A large pool of releasable vesicles in a cortical glutamatergic synapse.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 12815098.
- Also identified by PMC identifier 166423.
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Abstract
To probe exocytosis at a cortical glutamatergic synapse, we made capacitance measurements in whole-cell recorded hippocampal mossy fiber terminals. Evaluation of different methods by using a morphology-based equivalent electrical model revealed that quantitative capacitance measurements are possible in this presynaptic structure. Voltage pulses leading to presynaptic Ca2+ inflow evoked large capacitance signals that showed saturation with increasing pulse duration. The mean peak capacitance increase was 100 fF, corresponding to a pool of approximately 1,400 releasable vesicles. Thus hippocampal mossy fiber synapses have a vesicular "maxipool." Large pool size and rapid vesicle recycling may underlie the uniquely large extent of activity-dependent plasticity in this synapse.
Medical subject headings
- Mossy Fibers, Hippocampal
- Secretory Vesicles