Calcium Control of Neurotransmitter Release
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Downloaded from http://cshperspectives.cshlp.org/ on September 27, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Calcium Control of Neurotransmitter Release Thomas C. Su¨dhof Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305 Correspondence: [email protected] Upon entering a presynaptic terminal, an action potential opens Ca2þ channels, and transiently increases the local Ca2þ concentration at the presynaptic active zone. Ca2þ then triggers neurotransmitter release within a few hundred microseconds by activating synaptotagmins Ca2þ. Synaptotagmins bind Ca2þ via two C2-domains, and transduce the Ca2þ signal into a nanomechanical activation of the membrane fusion machinery; this acti- vation is mediated by the Ca2þ-dependent interaction of the synaptotagmin C2-domains with phospholipids and SNARE proteins. In triggering exocytosis, synaptotagmins do not act alone, but require an obligatory cofactor called complexin, a small protein that binds to SNARE complexes and simultaneously activates and clamps the SNARE complexes, thereby positioning the SNARE complexes for subsequent synaptotagmin action. The con- served function of synaptotagmins and complexins operates generally in most, if not all, Ca2þ-regulated forms of exocytosis throughout the body in addition to synaptic vesicle exo- cytosis, including in the degranulation of mast cells, acrosome exocytosis in sperm cells, hormone secretion from endocrine cells, and neuropeptide release. ynaptic transmission is initiated when an in the brainstem (Fig. 1B; reviewed in Mein- Saction potential invades a nerve terminal, renken et al. 2003). Overall, these high-resolution opening Ca2þ channels, which gate a highly electrophysiological studies on neurotrans- localized, transient increase in intracellular mitter release revealed that a presynaptic action Ca2þ at the active zone (Fig. 1A). Ca2þ triggers potential is tightly coupled to Ca2þ influx and synaptic vesicle exocytosis, thereby releasing the synaptic vesicle fusion, such that under phys- neurotransmitters contained in the vesicles and iological conditions, Ca2þ triggers fusion in a initiating synaptic transmission. This funda- few hundred microseconds, or possibly even mental mechanism was discovered in pioneer- in less than 100 microseconds (Sabatini and ing work on the neuromuscular junction by Regehr 1996). Katz and Miledi (1967). Its precise time course The amazing speed and precision of Ca2þ- was studied in many “model” synapses, includ- triggered neurotransmitter release raised the ing giant squid axon synapses (Augustine et al. question of how such speed might be possi- 1985) and rat cerebellar parallel fiber synapses ble—how can Ca2þ induce exocytosis in a few (Sabatini and Regehr 1996), but characterized hundred microseconds, on the same timescale in greatest detail in the calyx of Held synapses as the gating of an ion channel? As we will Editors: Morgan Sheng, Bernardo Sabatini, and Thomas Su¨dhof Additional Perspectives on The Synapse available at www.cshperspectives.org Copyright # 2011 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved. Advanced Online Article. Cite this article as Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a011353 1 Downloaded from http://cshperspectives.cshlp.org/ on September 27, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press T.C. Su¨dhof A Synapse Presynaptic terminal Synaptic Mitochondria vesicles Endosomes Ca2+ Postsynaptic density Receptors Postsynaptic Recycling vesiclesspine Endosomes B Presynaptic action potential (APpre) 25 mV AP Gating Ca2+-channels 0.3 msec pre 2+ Ca -Current (ICa2+) –0.5 nA ICa2+ 2+ Ca -triggered 0.5 msec Fusion pore opening Exocytosis (plotted as release rate) Release 0.5 ms–1 Neurotransmitter rate binding to 0.4 msec postsynaptic receptors –2 nA Evoked postsynaptic current (EPSC) Summation of EPSCs 0.1 msec triggers action potential EPSC Postsynaptic action 25 mV Potential (APpost) APpost 0.5 msec Figure 1. Principle and time course of Ca2þ-triggered synaptic transmission. (A) Schematic diagram of a synapse illustrating the localized influx of Ca2þ at the active zone (red ¼ secreted neurotransmitters). (B) Schematic illustration of the sequence and time course of synaptic transmission as measured by simultaneous pre- and postsynaptic patch-clamp recordings at the calyx of Held synapse. Note that Ca2þ currents and EPSC are shown inverted. (Images are modified from Su¨dhof 2004 and Meinrenken et al. 2003.) 