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Neuroscience

Towards unified vesicle endocytosis

Nature volume 515, pages 207–208 (2014)Cite this article

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An ultrafast, temperature-dependent mode of endocytosis, a process that is required for neurons to repeatedly fire, challenges current thinking and brings an old model back into the spotlight. See Article p.228

Information is propagated between neurons at specialized junctions called synapses. Electrical signals generated at the presynaptic neuron cause neurotransmitter molecules to be released from synaptic vesicles into the synapse, and the neurotransmitter then binds to a receptor on the postsynaptic neuron, passing the signal on. To prevent depletion of synaptic vesicles during neuronal stimulation, vesicles are recycled through a process called endocytosis. Different types of synaptic-vesicle endocytosis have been described, but the mechanisms, and even the existence of one of the types, are still contested1. In this issue, Watanabe et al.2 (page 228) describe an ultrafast mode of endocytosis that operates at physiological temperatures. In doing so, they might provide a way to reconcile the diverging evidence on synaptic-vesicle endocytosis.

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Figure 1: Amalgamating endocytosis.

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  1. Vladan Lučić is at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.,

    Vladan Lučić

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  1. Vladan Lučić
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Correspondence to Vladan Lučić.

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Lučić, V. Towards unified vesicle endocytosis. Nature 515, 207–208 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13925

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