November 2, 2024

Scientists Have Decoded the Mechanism of How Synapses Are Formed

Researchers from Charité-Universitätsmedizin, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and the Universities of Leipzig, Chicago and Sheffield also contributed to this impressive work.Fluorescent protein exposes development of synaptic vesiclesTo follow the development of pre-synapses from the beginning, the scientists used CRISPR gene scissors to insert a fluorescent protein into human stem cells, and produced neurons from the customized stem cells. Thanks to the fluorescent marker, the researchers were now able to observe the advancement of nascent synaptic vesicles in living establishing human nerve cells directly under the microscope.Schematic representation of axonal transportation vesicles (blue) bring presynaptic proteins (SV and AZ proteins). “The synaptic vesicle proteins and the proteins of the so-called active zone and likely also the adhesion proteins that hold synapses together, share the same bus,” states research study group leader Professor Dr. Volker Haucke, explaining the surprising finding.

Researchers from Charité-Universitätsmedizin, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and the Universities of Leipzig, Chicago and Sheffield likewise contributed to this remarkable work.Fluorescent protein reveals advancement of synaptic vesiclesTo follow the development of pre-synapses from the beginning, the scientists utilized CRISPR gene scissors to insert a fluorescent protein into human stem cells, and generated neurons from the modified stem cells. Thanks to the fluorescent marker, the researchers were now able to observe the development of nascent synaptic vesicles in living establishing human nerve cells directly under the microscope.Schematic representation of axonal transportation blisters (blue) carrying presynaptic proteins (SV and AZ proteins). “The synaptic blister proteins and the proteins of the so-called active zone and most likely likewise the adhesion proteins that hold synapses together, share the same bus,” specifies research group leader Professor Dr. Volker Haucke, describing the surprising finding. That led to another surprise: While the large bulk of secretory vesicles originate from the so-called Golgi apparatus, the axonal transport vesicles do not include Golgi markers, but share markers with the endolysosomal system, which usually is involved in the degradation of defective proteins in non-neuronal cells. When the contact points in between neurons break down, whether due to disease, accident, or the aging process, it is important to understand the system of axonal transport and the key proteins included in order to step in therapeutically.