Synapses and neurotransmitters Flashcards
What is a synapse?
A junction between 2 neurones allowing signals to pass from one to the other
What is synaptic transmission?
The process of signalling via synapses
What is the evidence for the existence of neurones? (3)
- Golgi stain
- Physiological evidence from reflex studies
- Electron microscopy
What are the 2 kinds of synapses?
- Chemical
- Electrical
What are electrical synapses?
Gap junctions made of connexins which allow current to flow directly between neurones (diffusion)
How can you test for an electrical synapse? (3)
- Inject dye into a cell, will diffuse straight into the adjacent cell via the gap junction
- Stimulate a neurone, record the depolarisation and hyperpolarisation from the adjacent cell
- Connexin gene deletion
What are electrical synapses good for? (2)
- Fast communication
- Synchronising neurones
What was the first evidence for chemical synapses?
- Loewi’s experiment
- Stimulate Vagus nerve, remove fluid, add to recipient heart
- Heart rate slows
- Demonstrates that electrical signalling is converted to a chemical signal
What are the steps of chemical synaptic transmission? (5)
- Package neurotransmitter in vesicles at the pre-synaptic terminal
- Action potential depolarisation causes opening of Ca2+ channels
- Ca2+ influx causes vesicles to fuse with the membrane and release neurotransmitter
- Neurotransmitter diffuses across synaptic cleft and activates receptors on post-synaptic membrane
- Neurotransmitter removed from synaptic cleft
What are the 2 types of synaptic vesicles?
- Synaptic vesicles
- Dense-core secretory granules
What is stored in synaptic vesicles?
Small molecule neurotransmitters
What is stored in dense-core secretory granules?
Peptide neurotransmitters
How are synaptic vesicles filled?
Filled by transporter proteins at the presynaptic terminal
How are dense-core secretory granules filled?
Created and filled by the ER/Golgi secretory apparatus
What happens to synaptic vesicles once they have released their cargo?
Recycled by endocytosis
What happens to dense-core secretory granules once they have released their cargo?
Not recycled, single use
What is synaptotagmin?
Ca2+ binding protein on vesicles
What are the 2 types of SNAREs?
- v-SNAREs (vesicle)
- t-SNAREs (target)
How does Ca2+ cause vesicle fusion?
- Ca2+ binds to synaptotagmin causing a conformational change
- Causes the SNAREs to join together and forces the vesicle to fuse with the membrane
Which toxins target SNAREs? (2)
- Botulinum toxin
- Tetanus toxin
What receptors can neurotransmitters bind to on the postsynaptic neurone?
- Ionotropic (ligand-gated ion channel)
- Metabotropic (G-protein coupled receptor)
How can neurotransmitters be removed from the synaptic cleft? (3)
- Diffuse away
- Taken up into presynaptic neuron/glial cell and recycled
- Destroyed by enzymes in the synaptic cleft
Which direction do signals pass in electrical synapses?
Both directions
Which direction do signals pass in chemical synapses?
One direction
Which kind of synapse has faster signal transmission?
Electrical
Which kind of synapse can have more complicated downstream modulations/transformations?
Chemical
Do motor neuron action potentials always cause muscle cell action potentials?
Yes
Which neurotransmitter is used at neuromuscular junctions?
Acetylcholine (cholinergic)
What allows the neuromuscular junction to be so efficient? (3)
- Large number of active zones on presynaptic membrane
- Junctional folds on postsynaptic membrane
- Junctional folds directly opposite active zones
What are junctional folds?
Folds in the postsynaptic membrane of NMJ filled with neurotransmitter receptors
What proved the existence of vesicles?
- Stimulation of motor neurone caused endplate potentials which were integer multiples of spontaneous motor endplate potentials
- Concluded that neurones release discrete packages of neurotransmitter containing a set amount
- Spontaneous potential occurs when one vesicle accidentally fuses and releases its cargo
What is the criteria for a neurotransmitter? (4)
- Present in presynaptic terminals
- Released in response to stimulation
- Acts on the postsynaptic neuron
- Blocking the neurotransmitter prevents synaptic transmission
How could you determine if a molecule is acting as a neurotransmitter?
