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

Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters01:29

Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters

When an action potential reaches the presynaptic axon terminal, it releases neurotransmitters from the neuron into the synaptic cleft at a chemical synapse. The released neurotransmitter can be excitatory or inhibitory. The critical criteria commonly used to determine whether a molecule is a neurotransmitter at a chemical synapse are the molecule's presence in the presynaptic neuron. Second, its release is in response to strong presynaptic depolarization. And lastly, the presence of specific...
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...
Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)01:32

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

Postsynaptic potential (PSP) refers to a change in the electrical potential of a neuron when neurotransmitters released by presynaptic neurons bind to postsynaptic receptors. This potential can either be excitatory, leading to depolarization and ultimately action potential generation, or inhibitory, leading to hyperpolarization and suppression of the postsynaptic neuron.
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
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...
Overview of Synapses01:25

Overview of Synapses

A synapse is a specialized structure where two neurons connect, allowing them to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron. It is the point of communication between neurons. The term "synapse" is derived from the Greek word "synapsis," which means "conjunction." The entire process of neural communication revolves around the synapse. When activated, a neuron releases chemicals known as neurotransmitters into the synapse. These neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind to...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Reduced Palmitoylation of SQSTM1/p62 in Huntington Disease Is Associated With Impaired Autophagy.

FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology·2025
Same author

Depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

Psychological medicine·2022
Same author

Temperature-based phenology model for predicting the present and future establishment and distribution of recently invasive <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> (J. E. Smith) in India.

Bulletin of entomological research·2021
Same author

Heavy Metals Scavenging Potential of <i>Trichoderma asperellum</i> and <i>Hypocrea nigricans</i> Isolated from Acid Soil of Jharkhand.

Indian journal of microbiology·2019
Same author

Dlgap1 knockout mice exhibit alterations of the postsynaptic density and selective reductions in sociability.

Scientific reports·2018
Same author

Standardized experiments in mutant mice reveal behavioural similarity on 129S5 and C57BL/6J backgrounds.

Genes, brain, and behavior·2016

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology
10:52

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology

Published on: April 23, 2019

SynGAP isoforms exert opposing effects on synaptic strength.

A C McMahon1, M W Barnett, T S O'Leary

  • 1Centre for Integrative Physiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK.

Nature Communications
|June 14, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synaptic GTPase-Activating Protein (SynGAP) function diversifies through alternative promoter use and splicing. Different SynGAP protein variants impact synaptic strength, showing how gene regulation shapes neural function.

More Related Videos

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy
11:02

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Published on: January 4, 2010

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

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 21, 2026

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology
10:52

Evaluation of Synaptic Multiplicity Using Whole-cell Patch-clamp Electrophysiology

Published on: April 23, 2019

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy
11:02

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Published on: January 4, 2010

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

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Alternative promoter usage and alternative splicing are key mechanisms for transcriptome diversification.
  • Synaptic GTPase-Activating Protein (SynGAP) is crucial for synaptic function.
  • Understanding how SynGAP isoforms affect synaptic plasticity is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how alternative promoter usage and alternative splicing generate SynGAP protein diversity.
  • To determine the functional consequences of different SynGAP isoforms on synaptic strength.
  • To elucidate the interplay between N-terminal and C-terminal sequences in modulating SynGAP function.

Main Methods:

  • 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5' RACE) to identify alternative N-termini.
  • Primer extension assays to confirm promoter usage.
  • Overexpression studies in hippocampal neurons to assess synaptic function.
  • Electrophysiology to measure miniature excitatory synaptic currents (mESCs).

Main Results:

  • Synaptic activity and postnatal age regulate alternative promoter usage, leading to different N-terminal SynGAP sequences.
  • Alternative splicing generates heterogeneity in the C-terminal sequences of SynGAP.
  • SynGAP isoforms with distinct C-termini (α1 vs. α2) exert opposing effects on synaptic strength.
  • The N-terminal sequence modulates the impact of C-terminal variations on synaptic function.

Conclusions:

  • This study demonstrates activity-dependent alternative promoter usage altering synaptic protein function for the first time.
  • SynGAP protein function is determined by the combinatorial regulation of alternative promoter usage and alternative splicing.
  • Differential gene expression strategies fine-tune synaptic transmission at excitatory synapses.