At small synapses in the brain, clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is the dominant mode of synaptic vesicle retrieval following weak stimulation [1-4]. Clathrin cannot bind to membranes or cargo directly and instead uses adaptor proteins to do so [5]. Although the involvement of clathrin and dynamin in synaptic vesicle retrieval is clear, it is unknown which adaptor proteins are used to sort t...

process. The number of clathrin-coated vesicles and endosome-like structures generally increase in the pe-Department of Cell Biology Howard Hughes Medical Institute riod of recovery after stimulation (Heuser and Reese, 1973). Both clathrin and clathrin accessory proteins are Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, Connecticut 06510 highly concentrated in nerve terminals, and synaptic vesi...

Inducible and reversible silencing of selected neurons in vivo is critical to understanding the structure and dynamics of brain circuits. We have developed Molecules for Inactivation of Synaptic Transmission (MISTs) that can be genetically targeted to allow the reversible inactivation of neurotransmitter release. MISTs consist of modified presynaptic proteins that interfere with the synaptic ve...

Experimental studies on animal models play essential roles in the development of preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for diseases in a wide spectrum of fields including neurological sciences. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the shell-less culture system of the chick embryo as a potential experimental model in the field of developmental neurobiology. We were able to obser...

PURPOSE The subretinal space, which borders the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), photoreceptors, and Müller cells, is an ideal location to deliver genetic vectors, morpholino oligos, and nanopharmaceuticals. Unfortunately, materials injected into the space tend to stay localized, and degenerative changes secondary to retinal detachment limit its usefulness. Furthermore, such injection requires...

The effect of nitric oxide on synaptic vesicle proton gradient and membrane potential of rat brain nerve terminals was studied. It has been shown that nitric oxide in the form of S-nitrosothiols at nanomolar concentrations had no effect on the studied parameters, but caused a rapid dissipation of synaptic vesicle proton gradient and depolarization of mitochondrial membrane in the presence of a ...

Synaptic vesicle fusion in brain synapses occurs in phases that are either tightly coupled to action potentials (synchronous), immediately following action potentials (asynchronous), or as stochastic events in the absence of action potentials (spontaneous). Synaptotagmin-1, -2, and -9 are vesicle-associated Ca2+ sensors for synchronous release. Here we found that double C2 domain (Doc2) protein...

Optical imaging is a valuable tool for investigating alterations in membrane turnover and vesicle trafficking. Established techniques can easily be adapted to study the mechanisms of synaptic dysfunction in models of neuropsychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, such as drug addiction, Parkinsonism, and Huntington's disease. Fluorescent endocytic tracers, including FM1-43, have bee...

Electroencephalographic characteristics and clinical symptoms of an avian genetic reflex epilepsy have been transferred from Fayoumi epileptic (Fepi) chickens to non-epileptic chickens by embryonic homotopic grafts of brain neuroepithelium. Transplanted tissues belonging to the prosencephalic vesicle transferred epileptic electrical features while tissues from the mesencephalic vesicle were res...