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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Measuring Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons
Published on: September 4, 2017
Erk1/2 inhibit synaptic vesicle exocytosis through L-type calcium channels
Jaichandar Subramanian1, Alexei Morozov
1Unit on Behavioral Genetics, Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. subramanianj@mail.nih.gov
None:
L-type calcium channels play only a minor role in basal neurotransmitter release in brain neurons but contribute significantly after induction of plasticity. Very little is known about mechanisms that enable L-type calcium channel participation in neurotransmitter release. Here, using mouse primary cortical neurons, we found that inhibition of Erk1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2) enhanced synaptic vesicle exocytosis by increasing calcium influx through L-type calcium channels. Furthermore, inhibition of Erk1/2 increased the surface fraction of these channels. These findings indicate a novel inhibitory effect of Erk1/2 on synaptic transmission through L-type calcium channels.
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