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Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea

Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea

Published on: May 10, 2019

Optogenetics and electron tomography for structure-function analysis of cochlear ribbon synapses.

Rituparna Chakrabarti^1,2,3, Lina María Jaime Tobón^3,4,5, Loujin Slitin^1,2,3

¹Molecular Architecture of Synapses Group, Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.

|December 23, 2022

Summary

Inner hair cell ribbon synapses rapidly recruit synaptic vesicles to the active zone upon stimulation. Univesicular release is the primary mechanism for neurotransmission in hearing.

Keywords:

active zone cell biology electron tomography exocytosis high-pressure freezing inner hair cells mouse neuroscience synaptic vesicle

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Postsynaptic Recordings at Afferent Dendrites Contacting Cochlear Inner Hair Cells: Monitoring Multivesicular Release at a Ribbon Synapse

Postsynaptic Recordings at Afferent Dendrites Contacting Cochlear Inner Hair Cells: Monitoring Multivesicular Release at a Ribbon Synapse

Published on: February 10, 2011

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Auditory system research
Cellular biology

Background:

Inner hair cells (IHCs) in the cochlea possess ribbon synapses crucial for high-rate sound transmission.
Understanding the active zone (AZ) structure-function relationship is key to elucidating IHC synapse mechanisms.
Previous studies lacked temporal resolution, limiting insights into synaptic vesicle (SV) dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the ultrastructure of functional synapse states in IHCs with millisecond temporal resolution.
To analyze synaptic vesicle dynamics at the active zone using optogenetic stimulation and electron tomography.

Main Methods:

Developed an optogenetic stimulation protocol for IHCs in mice.
Combined patch-clamp recordings with rapid cryo-fixation (milliseconds) and electron tomography.
Analyzed ultrastructural changes in the IHC active zone following light stimulation.

Main Results:

Optogenetic stimulation induced robust IHC depolarization and neurotransmitter release.
The number of docked SVs at the AZ significantly increased after short (17-25 ms) and long (48-76 ms) light stimuli.
No evidence of enlarged SVs or homotypic fusion events was observed.

Conclusions:

Rapid recruitment of SVs to the docked state occurs upon IHC stimulation.
Univesicular release appears to be the predominant quantal mechanism for exocytosis at IHC ribbon synapses.
This study provides high-resolution insights into the dynamic function of IHC ribbon synapses.