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. 1994 Dec 20;91(26):12942–12946. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.26.12942

Two components of transmitter release at a central synapse.

Y Goda 1, C F Stevens 1
PMCID: PMC45556  PMID: 7809151

Abstract

After the arrival of a presynaptic nerve impulse at an excitatory synapse in hippocampal neurons, the rate of neurotransmitter release increases rapidly and then returns to low levels with a biphasic decay. The two kinetically distinct components are differentially affected when Sr2+ is substituted for Ca2+ ions. Our findings are comparable to those of the classical studies for the frog neuromuscular junction, and thus the basic aspects of Ca(2+)-activated transmitter release machinery appear to be conserved in central synapses. The method we have used, in addition, permits us to estimate the average neurotransmitter release rate for a single bouton. The observation of differential Ca2+/Sr2+ sensitivity is consistent with a release mechanism mediated by two Ca2+ sensors with distinct Ca2+ affinities: the low-affinity Ca2+ sensor facilitates the fast synchronous phase of release, whereas the high-affinity sensor sustains the slow asynchronous phase of release.

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Selected References

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

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