2 Advanced Online Article. Cite this article as Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a011353 Downloaded from http://cshperspectives.cshlp.org/ on September 27, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Calcium Control of Neurotransmitter Release describe in this review, the speed and precision majority of the protein (Fig. 2A; Perin et al. of release are mediated, at least in part, by the 1990). Sixteen genes encoding canonical Syts properties of the Ca2þ sensor synaptotagmin are expressed in mammals; in addition, mam- (Syt) and its cofactor complexin. Moreover, in- mals contain a Syt-related gene encoding a creasing evidence indicates that the principal similar protein (the so-called B/K protein) mechanism of Ca2þ-triggered exocytosis, al- that lacks a transmembrane region, and is occa- though not the organization of this mechanism, sionally called Syt17. Synaptotagmins are evo- is conserved in other, slower forms of Ca2þ- lutionarily conserved, and invertebrates also induced exocytosis. Thus, the Syt-based fusion express multiple Syt isoforms. However, synap- apparatus emerges as a general paradigm that totagmins are absent from plants and unicellu- accounts for most Ca2þ-regulated exocytosis in lar eukaryotes, suggesting that they evolved at eukaryotic cells. the same time as animals. Moreover, a large In addition to normal action potential- family of Syt-like proteins is expressed in ani- evoked neurotransmitter release, synapses ex- mals; these proteins also contain two C2- hibit two additional forms of Ca2þ-dependent domains, but will not be discussed here further synaptic exocytosis: spontaneous “mini” release (see Pang and Su¨dhof 2010). Syt1, Syt2, Syt9, and asynchronous release (Pang and Su¨dhof and Syt12 are present on synaptic vesicles and 2010). Spontaneous mini release was discovered on secretory granules in neuroendocrine cells; by Katz (Fatt and Katz 1952), and is thought to the latter also contain Syt7. In addition, Syt10 represent the background activity of a nerve ter- was recently found on secretory vesicles con- minal that is triggered by spontaneous Ca2þ taining IGF-1 in olfactory mitral neurons (Cao fluctuations. Although the biological signifi- et al. 2011); Syt4 was localized to the trans-Golgi cance of spontaneous release remains debated, complex, synaptic vesicles, and postsynaptic its presence can be observed in all neurons. organelles, and may be widely distributed in When calculated on a per-synapse basis, spon- neuronal organelles (reviewed in Su¨dhof taneous release occurs only once every 2– 2004); and Syt7 was additionally localized to 3 hours at an individual excitatory synapse “secretory lysosomes” in nonneuronal and non- of a pyramidal neuron in the CA1 region of endocrine cells (Andrews and Chakrabarti the hippocampus, and approximately once 2005). Other Syts appear to be primarily local- every 3 min at individual inhibitory synapses. ized to transport vesicles, although some Syt Asynchronous release is undetectable in most isoforms are enriched on the plasma membrane synapses under physiological conditions, but (Butz et al. 1999), and the identity of many of becomes apparent when the principal Syt the Syt-containing vesicles remains unknown. Ca2þ sensor for regular release is ablated (Gep- C2-domains were named as sequence pert et al. 1994). Some inhibitory synapses motifs in protein kinase C isoforms (Coussens exhibit a slow form of release on repetitive stim- et al. 1986), but their functional activity as ulation (Hefft and Jonas 2005), which may autonomously folded Ca2þ-binding domains represent either genuine physiological asyn- was first identified in Syt1 (Davletov and chronous release or simply synaptotagmin- Su¨dhof 1993). The atomic structures of the dependent delayed release. C2A-domain of Syt1, the first C2-domain struc- ture determined (Sutton et al. 1995), revealed that C2-domains are composed of a stable STRUCTURE AND BIOCHEMICAL b-sandwich with flexible loops emerging from PROPERTIES OF SYNAPTOTAGMINS the top and bottom (Fig. 2B); all subsequently Syts are defined as proteins containing a short determined C2-domain structures described a amino-terminal noncytoplasmic sequence fol- similar fold. Ca2þ binds exclusively to the top lowed by a transmembrane region, a central loops of the C2-domains, which form binding linker sequence of variable length, and two car- sites for two to three Ca2þ ions in close vicinity boxy-terminal C2-domains that account for the (Shao et al. 1996). Although not all C2-domains Advanced Online Article. Cite this article as Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a011353 3 Downloaded from http://cshperspectives.cshlp.org/ on September 27, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press T.C. Su¨dhof Ca2+ Ca2+ A Y Syt1, Syt2, C ACB Syt7, and Syt9 N 2 2 C Ca2+ Ca2+ N C2AC2B C Syt3, Syt5, S Syt6, and Syt10 S N C C2AC2B Ca2+ Ca2+ Syt4, Syt8, Syt11, N Syt12, Syt13, C2AC2B C Syt14, Syt15, and Syt16 B C2A-domain