Editor's Summary
29 November 2007
A piece of the action
Neurotransmitter release at nerve terminals is triggered by an influx of calcium ions, either spontaneously or, as action potentials, in response to nerve impulses. In the latter case, release is fast (and synchronous) or delayed (asynchronous). Using the tools of genetics and electrophysiology, Sun et al. have teased apart synchronous and asynchronous releases, and propose the existence of independent calcium sensors for the two. They also develop a quantitative model to account for the full range of calcium-dependence of synaptic transmission.
News and Views: Neuroscience: Sensors and synchronicity
Synaptic communication is triggered by action potentials, but neurons also talk to each other in between action potentials. Specific intracellular-calcium sensors regulate these conversations.
Ruth Heidelberger
doi:10.1038/450623a
Article: A dual-Ca2+-sensor model for neurotransmitter release in a central synapse
Jianyuan Sun, Zhiping P. Pang, Dengkui Qin, Abigail T. Fahim, Roberto Adachi & Thomas C. Südhof
doi:10.1038/nature06308
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (948K) | Supplementary information