The First 100 nm Inside the Pre-synaptic Terminal Where Calcium Diffusion Triggers Vesicular Release

Calcium diffusion in the thin 100 nm layer located between the plasma membrane and docked vesicles in the pre-synaptic terminal of neuronal cells mediates vesicular fusion and synaptic transmission. Accounting for the narrow-cusp geometry located underneath the vesicle is a key ingredient that defines the probability and the time scale of calcium diffusion to bind calcium sensors for the initiation of vesicular release. We review here the time scale, the calcium binding dynamics and the consequences for asynchronous versus synchronous release. To conclude, three-dimensional modeling approaches and the associated coarse-grained simulations can now account efficiently for the precise co-organization of vesicles and Voltage-Gated-Calcium-Channel (VGCC). This co-organization is a key determinant of short-term plasticity and it shapes asynchronous release. Moreover, changing the location of VGCC from few nanometers underneath the vesicle modifies significantly the release probability. Finally, by modifying the calcium buffer concentration, a single synapse can switch from facilitation to depression.