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Neurotransmitter release
Author(s) -
Zimmermann Herbert
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(90)81292-v
Subject(s) - vesicle , synaptic vesicle , vesicle fusion , neurotransmitter , second messenger system , cytosol , chemistry , phosphorylation , biophysics , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , biology , membrane , signal transduction , enzyme , receptor
Axon terminals release more than one physiologically active substance. Synaptic messengers may be stored in two different types of vesicles. Small electron‐lucent vesicles mainly store classical low molecular weight transmitter substances and the larger electron‐dense granules store and release proteins and peptides. Release of the two types of substances underlies different physiological control. Release of messenger molecules from axon terminals is triggered by influx of Ca 2+ through voltage sensitive Ca 2+ channels and a rise in cytosolic Ca 2+ concentrations. Neither the immediate Ca 2+ target(s) nor the molecular species involved in synaptic vesicle docking, fusion and retrieval are known. It is, however, likely that steps involved in the molecular cascade of transmitter release include liberation of vesicles from their association with the cytonet and phosphorylation by protein kinase C of proteins which have the ability to alter between membrane bound and cytoplasmic forms and thus facilitate or initiate the molecular interaction between synaptic vesicles and the plasma membrane.