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Cited by 52Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchCellular transport and secretionNicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study

Are unreliable release mechanisms conserved from NMJ to CNS?

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Tarr, Tyler B., Dittrich, Markus, Meriney, Stephen D.·2013·Trends in Neurosciences
DOI 10.1016/j.tins.2012.09.009PMC PMC4076818
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Abstract

The frog neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a strong and reliable synapse because, during activation, sufficient neurotransmitter is released to trigger a postsynaptic action potential (AP). Recent evidence supports the hypothesis that this reliability emerges from the assembly of thousands of unreliable single vesicle release sites. The mechanisms that govern this unreliability include a paucity of voltage-gated calcium channels, a low probability of calcium channel opening during an AP, and the rare triggering of synaptic vesicle fusion even when a calcium channel does open and allows calcium flux. Here, we discuss the evidence that these unreliable single vesicle release sites may be the fundamental building blocks of many types of synapses in both the peripheral and central nervous system (PNS and CNS, respectively).

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  • The alignment of pre- and postsynaptic nanoscale subdomains suggests that even small synapses may be composed of dynamic functional modules.

    “The alignment of pre and postsynaptic nanoscale subdomains4–6 suggests that even small synapses may be composed of dynamic functional modules28,29.”

    From A trans-synaptic nanocolumn aligns neurotransmitter release to receptors (2016) · cites this paper as [28]

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Authors
Tarr, T. B., Dittrich, M., & Meriney, S. D.
Affiliations
University of Pittsburgh (US)
Corresponding author
Meriney, Stephen D.
ORCID
Venue
Trends in Neurosciences
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2013-01
Volume
36
Issue
1
Pages
14-22
ISSN
0166-2236 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.tins.2012.09.009
PMC
PMC4076818
OpenAlex
W2161785510
Cited by
52
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 4
FWCI
0.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Trends in Neurosciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation
  • Fondation ARC pour la Recherche sur le Cancer
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (P41GM103712)
  • National Center for Research Resources (P41RR06009, P41RR006009)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Cellular transport and secretion
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
Keywords
synaptic reliability, neuromuscular junction, voltage-gated calcium channels, synaptic vesicle fusion, neurotransmitter release, central nervous system synapses, frogs
MeSH terms
Animals, Central Nervous System, Humans, Synaptic Transmission, Neuromuscular Junction, Synapses

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