synaptic vesicle docking.
  • To elucidate the function of the active zone protein UNC-13 in the docking mechanism.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism.
  • Employing genetic perturbation studies and mutant analysis.
  • Investigating the effects of overexpressing different forms of syntaxin in unc-13 mutants.

Main Results:

  • Syntaxin was found to be essential for the docking of all synaptic vesicles.
  • The active zone protein UNC-13 is also crucial for docking at the active zone.
  • Overexpression of a constitutively open syntaxin form rescued docking defects in unc-13 mutants, unlike wild-type syntaxin.

Conclusions:

  • UNC-13 acts by converting syntaxin from a closed to an open state.
  • Open syntaxin directly mediates the docking of synaptic vesicles to the plasma membrane.
  • These findings establish a molecular mechanism for synaptic vesicle docking.