Nature Neuroscience 9, 896 - 900 (2006)
Published online: 11 June 2006; | doi:10.1038/nn1719
Activity-dependent synaptic capture of transiting peptidergic vesiclesDinara Shakiryanova1, Arvonn Tully1, 2
& Edwin S Levitan11
Department of Pharmacology, University of Pittburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA. 2
Present address: Compix Inc., 109 Nicholson Road, Cranberry, Pennsylvania 15143, USA.
Correspondence should be addressed to Edwin S Levitan levitan@server.pharm.pitt.edu Synapses require resources synthesized in the neuronal soma, but there are no known mechanisms to overcome delays associated with the synthesis and axonal transport of new proteins generated in response to activity, or to direct resources specifically to active synapses. Here, in vivo imaging of the Drosophila melanogaster neuromuscular junction reveals a cell-biological strategy that addresses these constraints. Peptidergic vesicles continually transit through resting terminals, but retrograde peptidergic vesicle flux is accessed following activity to rapidly boost neuropeptide content in synaptic boutons. The presence of excess transiting vesicles implies that synaptic neuropeptide stores are limited by the capture of peptidergic vesicles at the terminal, rather than by synthesis in the soma or delivery via the axon. Furthermore, activity-dependent capture from a pool of transiting vesicles provides a nerve terminal–based mechanism for directing distally and slowly generated resources quickly to active synapses. Finally, retrograde transport in the nerve terminal is regulated by activity.
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