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Updated: May 13, 2026

Live Imaging of Synaptic Vesicle Recycling in the Neuromuscular Junction of Dissected Larval Zebrafish
Published on: February 7, 2025
Developmental refinement of vesicle cycling at Schaffer collateral synapses
Tobias Rose1, Philipp Schoenenberger, Karel Jezek
1Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland. trose@neuro.mpg.de
Abstract:
At synapses formed between dissociated neurons, about half of all synaptic vesicles are refractory to evoked release, forming the so-called "resting pool." Here, we use optical measurements of vesicular pH to study developmental changes in pool partitioning and vesicle cycling in cultured hippocampal slices. Two-photon imaging of a genetically encoded two-color release sensor (ratio-sypHy) allowed us to perform calibrated measurements at individual Schaffer collateral boutons. Mature boutons released a large fraction of their vesicles during simulated place field activity, and vesicle retrieval rates were 7-fold higher compared to immature boutons. Saturating stimulation mobilized essentially all vesicles at mature synapses. Resting pool formation and a concomitant reduction in evoked release was induced by chronic depolarization but not by acute inhibition of the protein phosphatase calcineurin. We conclude that synapses in CA1 undergo a prominent refinement of vesicle use during early postnatal development that is not recapitulated in dissociated neuronal culture.
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