Spectrin (βSpIIΣ1) is an essential component of synaptic transmission

• Published in: Brain research Vol. 852; no. 1; pp. 161 - 166
• Main Authors: Sikorski, Aleksander F., Sangerman, José, Goodman, Steven R., Critz, Stuart D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier B.V 03.01.2000; Amsterdam Elsevier; New York, NY
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies - immunology; Antibodies - pharmacology; Antibody; Biological and medical sciences; Cell physiology; Cells, Cultured; Epitopes - immunology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hippocampal neurons; Hippocampus - cytology; Hippocampus - physiology; Molecular and cellular biology; Neurons - drug effects; Neurotransmission; Peptide Fragments - immunology; Peptide Fragments - pharmacology; Presynaptic Terminals - drug effects; Rats; Spectrin - immunology; Spectrin - metabolism; Spectrin - physiology; Synapsins - metabolism; Synaptic Transmission - physiology; Synaptic vesicle docking; Antibody; Synaptic vesicle docking; Hippocampal neurons; Spectrin; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Rat; Synaptic transmission; Synapsin; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Synaptic vesicle; Hippocampus; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/S0006-8993(99)02253-2

The cellular mechanism that underlies the regulated release of synaptic vesicles during neurotransmission is not fully known. Our previous data has shown that brain spectrin (αSpIIΣ1/βSpIIΣ1) 2 is localized in axons and nerve terminals and we have shown that the β subunit (βSpIIΣ1) contains a synapsin-binding domain capable of interacting with synapsin and small synaptic vesicles in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggested a role for brain β-spectrin in synaptic neurotransmission. To examine this possibility further, peptide-specific antibodies directed against epitopes within the synapsin-binding domain of brain β-spectrin, or against flanking regions, were injected into the presynaptic neuron of synaptically paired rat hippocampal neurons in culture. Here, we show that the antibodies directed against the synapsin-binding domain specifically blocked synaptic neurotransmission.