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Effects of cytochalasin treatment on short-term synaptic plasticity at developing neuromuscular junctions in frogs
- Publication Year :
- 1996
-
Abstract
- 1. The role of actin microfilaments in synaptic transmission was tested by monitoring spontaneous and evoked transmitter release from developing neuromuscular synapses in Xenopus nerve-muscle cultures, using whole-cell recording of synaptic currents in the absence and presence of microfilament-disrupting agents cytochalasins B and D. 2. Treatment with cytochalasins resulted in disruption of microfilament networks in the growth cone and the presynaptic nerve terminal of spinal neurons in Xenopus nerve-muscle cultures, as revealed by rhodamine-phalloidin staining. 3. The same cytochalasin treatment did not significantly affect the spontaneous or evoked synaptic currents during low-frequency stimulation at 0.05 Hz in these Xenopus cultures. Synaptic depression induced by high-frequency (5 Hz) stimulation, however, was reduced by this treatment. Paired-pulse facilitation for short interpulse intervals was also increased by the treatment. 4. These results indicate that disruption of microfilaments alters short-term changes in transmitter release induced by repetitive activity, without affecting normal synaptic transmission at low frequency. 5. Our results support the notion that actin microfilaments impose a barrier for mobilization of synaptic vesicles from the reserve pool, but do not affect the exocytosis of immediately available synaptic vesicles at the active zone.
- Subjects :
- Cytoplasm
Patch-Clamp Techniques
Physiology
Xenopus
Neural facilitation
Neuromuscular Junction
Biology
Neurotransmission
Synaptic vesicle
Ion Channels
chemistry.chemical_compound
Synaptic augmentation
Animals
Cytochalasin
Active zone
Evoked Potentials
Cells, Cultured
Neuronal Plasticity
Cytochalasins
Acetylcholine
Actins
Electric Stimulation
Cell biology
Electrophysiology
Actin Cytoskeleton
Synaptic fatigue
chemistry
Microscopy, Fluorescence
Synaptic plasticity
Synapses
Neuroscience
Research Article
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....1e522b041fadd9030ac8be94b433eb04