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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 26, 2026

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Variable priming of a docked synaptic vesicle.

Jae Hoon Jung1, Joseph A Szule2, Robert M Marshall2

  • 1Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305; Department of Physics, Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford, CA 94305; Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 10, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Synaptic vesicle priming, a key step in neurotransmission, is dynamically regulated by the contact area between vesicle and presynaptic membranes. This contact area influences fusion probability and is linked to vesicle shape and active zone protein interactions.

Keywords:
active zone materialelectron tomographyhemifusionprimingsynapse

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Synaptic vesicle priming is crucial for regulating neurotransmitter release probability.
  • The physical interactions between vesicle and presynaptic membranes during priming are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the structural basis of synaptic vesicle priming at the frog neuromuscular junction.
  • To correlate the contact area between vesicle and presynaptic membranes with fusion probability.

Main Methods:

  • Electron tomography was used to visualize the active zones of axon terminals.
  • Analysis of the contact area between vesicle membrane (VM) and presynaptic membrane (PM) in resting and stimulated conditions.
  • Correlation of contact area with vesicle shape and active zone material properties.

Main Results:

  • The contact area between VM and PM in docked vesicles at rest follows a normal distribution.
  • During stimulation, the distribution shifts, with a subpopulation showing hemifusion, indicating an intermediate fusion state.
  • Contact area size is dynamic, recovering to resting levels after activity.
  • Contact area correlates with vesicle shape and the length of active zone macromolecules.

Conclusions:

  • Synaptic vesicle priming is a continuum of states influencing fusion probability.
  • The extent of the VM-PM contact area is a key determinant of fusion probability.
  • Priming is regulated by force-generating shortening of active zone macromolecules in a dynamic equilibrium.