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Measuring synaptic vesicles using cellular electrochemistry and nanoscale molecular imaging

Nature Reviews Chemistry volume 1, Article number: 0048 (2017) Cite this article

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Abstract

The synaptic vesicle, a cellular compartment tens to hundreds of nanometres in size, is a main player in the process of exocytosis for neuronal communication. Understanding the regulatory mechanism of neurotransmission and neurological disorders requires the quantification of chemicals transmitted between cells. These challenging single vesicle measurements can be performed using analytical techniques described in this Review. In vivo amperometry at living cells can be used to quantify the amount of neurotransmitter released from a vesicle. By contrast, intracellular vesicle impact electrochemical cytometry allows the amount of molecules to be determined inside single vesicles. Although the dominant mode of exocytosis from vesicles is still under debate, several experiments point to the importance of partial release modes. Making use of fluorescent or isotopically labelled probes enables super-resolution optical and mass spectrometric imaging of molecular composition and activity of single vesicles. Correlating results from these nanoscopic techniques with those from electrochemistry has proved advantageous in understanding the relationship between vesicle structure and function.

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Figure 1: Illustration of single-cell amperometry and three modes of exocytosis.
Figure 2: Amperometric measurement of octopamine release from a neuronal varicosity in a Drosophila melanogaster larva.
Figure 3: Amperometric measurement of noradrenaline release from single cultured neurons.
Figure 4: Nanoelectrode amperometry allows monitoring of vesicular exocytosis inside a synapse between SCG neurons.
Figure 5: Intracellular VIEC allows quantification of vesicular transmitter content in live cells.
Figure 6: Principles of super-resolution STED, STORM and nanoSIMS imaging.
Figure 7: Applications of super-resolution STED, STORM and nanoSIMS imaging in synaptic research.
Figure 8: Multimodal molecular imaging uncovers the structure and synaptic activity of single vesicles.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank S. O. Rizzoli for helpful comments, and the many colleagues and collaborators that have contributed to work cited in this Review. This work was supported by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Swedish Research Council, the European Research Council, and the US National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 41296, Sweden

    Nhu T. N. Phan, Xianchan Li & Andrew G. Ewing

  2. University of Göttingen Medical Center, Institute of Neuro- and Sensory Physiology, Göttingen, 37073, Germany

    Nhu T. N. Phan

  3. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, 41296, Sweden

    Andrew G. Ewing

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Phan, N., Li, X. & Ewing, A. Measuring synaptic vesicles using cellular electrochemistry and nanoscale molecular imaging. Nat Rev Chem 1, 0048 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-017-0048

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