L-type Ca2+ channels mediate regulation of glutamate release by subthreshold potential changes.

Subthreshold depolarization enhances neurotransmitter release evoked by action potentials and plays a key role in modulating synaptic transmission by combining analog and digital signals. This process is known to be Ca2+ dependent. However, the underlying mechanism of how small changes in basal Ca2+ caused by subthreshold depolarization can regulate transmitter release triggered by a large increase in local Ca2+ is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the source and signaling mechanisms of Ca2+ that couple subthreshold depolarization with the enhancement of glutamate release in hippocampal cultures and CA3 pyramidal neurons. Subthreshold depolarization increased presynaptic Ca2+ levels, the frequency of spontaneous release, and the amplitude of evoked release, all of which were abolished by blocking L-type Ca2+ channels. A high concentration of intracellular Ca2+ buffer or blockade of calmodulin abolished depolarization-induced increases in transmitter release. Estimation of the readily releasable pool size using hypertonic sucrose showed depolarization-induced increases in readily releasable pool size, and this increase was abolished by the blockade of calmodulin. Our results provide mechanistic insights into the modulation of transmitter release by subthreshold potential change and highlight the role of L-type Ca2+ channels in coupling subthreshold depolarization to the activation of Ca2+-dependent signaling molecules that regulate transmitter release.

Presynaptic structural and functional plasticity are coupled by convergent Rap1 signaling.

Dynamic presynaptic actin remodeling drives structural and functional plasticity at synapses, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Previous work has shown that actin regulation via Rac1 guanine exchange factor (GEF) Vav signaling restrains synaptic growth via bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-induced receptor macropinocytosis and mediates synaptic potentiation via mobilization of reserve pool vesicles in presynaptic boutons. Here, we find that Gef26/PDZ-GEF and small GTPase Rap1 signaling couples the BMP-induced activation of Abelson kinase to this Vav-mediated macropinocytosis. Moreover, we find that adenylate cyclase Rutabaga (Rut) signaling via exchange protein activated by cAMP (Epac) drives the mobilization of reserve pool vesicles during post-tetanic potentiation (PTP). We discover that Rap1 couples activation of Rut-cAMP-Epac signaling to Vav-mediated synaptic potentiation. These findings indicate that Rap1 acts as an essential, convergent node for Abelson kinase and cAMP signaling to mediate BMP-induced structural plasticity and activity-induced functional plasticity via Vav-dependent regulation of the presynaptic actin cytoskeleton.

Voltage-gated calcium channels contribute to spontaneous glutamate release directly via nanodomain coupling or indirectly via calmodulin.

Neurotransmitter release occurs either synchronously with action potentials (evoked release) or spontaneously (spontaneous release). Whether the molecular mechanisms underlying evoked and spontaneous release are identical, especially whether voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) can trigger spontaneous events, is still a matter of debate in glutamatergic synapses. To elucidate this issue, we characterized the VGCC dependence of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) in various synapses with different coupling distances between VGCCs and synaptic vesicles, known as a critical factor in evoked release. We found that most of the extracellular calcium-dependent mEPSCs were attributable to VGCCs in cultured autaptic hippocampal neurons and the mature calyx of Held where VGCCs and vesicles were tightly coupled. Among loosely coupled synapses, mEPSCs were not VGCC-dependent at immature calyx of Held and CA1 pyramidal neuron synapses, whereas VGCCs contribution was significant at CA3 pyramidal neuron synapses. Interestingly, the contribution of VGCCs to spontaneous glutamate release in CA3 pyramidal neurons was abolished by a calmodulin antagonist, calmidazolium. These data suggest that coupling distance between VGCCs and vesicles determines VGCC dependence of spontaneous release at tightly coupled synapses, yet VGCC contribution can be achieved indirectly at loosely coupled synapses.

Impairment of Release Site Clearance within the Active Zone by Reduced SCAMP5 Expression Causes Short-Term Depression of Synaptic Release.

Despite being a highly enriched synaptic vesicle (SV) protein and a candidate gene for autism, the physiological function of SCAMP5 remains mostly enigmatic. Here, using optical imaging and electrophysiological experiments, we demonstrate that SCAMP5 plays a critical role in release site clearance at the active zone. Truncation analysis revealed that the 2/3 loop domain of SCAMP5 directly interacts with adaptor protein 2, and this interaction is critical for its role in release site clearance. Knockdown (KD) of SCAMP5 exhibited pronounced synaptic depression accompanied by a slower recovery of the SV pool. Moreover, it induced a strong frequency-dependent short-term depression of synaptic release, even under the condition of sufficient release-ready SVs. Super-resolution microscopy further proved the defects in SV protein clearance induced by KD. Thus, reduced expression of SCAMP5 may impair the efficiency of SV clearance at the active zone, and this might relate to the synaptic dysfunction observed in autism.