Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane01:26

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane

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...
Integration of Synaptic Events01:28

Integration of Synaptic Events

Synaptic integration mainly includes the summation of graded potentials. Graded potentials, regardless of their type, cause subtle alterations in membrane voltage, resulting in either depolarization or hyperpolarization. These incremental changes, when combined or summed, can propel the neuron toward its threshold. Consider, for example, a membrane experiencing a +15 mV shift, causing it to depolarize from -70 mV to -55 mV. In this scenario, graded potentials govern the membrane's ability to...
Complement System01:27

Complement System

The complement system is a group of approximately 20 plasma proteins that strengthen the body's defenses against infections through opsonization, inflammation, and cell lysis. Opsonization involves coating pathogens with complement proteins, making them more recognizable and facilitating phagocyte engulfment. Certain complement proteins induce inflammation that attracts immune cells to the site of infection. Cell lysis involves the destruction of pathogens through the formation of a membrane...
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
Synaptic Signaling01:09

Synaptic Signaling

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.
Most synapses are chemical, meaning an electrical impulse or action potential spurs the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The neuron sending the signal is called the presynaptic neuron, and the neuron receiving the signal is the postsynaptic neuron.
The presynaptic neuron fires an action potential that...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

In silico identification and deorphanisation of an allatostatin C GPCR system in the cephalopod Octopus vulgaris reveal two receptors with distinct potency.

Neuropeptides·2026
Same author

An investigation into the use of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism for nerve agent exposure research.

Neurotoxicology·2026
Same author

Identification of molecular nociceptors in Octopus vulgaris through functional characterisation in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Biology open·2025
Same author

Optimizing a <i>C. elegans</i> whole organism screen biased for chemicals that target the nematode clade specific receptor EAT-2.

microPublication biology·2025
Same author

Systemic inflammation associates with and precedes cord atrophy in progressive multiple sclerosis.

Brain communications·2024
Same author

Identifying the most important research, policy and practice questions for substance use, problematic alcohol use and behavioural addictions in autism (SABA-A): A priority setting partnership.

Comprehensive psychiatry·2023
Same journal

Acetylcholine: a candidate substrate for hippocampal predictive learning?

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Astrocytes viewed through the lens of their proteomes and subproteomes.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

m<sup>6</sup>A in RNA: a key regulator of brain development, function and disease.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

The AMPA receptor life cycle: assembly, regulation and synaptic diversity.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Linking the exposome to the brain-behaviour phenotype.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Neural basis of social hierarchy across species.

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Evaluation of the Interplay Between the Complement Protein C1q and Hyaluronic Acid in Promoting Cell Adhesion
06:54

Evaluation of the Interplay Between the Complement Protein C1q and Hyaluronic Acid in Promoting Cell Adhesion

Published on: June 15, 2019

C1q: the perfect complement for a synaptic feast?

V Hugh Perry1, Vincent O'Connor

  • 1School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 7PX, UK. vhp@soton.ac.uk

Nature Reviews. Neuroscience
|October 2, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The complement system tags excess synapses for removal in the developing brain. Components like C1q and C3 are crucial for this selective elimination, aiding neural development and homeostasis.

More Related Videos

Preparation of Synaptic Plasma Membrane and Postsynaptic Density Proteins Using a Discontinuous Sucrose Gradient
08:06

Preparation of Synaptic Plasma Membrane and Postsynaptic Density Proteins Using a Discontinuous Sucrose Gradient

Published on: September 3, 2014

Subcellular Fractionation for the Isolation of Synaptic Components from the Murine Brain
12:14

Subcellular Fractionation for the Isolation of Synaptic Components from the Murine Brain

Published on: September 14, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Evaluation of the Interplay Between the Complement Protein C1q and Hyaluronic Acid in Promoting Cell Adhesion
06:54

Evaluation of the Interplay Between the Complement Protein C1q and Hyaluronic Acid in Promoting Cell Adhesion

Published on: June 15, 2019

Preparation of Synaptic Plasma Membrane and Postsynaptic Density Proteins Using a Discontinuous Sucrose Gradient
08:06

Preparation of Synaptic Plasma Membrane and Postsynaptic Density Proteins Using a Discontinuous Sucrose Gradient

Published on: September 3, 2014

Subcellular Fractionation for the Isolation of Synaptic Components from the Murine Brain
12:14

Subcellular Fractionation for the Isolation of Synaptic Components from the Murine Brain

Published on: September 14, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Efficient removal of apoptotic cells is vital for tissue homeostasis, development, and disease. In the nervous system, selective elimination of synapses and axons occurs during development and in pathological conditions.
  • The complement cascade, a part of the immune system, is known to aid in clearing apoptotic cells in non-neural tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of complement components in the selective elimination of synapses in the developing nervous system.
  • To understand the mechanisms underlying synaptic pruning and its relation to apoptotic cell clearance pathways.

Main Methods:

  • The study likely involved analyzing complement component expression (C1q, C3) in the developing visual system.
  • Investigating the co-localization of complement components with synapses undergoing elimination.
  • Potentially using genetic models to assess the impact of complement deficiencies on synaptic pruning.

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests complement components C1q and C3 play a role in the developing visual system.
  • These components appear to selectively tag supernumerary synapses for removal.
  • The removal process involves as-yet unidentified phagocytic cells.

Conclusions:

  • Complement components C1q and C3 are implicated in the selective elimination of synapses during neural development.
  • This process shares similarities with the clearance of apoptotic cells, suggesting a conserved mechanism.
  • Further research is needed to identify the specific cells responsible for removing tagged synapses.