Chemical synapses without synaptic vesicles: Purinergic neurotransmission through a CALHM1 channel-mitochondrial signaling complex.

ABSTRACT: Conventional chemical synapses in the nervous system involve a presynaptic accumulation of neurotransmitter-containing vesicles, which fuse with the plasma membrane to release neurotransmitters that activate postsynaptic receptors. In taste buds, type II receptor cells do not have conventional synaptic features but nonetheless show regulated release of their afferent neurotransmitter, ATP, through a large-pore, voltage-gated channel, CALHM1. Immunohistochemistry revealed that CALHM1 was localized to points of contact between the receptor cells and sensory nerve fibers. Ultrastructural and super-resolution light microscopy showed that the CALHM1 channels were consistently associated with distinctive, large (1- to 2-μm) mitochondria spaced 20 to 40 nm from the presynaptic membrane. Pharmacol

SUBMITTER: Romanov RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5966022 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature