Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1979 Apr 1;81(1):43–49. doi: 10.1083/jcb.81.1.43

Binding of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin to the presynaptic membrane in the central nervous system

PMCID: PMC2111520  PMID: 383721

Abstract

Large synaptosome fractions were isolated from the cerebellar and cerebral cortices of rats and were incubated with Clostridium botulinum type A neurotoxin in vitro. The binding of the neurotoxin to the synapses was observed by electron microscopy, using the double-sandwich immunocytochemical method. Botulinum neurotoxin was preferentially bound to the presynaptic membrane in the large synaptosome fraction. The binding regions for the neurotoxin were localized on both the extrajunctional and junctional areas of the presynaptic membranes and appeared as patches of various sizes. However, they did not exist on the postsynaptic membranes. Botulinum neurotoxin is proposed to be a useful analytical tool for understanding the characteristics of the presynaptic membranes in the central nervous system.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (2.4 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BROOKS V. B. An intracellular study of the action of repetitive nerve volleys and of botulinum toxin on miniature end-plate potentials. J Physiol. 1956 Nov 28;134(2):264–277. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1956.sp005642. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BURGEN A. S. V., DICKENS F., ZATMAN L. J. The action of botulinum toxin on the neuro-muscular junction. J Physiol. 1949 Aug;109(1-2):10–24. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1949.sp004364. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bloom F. E., Aghajanian G. K. Fine structural and cytochemical analysis of the staining of synaptic junctions with phosphotungstic acid. J Ultrastruct Res. 1968 Mar;22(5):361–375. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(68)90027-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cotman C. W., Taylor D. Localization and characterization of concanavalin A receptors in the synaptic cleft. J Cell Biol. 1974 Jul;62(1):236–242. doi: 10.1083/jcb.62.1.236. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cull-Candy S. G., Lundh H., Thesleff S. Effects of botulinum toxin on neuromuscular transmission in the rat. J Physiol. 1976 Aug;260(1):177–203. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1976.sp011510. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dasgupta B. R., Boroff D. A., Rothstein E. Chromatographic fractionation of the crystalline toxin of Clostridium botulinum type A. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1966 Mar 22;22(6):750–756. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(66)90212-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Harris A. J., Miledi R. The effect of type D botulinum toxin on frog neuromuscular junctions. J Physiol. 1971 Sep;217(2):497–515. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1971.sp009582. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Heuser J. E., Reese T. S., Landis D. M. Functional changes in frog neuromuscular junctions studied with freeze-fracture. J Neurocytol. 1974 Mar;3(1):109–131. doi: 10.1007/BF01111936. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hirokawa N. Disappearance of afferent and efferent nerve terminals in the inner ear of the chick embryo after chronic treatment with beta-bungarotoxin. J Cell Biol. 1977 Apr;73(1):27–46. doi: 10.1083/jcb.73.1.27. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hirokawa N., Kitamura M. Localization of radioactive I25I-labelled botulinus toxin at the neuromuscular junction of mouse diaphragm. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1975;287(1):107–110. doi: 10.1007/BF00632642. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kao I., Drachman D. B., Price D. L. Botulinum toxin: mechanism of presynaptic blockade. Science. 1976 Sep 24;193(4259):1256–1258. doi: 10.1126/science.785600. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kelly P., Cotman C. W., Gentry C., Nicolson G. L. Distribution and mobility of lectin receptors on synaptic membranes of identified neurons in the central nervous system. J Cell Biol. 1976 Nov;71(2):487–496. doi: 10.1083/jcb.71.2.487. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kitamura M., Sakaguchi S., Sakaguchi G. Significance of 12S toxin of Clostridium botulinum type E. J Bacteriol. 1969 Jun;98(3):1173–1178. doi: 10.1128/jb.98.3.1173-1178.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Pumplin D. W., Reese T. S. Action of brown widow spider venom and botulinum toxin on the frog neuromuscular junction examined with the freeze-fracture technique. J Physiol. 1977 Dec;273(2):443–457. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp012103. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Singer S. J., Nicolson G. L. The fluid mosaic model of the structure of cell membranes. Science. 1972 Feb 18;175(4023):720–731. doi: 10.1126/science.175.4023.720. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Spitzer N. Miniature end-plate potentials at mammalian neuromuscular junctions poisoned by botulinum toxin. Nat New Biol. 1972 May 3;237(70):26–27. doi: 10.1038/newbio237026a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Wonnacott S., Marchbanks R. M. Inhibition by botulinum toxin of depolarization-evoked release of (14C)acetylcholine from synaptosomes in vitro. Biochem J. 1976 Jun 15;156(3):701–712. doi: 10.1042/bj1560701. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Zacks S. I., Rhoades M. V., Sheff M. F. The localization of botulinum A toxin in the mouse. Exp Mol Pathol. 1968 Aug;9(1):77–83. doi: 10.1016/0014-4800(68)90052-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES