Molecular substrates mediating lanthanide-evoked neurotransmitter release in central synapses

ChiHye Chung, Ferenc Deák, Ege T. Kavalali

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Noncanonical secretagogues such as hypertonicity or α-latrotoxin have been extremely informative in studying neurotransmission. Lanthanum and lanthanides can also trigger neurotransmitter release through an unknown mechanism. Here, we studied the effect of lanthanides on neurotransmission in hippocampal cultures. Application of 2 mM La3+ caused rapid and robust neurotransmitter release within seconds. In addition, transient application of La3+ uncovered a sustained facilitation of miniature neurotransmission. The response to La3+ was detectable at 2 μM and increased in a concentration-dependent manner ≤2 mM. Rapid effect of La 3+ was independent of extracellular and intracellular Ca2+ and did not require La3+ entry into cells or activation of phospholipaseCβ. Synapses deficient in synaptobrevin-2, the major synaptic vesicle soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein in the brain, did not display any rapid release in response to La3+, whereas the slow facilitation of release detected after La 3+ removal remained intact. In contrast, preincubation with intracellular Ca2+ chelators selectively attenuated the delayed release triggered by La3+. Moreover, synapses deficient in synaptotagmin-1 maintained a rapid response to La3+, suggesting that La3+-triggered neurotransmitter release does not require synaptotagmin-1 as a sensor. Therefore La3+ has two separate effects on synaptic transmission. For its rapid action, La3+ interacts with a target on the surface membrane, and unlike other forms of release, it triggers strictly synaptobrevin-2-dependent fusion, implying that in central synapses synaptobrevin-2 function is secretagogue specific. For the delayed action, La3+ may act intracellularly after its entry or through intracellular Ca2+ via a mechanism that does not require synaptobrevin-2.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2089-2100
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of neurophysiology
Volume100
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2008

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • Physiology

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