Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Direct measurement of exocytosis and calcium currents in single vertebrate nerve terminals

Nature volume 344, pages 449–451 (1990)Cite this article

Abstract

THE release of neurohormone is widely thought to be exocytotic, involving Ca2+-dependent1,2 fusion of secretory vesicles3,4 with the plasma membrane5. The inaccessibility of most nerve endings has so far hampered direct time-resolved measurements of neuronal exocytosis in response to brief depolarization. By using 'whole-terminal" patch-clamp and circuit-analysis techniques to measure membrane capacitance6, we have now monitored changes in the surface membrane area of individual nerve terminals isolated from the mammalian neurohypophysis7. A single depolarizing pulse leading to Ca2+ entry through voltage-gated calcium channels8, rapidly and reproducibly increases the membrane area by an amount corresponding to the fusion of 1–100 secretory vesicles. The magnitude of the capacitance increase depends not only on Ca2+ entry and buffering, but also on the pattern of stimulation revealing facilitation, fatigue and recovery of the release process.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Katz, B. & Miledi, R. J. Physiol., Lond. 189, 535–544 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Douglas, W. W. Br. J. Pharmac. 34, 451–474 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Palay, S. L. & Palade, G. E. J. biophys. biochem. Cytol. 1, 69–88 (1955).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. DeRobertis, E. Science 156, 907–914 (1967).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Heuser, J. E. et al. J. cell. Biol. 81, 275–300 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Neher, E. & Marty, A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 6712–6716 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Nordmann, J. J., Desmazes, J. P. & Georgescauld, D. Neuroscience 7, 731–737 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Lemos, J. R. & Nowycky, M. C. Neuron 2, 1419–1426 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Leng, G. (ed.) Pulsatility in Neuroendocrine Systems (CRC, Boca Raton, Florida, 1988).

  10. Cazalis, M., Dayanithi, G. & Nordmann, J. J. J. Physiol., Lond. 390, 55–70 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Nordmann, J. J. & Dayanithi, G. Biosci. Rep. 8, 471–484 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Hamill, O. P., Marty, A., Neher, E., Sakmann, B. & Sigworth, F. J. Pflugers Arch. ges. Physiol. 391, 85–100 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Lindau, M. & Neher, E. Pflugers Arch. ges. Physiol. 411, 137–146 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Joshi, C. & Fernandez, J. M. Biophys. J. 53, 885–892 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Fidler, N. H. & Fernandez, J. M. Biophys. J. 56, 1153–1162 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Clapham, D. E. & Neher, E. J. Physiol., Lond. 353, 541–564 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Bookman, R. J. & Schweizer, F. E. J. gen. Physiol. 92, 4a (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Llinas, R., Steinberg, I. Z. & Walton, K. Biophys. J. 33, 323–352 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Augustine, G. J., Charlton, M. P. & Smith, S. J. J. Physiol., Lond. 367, 163–181 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Katz, B. & Miledi, R. J. Physiol., Lond. 195, 481–492 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Parnas, H., Dudel, J. & Parnas, I. Pflugers Arch. ges. Physiol. 393, 1–14 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Charlton, M. P., Smith, S. J. & Zucker, R. S. J. Physiol., Lond. 323, 173–193 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Penner, R., Neher, E. & Dreyer, F. Nature 324, 76–78 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Schweizer, F. E. et al. Nature 339, 709–712 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Morris, J. F. J. Endocr. 68, 209–224 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, USA

    Nancy Fidler Lim

  2. Department of Anatomy, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19129, USA

    Martha C. Nowycky

  3. Department of Physiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, USA

    Richard J. Bookman

Authors
  1. Nancy Fidler Lim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Martha C. Nowycky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Richard J. Bookman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fidler Lim, N., Nowycky, M. & Bookman, R. Direct measurement of exocytosis and calcium currents in single vertebrate nerve terminals. Nature 344, 449–451 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/344449a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/344449a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing