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Dopamine Release at Individual Presynaptic Terminals Visualized with FFNs
Published on: August 31, 2009
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Neuronal Depolarization Drives Increased Dopamine Synaptic Vesicle Loading via VGLUT.
Jenny I Aguilar1, Matthew Dunn2, Susana Mingote3
1Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
Neuron
|August 22, 2017
Summary
Presynaptic dopamine neurons dynamically increase dopamine content within vesicles through hyperacidification, a process mediated by the vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) in response to cell depolarization.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Neurotransmission
Background:
- Presynaptic dopamine terminals regulate neurotransmission by tuning dopamine release.
- Vesicle dopamine content was previously assumed to be static, but in vitro studies suggest cell activity modulates it.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vivo mechanisms governing presynaptic dopamine vesicle content regulation.
- To explore how cell depolarization influences dopamine vesicle content and neurotransmitter release.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a combined genetic, pharmacological, and imaging approach in Drosophila.
- Examined dopamine vesicle content and pH dynamics in response to depolarization.
- Investigated the role of the vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) in this process.
Main Results:
- Cell depolarization increases synaptic vesicle dopamine content via hyperacidification prior to release.
- This depolarization-induced hyperacidification is mediated by the vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT).
- The observed hyperacidification and VGLUT dependence were also found in mouse ventral midbrain dopamine neurons.
Conclusions:
- Dopamine vesicles dynamically increase their dopamine content in response to depolarization.
- This process involves a cascade of vesicular transporters, including VGLUT, to enhance the vesicular pH gradient.
- Findings suggest a novel mechanism for regulating dopamine neurotransmission in vivo.
Keywords:
VGLUT2depolarizationdopamineglutamateneurotransmissionpHpresynapticsynaptic vesiclevesicle contentMore Related Videos
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