Recent experiments indicate that modification of synaptic strength may involve rapid regulation of vesicular traffic on the postsynaptic side of the synapse. The specific vesicular trafficking route taken by postsynaptic receptors appears to depend on the stimulus.

Uptake of the Parkinsonism-inducing toxin, 1-methyl4-phenylpyridinium (MPP), into dopaminergic terminals is thought to block Complex I activity leading to ATP loss and overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The present study indicates that MPP-induced ROS formation is not mitochondrial in origin but results from intracellular dopamine (DA) oxidation. Although a mean lethal dose of MPP...

The inner ear uses specialized synapses to indefatigably transmit sound information from hair cells to spiral ganglion neurons at high rates with submillisecond precision. The emerging view is that hair cell synapses achieve their demanding function by employing an unconventional presynaptic molecular composition. Hair cell active zones hold the synaptic ribbon, an electron-dense projection mad...

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a key cytokine in HIV replication and pathogenesis. For reasons that are not entirely clear, the cytokine remains upregulated despite anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Here we demonstrate that HIV Nef induces an alternative TNF secretion mechanism that remains active in chronic infection. Ingestion of Nef-containing plasma extracellular vesicles (pEV) from ART patien...

Disruption of neurotransmitter vesicle dynamics (transport, capacity, release) has been implicated in a variety of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions. Here, we report a novel mouse model of enhanced vesicular function via bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-mediated overexpression of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2; Slc18a2). A twofold increase in vesicular transpo...

kuh-e-siah is located in the north of gavkhuni lagoon and east of the varzaneh (se of isfahan) and is a part of urumieh-dokhtar magmatic arc (udma). the volcanic rocks of this area are vesicular basalt and basaltic andesite with late miocene age. the most common textures of these rocks are porphyry, microlitic porphyritic, hyaloporphyric and vesicular. plagioclase, olivine and clinopyroxene are...

Repeated high-dose injections of methamphetamine (METH) rapidly decrease dopamine uptake by the vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT-2) associated with dopaminergic nerve terminals, as assessed in nonmembrane-associated vesicles purified from striata of treated rats. The purpose of this study was to determine whether METH similarly affects vesicular uptake in the hippocampus; a region innerv...

The plasmalemmal dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT) is a principal site of action for cocaine. This report presents the novel finding that in addition to inhibiting DAT function, cocaine administration rapidly alters vesicular DA transport. Specifically, cocaine treatment abruptly and reversibly increased both the V(max) of DA uptake and the B(max) of vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT-2) lig...

The vesicular transmitter transporters VGLUT, VGAT, VMAT2 and VAChT, define phenotype and physiological properties of neuronal subtypes. VGLUTs concentrate the excitatory amino acid glutamate, VGAT the inhibitory amino acid GABA, VMAT2 monoamines, and VAChT acetylcholine (ACh) into synaptic vesicle (SV). Following membrane depolarization SV release their content into the synaptic cleft. A stric...