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Lipids and synaptic functions
Author(s) -
Mochel Fanny
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of inherited metabolic disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1573-2665
pISSN - 0141-8955
DOI - 10.1007/s10545-018-0204-1
Subject(s) - exocytosis , sphingolipid , synaptic vesicle , biology , endocytosis , membrane lipids , synaptic plasticity , lipid metabolism , neurotransmission , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , synaptic cleft , neuroscience , membrane , vesicle , cell , receptor
Synaptic functions have long been thought to be driven by proteins, especially the SNARE complex, contrasting with a relatively passive role for lipids constituting cell membranes. It is now clear that not only lipids, i.e. glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids and sterols, play a determinant role in the dynamics of synaptic membranes but they also actively contribute to the endocytosis and exocytosis of synaptic vesicles in conjunction with synaptic proteins. On the other hand, a growing number of inborn errors of metabolism affecting the nervous system have been related to defects in the synthesis and remodelling of fatty acids, phospholipids and sphingolipids. Alterations of the metabolism of these lipids would be expected to affect the dynamics of synaptic membranes and synaptic vesicles. Still, only few examples are currently documented. It remains to be determined to which extent the pathophysiology of disorders of complex lipids biosynthesis and remodelling share common pathogenic mechanisms with the more traditional synaptopathies.