- Immunostaining to determine its presence, presence of enzymes to make it/transporter proteins to store it
- Collect the fluid around neurones after stimulation and analyse
- Test if the molecule mimics the effect of stimulating the cell
- Use drugs/delete genes/receptors to block the neurotransmitter
What are the 3 types of neurotransmitters?
- Amino acids (small molecules)
- Amines (small molecules)
- Peptides
How are amino acid neurotransmitters stored?
Synaptic vesicles
How are amine neurotransmitters stored?
Synaptic vesicles
How are peptide neurotransmitters stored?
Dense-core secretory granules
Which neurotransmitters are small molecules?
Amino acids and amines
Which receptors can small molecule neurotransmitters act on? (2)
- Ionotropic
- Metabotropic
Which receptors can peptide neurotransmitters act on?
Metabotropic only
What is co-transmission?
When a peptide-releasing neuron also releases a small molecule transmitter at the same time, called the co-transmitter
What kind of neurotransmitter is glutamate?
Amino acid (small molecule)
What is the most common excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS?
Glutamate
Which 3 ionotropic receptors does glutamate act on?
- AMPA receptor
- NMDA receptor
- Kainate receptor
How is glutamate action terminated?
Transporter proteins take up glutamate into the presynaptic terminal and glia
What happens when glutamate binds to AMPA receptors?
- Channel opens
- Allows Na+ into neuron and K+ out
- Causes an EPSP
What kind of receptor are AMPA receptors?
Ionotropic
What binds to AMPA receptors?
Glutamate
Which ions can pass through AMPA receptors? (2)
- Na+
- K+
Which ions can pass through NMDA receptors? (3)
- Na+
- K+
- Ca2+
What binds to NMDA receptors?
Glutamate
What kind of receptor are NMDA receptors?
Ionotropic
What makes NMDA receptors different from AMPA receptors?
- NMDA receptors allow Ca2+ in but AMPA don’t
- NMDA receptors are blocked with Mg2+ when the neuron is at resting potential
Why is glutamate binding not enough to open NMDA receptors?
They are blocked with Mg2+ which is attracted to the negative inside of the neuron when at resting potential
How are NMDA receptors opened?
- Depolarisation of the neuron removes the voltage-dependent Mg2+ block (becomes more positive so repels)
- Glutamate binding can open the channel when the neuron is depolarised and the Mg2+ has been removed
How do NMDA receptors act as a coincidence detector?
They are dual-gated which means they are only opened when the neuron is activated right after already being activated
How many subunits do AMPA and NMDA receptors have?
4
Which metabotropic receptors does glutamate act on?
mGluR1, mGluR2 etc.
How can glutamate also be inhibitory?
Can act via an inhibitory metabotropic receptor
Is glutamate excitatory or inhibitory?
Excitatory
Is GABA excitatory or inhibitory?
Inhibitory
What kind of neurotransmitter is GABA?
Amino acid
Not used to synthesis proteins
How is GABA made?
Synthesised from glutamate
Which enzyme converts glutamate to GABA?
Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)
How is GABA action terminated?
Transporter proteins take up GABA into the presynaptic terminal and glia
Which ionotropic receptor does GABA act on?
GABAa receptor
Which ion can pass through GABAa receptors?
Cl-
What happens when GABA binds to GABAa receptors?
- Cl- enters the neuron
- Produces an IPSP
What can too little GABA cause?
Seizures
What can too much GABA cause?
Coma/loss of consciousness
How do drugs modulate the activity of GABAa receptors?
- Bind to an allosteric binding site
- Need GABA to also bind in order to cause an effect
Which drugs can modulate the activity of GABAa receptors? (3)
- Ethanol
- Benzodiazepines
- Barbiturates
What is the effect of ethanol on GABAa receptors?
Enhances the effects of GABA
What are benzodiazepines used to treat?
Anxiety
What is the effect of benzodiazepines on GABAa receptors?
Enhances the effects of GABA