Scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have captured neuronal communication. They revealed the atomic structure of an enzyme that neurons use for communication. They used cutting-edge imaging technologies at the SickKids Nanoscale Biomedical Imaging Facility.
All brain function, from memory and emotion to learning and motor control, is enabled via communication across synapses. These are connections between neurons. Miscommunication can lead to several illnesses, including epilepsy.
Although the mechanisms by which neurons interact have been researched for decades. A new study published in Science provides a clearer understanding of synapse activity through models developed from hundreds of thousands of high-resolution photographs.
Dr. Claire Coupland, first author and postdoctoral fellow in the Rubinstein Lab, and Dr. John Rubinstein, Senior Scientist in the Molecular Medicine program, lead the research team. They hope to identify new therapeutic targets to help treat children with epilepsy and other neurological conditions. Through photographing and modeling the release of chemicals from neurons.
Following the findings’ publication, Rubinstein discusses how his team took the pictures. She also discussed the potential implications of their research for patients in the future.
Research on Neuronal Communication
Neurons release neurotransmitters into synapses for communication, reabsorbed and repackaged into new synaptic vesicles. Vesicular-type ATPase (V-ATPase) acts as a pump to drive neurotransmitters into synaptic vesicles. And regulates their release to clear out the synapse for the next signal.
According to our research, V-ATPase spontaneously disintegrates synaptic vesicles when they load. Hence controlling the release of neurotransmitters from the vesicles. We discovered that the V-ATPases broke into two pieces when neurotransmitters were added to the synaptic vesicles. Thereby, facilitating the release of neurotransmitters.
Capturing Process Images
We isolated synaptic vesicles and acquired images of them using new biochemical techniques. And imaging techniques made possible by the SickKids Nanoscale Biomedical Imaging Facility. From there, we created previously unheard-of computational methods to examine the pictures and reveal the V-ATPase in the vesicles at a high resolution.
Based on pictures we took with cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). A technique that takes pictures of samples at -196°C, we built three-dimensional models of the V-ATPase. Our group observed that V-ATPase interacts with multiple synaptic vesicle components, including lipids and proteins involved in neurotransmitter release.
