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Updated: Nov 30, 2025

An Optical Assay for Synaptic Vesicle Recycling in Cultured Neurons Overexpressing Presynaptic Proteins
Published on: June 26, 2018
Loss of Dysbindin Implicates Synaptic Vesicle Replenishment Dysregulation as a Potential Pathogenic Mechanism in
Han Hu1, Xuefeng Wang1, Chao Li1
1State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Abstract:
The schizophrenia-susceptibility gene, dystrobrevin-binding protein 1 (DTNBP1), encodes the dysbindin protein and mediates neurotransmission and neurodevelopment in normal subjects. Functional studies show that DTNBP1 loss may cause deficient presynaptic vesicle transmission, which is related to multiple psychiatric disorders. However, the functional mechanism of dysbindin-mediated synaptic vesicle transmission has not been investigated systematically. In this study, we performed electrophysiological recordings in calyx of Held synapses. We found that excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) and miniature EPSC (mEPSC) amplitudes were unchanged in dysbindin-deficient synapses, but readily releasable pool (RRP) size and calcium dependent vesicle replenishment were affected during high-frequency stimulation. Moreover, dysbindin loss accompanied slightly decreases in Munc18-1 and snapin expression levels, which are associated with vesicle priming and synaptic homeostasis under high-frequency stimulation. Together, we inferred that dysbindin directly interacts with Munc18-1 and snapin to mediate calcium dependent RRP replenishment. Dysbindin loss may lead to RRP replenishment dysregulation during high-frequency stimulation, potentially causing cognitive impairment in schizophrenia.
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