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

20.4K
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...
20.4K
Overview of Secretory Vesicles01:33

Overview of Secretory Vesicles

10.5K
Secretory vesicles, also known as dense core vesicles (DCVs), are membrane-bound vesicles that transport secretory proteins, such as hormones or neurotransmitters. Regulated secretory vesicles transport proteins from the trans-Golgi network to the exterior of the cell. Proteins present in regulated secretory vesicles are required to be rapidly exocytosed in large amounts upon a specific stimulus.
Various proteins regulate the aggregation of molecules inside the secretory vesicles. Chromogranins...
10.5K
Pinching-off of Coated Vesicles01:32

Pinching-off of Coated Vesicles

4.5K
Vesicle budding is orchestrated by distinct cytosolic proteins such as adaptor proteins, coat proteins, and GTPases. To initiate vesicle budding, membrane-bending proteins containing crescent-shaped BAR domains bind to the lipid heads in the bilayer and distort the membrane to form a protein-coated vesicle bud. Adaptors proteins such as AP2 for clathrin-coated vesicles can nucleate on the deformed membrane. Finally, coat proteins such as clathrin or COPI and COPII assemble into a coat forming...
4.5K
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

10.5K
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...
10.5K
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

12.8K
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...
12.8K
Synaptic Signaling01:09

Synaptic Signaling

7.2K
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...
7.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Anticipatory capture of circulating peptidergic vesicles in a clock neuron.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same author

Soma Ca<sup>2+</sup> is decoupled from daily synaptic activity and neuropeptide release in Drosophila clock neurons.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same author

Anticipatory Capture of Circulating Peptidergic Vesicles in a Clock Neuron.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

GFP and FAP Imaging of Neuropeptide Release in <i>Drosophila</i>.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2024
Same author

Imaging Neuropeptide Release from <i>Drosophila</i> Clock and Motor Neurons.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2024
Same author

Desynchronized Somas and Terminals in a Morning Clock Neuron: Presynaptic Ca<sup>2+</sup> Spiking and Native Neuropeptide Release Peak As Somatic Ca<sup>2+</sup> Declines.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2023
Same journal

Mechanisms underpinning chromosome structure in metazoans.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same journal

Conserved and Divergent Modes of Substrate Interaction Define Selective Localizations and Functions of a Cdc14 Phosphatase.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same journal

Dimerization of the centriolin-like protein Nud1 governs spindle pole body inheritance in budding yeast.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same journal

Non-muscle Myosin II acts as a negative feedback mediator to control cell contraction dynamics in adherent cells.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same journal

The tetraspanin disc proteins, peripherin-2 and ROM1, facilitate CNG channel localization to the rod outer segment.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same journal

Csf1 facilitates adaptive membrane lipid remodeling linked to ER-plasma membrane contact sites.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 14, 2026

Dopamine Release at Individual Presynaptic Terminals Visualized with FFNs
09:37

Dopamine Release at Individual Presynaptic Terminals Visualized with FFNs

Published on: August 31, 2009

25.4K

Synaptic neuropeptide release by dynamin-dependent partial release from circulating vesicles.

Man Yan Wong1, Samantha L Cavolo1, Edwin S Levitan2

  • 1Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261.

Molecular Biology of the Cell
|April 24, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Neurons release neuropeptides via dense-core vesicles (DCVs). This study reveals dynamin-dependent, slow partial DCV emptying at nerve terminals, independent of vesicle traffic, sustaining neurotransmission.

More Related Videos

Measuring Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons
07:30

Measuring Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

Published on: September 4, 2017

10.6K
An Optical Assay for Synaptic Vesicle Recycling in Cultured Neurons Overexpressing Presynaptic Proteins
09:33

An Optical Assay for Synaptic Vesicle Recycling in Cultured Neurons Overexpressing Presynaptic Proteins

Published on: June 26, 2018

8.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 14, 2026

Dopamine Release at Individual Presynaptic Terminals Visualized with FFNs
09:37

Dopamine Release at Individual Presynaptic Terminals Visualized with FFNs

Published on: August 31, 2009

25.4K
Measuring Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons
07:30

Measuring Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

Published on: September 4, 2017

10.6K
An Optical Assay for Synaptic Vesicle Recycling in Cultured Neurons Overexpressing Presynaptic Proteins
09:33

An Optical Assay for Synaptic Vesicle Recycling in Cultured Neurons Overexpressing Presynaptic Proteins

Published on: June 26, 2018

8.1K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Neurons utilize dense-core vesicles (DCVs) for releasing neuropeptides, enzymes, and neurotrophins.
  • Previous imaging of DCV exocytosis was limited, excluding nerve terminals where peptidergic neurotransmission occurs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the dynamics of single presynaptic DCV exocytosis at nerve terminals.
  • To determine the role of dynamin in activity-evoked neuropeptide release.
  • To understand how DCV circulation and capture influence synaptic function.

Main Methods:

  • Simultaneous photobleaching and imaging (SPAIM) to track single DCVs in native terminals.
  • Utilizing Drosophila neuromuscular junction to study dynamin's role.
  • Analyzing activity-evoked peptide release and DCV content depletion.

Main Results:

  • Dynamin enhances activity-evoked peptide release at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction.
  • Activity depletes only a portion of a single presynaptic DCV's content, with slow subsequent release.
  • Synaptic neuropeptide release is sustained by multiple rounds of DCV exocytosis and is independent of vesicle traffic history.

Conclusions:

  • Activity-evoked synaptic neuropeptide release involves slow, dynamin-dependent partial emptying of DCVs, potentially via kiss-and-run exocytosis.
  • Vesicle circulation and bidirectional capture ensure a supply of functional DCVs to synapses.
  • Neuropeptide release mechanisms at nerve terminals are robust and adaptable.