Quantitative Nanoscopy of Inhibitory Synapses: Counting Gephyrin Molecules and Receptor Binding Sites

• Published in: Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Vol. 79; no. 2; pp. 308 - 321
• Main Authors: Specht, Christian G., Izeddin, Ignacio, Rodriguez, Pamela C., El Beheiry, Mohamed, Rostaing, Philippe, Darzacq, Xavier, Dahan, Maxime, Triller, Antoine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 24.07.2013; Elsevier Limited; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Binding sites; Binding Sites - physiology; Carrier Proteins - chemistry; Carrier Proteins - ultrastructure; Cells, Cultured; Experiments; Life Sciences; Membrane Proteins - chemistry; Membrane Proteins - ultrastructure; Microscopy; Molecular Imaging - methods; Nanostructures - chemistry; Nanostructures - ultrastructure; Neural Inhibition - physiology; Neurobiology; Neurons; Neurons and Cognition; Phosphorylation; Protein Binding - physiology; Proteins; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, GABA-A - chemistry; Receptors, GABA-A - metabolism; Receptors, GABA-A - ultrastructure; Receptors, Glycine - chemistry; Receptors, Glycine - metabolism; Receptors, Glycine - ultrastructure; Synapses - chemistry; Synapses - metabolism; Synapses - ultrastructure

The strength of synaptic transmission is controlled by the number and activity of neurotransmitter receptors. However, little is known about absolute numbers and densities of receptor and scaffold proteins and the stoichiometry of molecular interactions at synapses. Here, we conducted three-dimensio...