Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210
J Neurosci. 2022 Mar 30;42(13):2729-2742. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1773-21.2022. Epub 2022 Feb 14.
Calretinin (CR) is a major calcium binding protein widely expressed in the CNS. However, its synaptic function remains largely elusive. At the auditory synapse of the endbulb of Held, CR is selectively expressed in different subtypes. Combining electrophysiology with immunohistochemistry, we investigated the synaptic transmission at the endbulb of Held synapses with and without endogenous CR expression in mature CBA/CAJ mice of either sex. Two synapse subtypes showed similar basal synaptic transmission, except a larger quantal size in CR-expressing synapses. During high-rate stimulus trains, CR-expressing synapses showed improved synaptic efficacy with significantly less depression and lower asynchronous release, suggesting more efficient exocytosis than non-CR-expressing synapses. Conversely, CR-expressing synapses had a smaller readily releasable pool size, which was countered by higher release probability and faster synaptic recovery to support sustained release during high-rate activity. EGTA-AM treatment did not change the synaptic transmission of CR-expressing synapses, but reduced synaptic depression and decreased asynchronous release at non-CR-expressing synapses, suggesting that CR helps to minimize calcium accumulation during high-rate activity. Both synapses express parvalbumin, another calcium-binding protein with slower kinetics and higher affinity than CR, but not calbindin. Furthermore, CR-expressing synapses only express the fast isoform of vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGluT1), while most non-CR-expressing synapses express both VGluT1 and the slower VGluT2, which may underlie their lagged synaptic recovery. The findings suggest that, paired with associated synaptic machinery, differential CR expression regulates synaptic efficacy among different subtypes of auditory nerve synapses to accomplish distinctive physiological functions in transmitting auditory information at high rates. CR is a major calcium-binding protein in the brain. It remains unclear how endogenous CR impacts synaptic transmission. We investigated the question at the large endbulb of Held synapses with selective CR expression and found that CR-expressing and non-CR-expressing synapses had similar release properties under basal synaptic transmission. During high-rate activity, however, CR-expressing synapses showed improved synaptic efficacy with less depression, lower asynchronous release, and faster recovery. Furthermore, CR-expressing synapses use exclusive VGluT1 to refill synaptic vesicles, while non-CR-expressing synapses use both VGluT1 and the slower isoform of VGluT2. Our findings suggest that CR may play significant roles in promoting synaptic efficacy during high-rate activity, and selective CR expression can differentially impact signal processing among different synapses.
钙结合蛋白 2(CR)是一种广泛表达于中枢神经系统的主要钙结合蛋白。然而,其突触功能仍然很大程度上难以捉摸。在终球的听觉突触中,CR 选择性地表达在不同的亚型中。我们结合电生理学和免疫组织化学,在成熟的 CBA/CAJ 雌雄小鼠中研究了具有和不具有内源性 CR 表达的终球突触的突触传递。两种突触亚型表现出相似的基础突触传递,除了 CR 表达突触的量子大小更大。在高频率刺激训练期间,CR 表达突触表现出改善的突触效能,抑郁程度显著降低,异步释放减少,表明比非 CR 表达突触更有效的胞吐作用。相反,CR 表达突触的易释放池大小较小,但释放概率较高,突触恢复较快,以支持高频率活动期间的持续释放。EGTA-AM 处理不会改变 CR 表达突触的突触传递,但会减少非 CR 表达突触的突触抑制和异步释放,表明 CR 有助于在高频率活动期间减少钙积累。两种突触都表达了另一种钙结合蛋白——钙结合蛋白 4(parvalbumin),其动力学比 CR 慢,亲和力比 CR 高,但不表达 calbindin。此外,CR 表达突触仅表达囊泡谷氨酸转运体 1(vesicular glutamate transporter 1,VGluT1)的快速同工型,而大多数非 CR 表达突触同时表达 VGluT1 和较慢的 VGluT2,这可能是它们延迟的突触恢复的基础。研究结果表明,与相关的突触机制相结合,CR 的差异表达调节不同听觉神经突触亚型之间的突触效能,以在高频率传递听觉信息时完成独特的生理功能。CR 是大脑中的一种主要钙结合蛋白。内源性 CR 如何影响突触传递仍不清楚。我们在具有选择性 CR 表达的大型终球突触上研究了这个问题,发现 CR 表达和非 CR 表达突触在基础突触传递下具有相似的释放特性。然而,在高频率活动期间,CR 表达突触表现出改善的突触效能,抑郁程度降低,异步释放减少,恢复更快。此外,CR 表达突触使用专有的 VGluT1 来填充突触囊泡,而非 CR 表达突触同时使用 VGluT1 和较慢的 VGluT2 同工型。我们的发现表明,CR 可能在高频率活动期间促进突触效能方面发挥重要作用,并且选择性 CR 表达可以在不同突触之间产生不同的信号处理影响。