The Number and Distinct Clustering Patterns of Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels in Nerve Terminals.

ABSTRACT: Upon the arrival of action potentials at nerve terminals, neurotransmitters are released from synaptic vesicles (SVs) by exocytosis. Ca _V 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 are the major subunits of the voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) responsible for increasing intraterminal calcium levels and triggering SV exocytosis in the central nervous system (CNS) synapses. The two-dimensional analysis of Ca _V 2 distributions using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-digested freeze-fracture replica labeling (SDS-FRL) has revealed their numbers, densities, and nanoscale clustering patterns in individual presynaptic active zones. The variation in these properties affects the coupling of VGCCs with calcium sensors on SVs, synaptic efficacy, and temporal precision of transmission. In th

SUBMITTER: Eguchi K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8907123 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature