NIH R01 · 2024
Molecular mechanisms of synaptic neurotransmitter release
Synaptic transmission between pre- and postsynaptic neurons occurs when the presynaptic neuron terminal is temporarily depolarized upon an action potential, opening Ca2+ channels near the active zones of synapses. Because the extracellular Ca2+ concentration is much higher than the cytoplasmic concentration, Ca2+ flows into the cytoplasm, triggering fusion of neurotransmitter-filled synaptic vesicles with the presynaptic membrane in less than a millisecond. Upon fusion, neurotransmitter molecules are released into the synaptic cleft, and then bind to receptors located in the postsynaptic membrane. Finally, the fusion machinery is recycled for further rounds of fusion in the presynaptic…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.