Coactivation of multiple tightly coupled calcium channels triggers spontaneous release of GABA

Courtney Williams, Wenyan Chen, Chia Hsueh Lee, Daniel Yaeger, Nicholas P. Vyleta, Stephen M. Smith

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

Voltage-activated Ca 2+ channels (VACCs) mediate Ca 2+ influx to trigger action potentialg-evoked neurotransmitter release, but the mechanism by which Ca 2+ regulates spontaneous transmission is unclear. We found that VACCs are the major physiological triggers for spontaneous release at mouse neocortical inhibitory synapses. Moreover, despite the absence of a synchronizing action potential, we found that spontaneous fusion of a GABA-containing vesicle required the activation of multiple tightly coupled VACCs of variable type.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1195-1197
Number of pages3
JournalNature Neuroscience
Volume15
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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