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Cited by 356Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors StudyAmino Acid Enzymes and Metabolism

Variability of Neurotransmitter Concentration and Nonsaturation of Postsynaptic AMPA Receptors at Synapses in Hippocampal Cultures and Slices

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Liu, Guogsong, Choi, Sukwoo, Tsien, Richard W·1999·Neuron
DOI 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)81099-5
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Abstract

To understand the elementary unit of synaptic communication between CNS neurons, one must know what causes the variability of quantal postsynaptic currents and whether unitary packets of transmitter saturate postsynaptic receptors. We studied single excitatory synapses between hippocampal neurons in culture. Focal glutamate application at individual postsynaptic sites evoked currents (I(glu)) with little variability compared with quantal excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs). The maximal I(glu) was >2-fold larger than the median EPSC. Thus, variations in [glu]cleft are the main source of variability in EPSC size, and glutamate receptors are generally far from saturation during quantal transmission. This conclusion was verified by molecular antagonism experiments in hippocampal cultures and slices. The general lack of glutamate receptor saturation leaves room for increases in [glu]cleft as a mechanism for synaptic plasticity.

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  • Postsynaptic AMPA receptors in mushroom spines are not saturated by the glutamate released from a single synaptic vesicle.

    “As a corollary, our data suggest that the postsynaptic AMPA receptors in the mushroom spines are not saturated by the glutamate released from a single synaptic vesicle23, 33, because the opening probability of the AMPA receptors was estimated as 0.27, given that the largest mEPSC was ~19 pA (n = 222) in our experiments, and that such mEPSC likely occurred in the mushroom spines with largest number”

    From Dendritic spine geometry is critical for AMPA receptor expression in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons (2001) · cites this paper as [23]

  • The functional mapping approach was able to detect the clustering of AMPA receptors in the postsynaptic membrane.

    “Thus, our functional mapping approach was able to detect the clustering of AMPA receptors in the postsynaptic membrane23, 32, 33.”

    From Dendritic spine geometry is critical for AMPA receptor expression in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons (2001) · cites this paper as [23]

  • The evoked currents had a small coefficient of variation of 0.08, consistent with the postsynaptic action of glutamate.

    “The evoked currents had a small coefficient of variation (CV) of 0.08, consistent with the post-synaptic action of glutamate23.”

    From Dendritic spine geometry is critical for AMPA receptor expression in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons (2001) · cites this paper as [23]

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Authors
Liu, G., Choi, S., & Tsien, R. W.
Affiliations
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
  • Stanford Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Liu, Guogsong
ORCID
Venue
Neuron
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1999-02
Volume
22
Issue
2
Pages
395-409
ISSN
0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0896-6273(00)81099-5
OpenAlex
W1983245247
Cited by
356
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 6
FWCI
8.93
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Neuron (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Amino Acid Enzymes and Metabolism
Keywords
synaptic transmission, excitatory postsynaptic currents, hippocampal synapses, glutamate receptors, synaptic plasticity
MeSH terms
Animals, Cells, Cultured, Hippocampus, Synaptic Transmission, Osmolar Concentration, Receptor Aggregation, Stimulation, Chemical, Synapses, Receptors, Glutamate, Presynaptic Terminals, Receptors, Neurotransmitter, Receptors, AMPA, Neurotransmitter Agents, Glutamic Acid, Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials, Rats, In Vitro Techniques

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