Henrique von Gersdorff - US grants

PROJECT SUMMARY The hair cell synapse is the first step in the ascending auditory pathway. Disruption of this ribbon-type synapse can lead to severe hearing disorders. The goal of this proposal is to investigate how hair cell synaptic activity provides rapid signaling for long periods of time without fatigue. To maintain a continuous release of neurotransmitter the hair cell requires a large pool of synaptic vesicles that are readily releasable. However, the mechanisms that regulate synaptic vesicle endocytosis and the replenishment of vesicle pools in hair cells are poorly understood. We propose here to study fundamental aspects of synaptic transmission at inner hair cells (IHCs) in mouse cochlea and at auditory hair cells in the adult bullfrog amphibian papilla (AP). The AP preparation allows us to routinely access single hair cells and their afferent fibers for high-time-resolution patch-clamp electrophysiology and structure/function studies. We propose to use paired recordings of the hair cell and its connected afferent fiber to study multivesicular release and simultaneously to measure membrane capacitance changes from the hair cell to assay the exocytosis and endocytosis of synaptic vesicles. We will pursue three Specific Aims: First, we hypothesize that the fast and phasic component of release from hair cells requires high levels of ATP synthesis and hydrolysis, whereas the sustained component of release persists at a reduced rate even when ATP levels are very low. Accordingly, hair cells contain numerous mitochondria that are located near synaptic ribbons suggesting a need for a large amount of local ATP. Second, we will test the role of internal pH in controlling the rate of endocytosis in hair cells. Finally, we will study a transient block of the Ca2+ current in post-hearing mouse IHCs that is caused by the release of protons during multivesicular exocytosis. This transient block of the Ca2+ current constitutes a new method to study multivesicular release at IHC synapses and a new mechanism to explain the rapid spike adaption that is observed in vivo at the mammalian auditory nerve. Together these experiments will determine how pH changes affect endocytosis at hair cells and they will clarify the contributions of metabolic mechanisms that influence the auditory hair cell's ability to continuously release neurotransmitter.

The retina detects and transmits large amounts of visual information quickly and reliably. Ribbon synapses are key components of the vertebrate retinal circuitry, forming the first and second presynaptic elements in the signaling pathway to the brain. The specialized morphology and function of the ribbons presumably endows them with a unique capacity for copious and fast neurotransmitter release, which is thought to be essential for the efficient processing and encoding of visual information. Nevertheless, the underlying cellular mechanisms that modulate and maintain transmitter output from ribbon synapses under vastly different ambient light conditions and during the daytime/nighttime cycle are poorly understood. Due to their large size, we are able to patch-clamp single goldfish bipolar cell terminals. This allows us to measure both presynaptic Ca currents and evoked changes in membrane capacitance that assay synaptic vesicle exocytosis and endocytosis in real time. We have found that synaptic terminals have a greatly reduced efficiency of release at night, so that large Ca currents evoke small amounts of exocytosis. Conversely, relatively smaller Ca currents evoke much larger amounts of exocytosis during daytime. In addition, we have found that the well-known intermediate metabolites NAD+ and NADH modulate ribbon synapse output, perhaps via their interaction with a novel and major ribbon constituent protein RIBEYE. Thus, the first hypothesis to be tested is that the efficiency of exocytosis changes at a ribbon synapse in a circadian cycle (that parallels changes in ribbon morphology and metabolic state of the synapse), and that ribbon function is modulated by metabolites that reflect cellular energy levels. We have also found that elevated levels of internal Cl-ions inhibit the rate of endocytosis at ribbon synapses. Therefore, the second hypothesis to be tested is that Cl-influx via the strong GABAergic input at the terminal directly modulates the rate of vesicle recycling by inhibiting endocytosis, the first step in the recycling process. This finding suggests a novel role for Cl- ions as second messengers that modulate vesicle cycling. Finally, we have preliminary evidence that dephosphorylation drastically inhibits the mobility of synaptic vesicles within bipolar cell terminals. Very little is known about how ribbon synapses regulate vesicle mobility and clustering. The third hypothesis to be tested is that phosphorylation regulates vesicle recycling and mobility at ribbon synapses. These studies will thus increase our understanding of ribbon synapses as dynamic structures that adapt to diverse conditions so as to efficiently transmit a wide array of stimuli.

PROJECT SUMMARY The mammalian auditory brainstem contains specialized synapses that preserve the precise timing of action potential spikes. We propose to study two of these specialized synapses: the large calyx of Held synapse in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) and the small bouton-type glycinergic synapses of the lateral superior olive (LSO), that are linked through the MNTB principal neuron. The long-term goal is to determine the biophysical properties and structure/function of these two pivotal synapses in the circuitry that computes the locus of high frequency sounds. We will perform patch clamp recordings in mouse brainstem slices from more adult-like stages of development, when mice fully acquire their fine-tuned ability to hear and localize sound. Our preliminary data show that several fundamental aspects of brainstem synapses mature only at postnatal day 30. We thus propose to study the synaptic delays, synaptic strength and short-term plasticity of adult-like auditory synapses. The first hypothesis is that adult-like calyx-type nerve terminals in the MNTB contain heterogeneous and crowded active zones (AZs) with multiple docked vesicles that produce ultrashort delays in vesicle exocytosis. We will perform detailed ultrastructural reconstructions of the AZs using high-resolution electron tomography (ET). We plan to identify the major factors that promote short exocytosis delays, such as a large vesicle pool size, crowded AZs with diffusional barriers for Ca2+ ions and tight vesicle-to-Ca2+-channel coupling. The second hypothesis is that the timing and strength of glycine release in the LSO change during postnatal development due to shifts in release probability and the size of the readily releasable pool of vesicles. We report for the first time that inhibitory postsynaptic currents from LSO neurons are preceded by a prespike waveform that reflects the synchronous arrival of the presynaptic action potentials at multiple synaptic boutons. This allowed us to quantify for the first time the synaptic delay of a glycinergic auditory synapse. We will also test the hypothesis that the temporal precision of spike-evoked glycine release relies on large multiquantal exocytosis. The third hypothesis to be tested is that during postnatal development the LSO glycinergic synapse acquires a robust Ca2+-dependent vesicle recruitment mechanism. A sustained steady- state release of glycine onto the LSO neurons thus effectively blocks their ability to fire spikes in response of excitatory inputs. Our preliminary LSO data show, surprisingly in contrast to the calyx of Held, that maturing glycinergic LSO synapses decrease their vesicle pool size and increase release probability. Using confocal microscopy and genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators, we will image Ca2+ influx at glycinergic boutons, and for the first time describe, using ET, their 3D ultrastructure at high resolution. Together with our collaborators we will further validate and study the physiological relevance of our results using in vivo recordings and computer modeling. The proposed experiments will launch new studies on mature LSO synapse structure/function using electron tomography, patch clamp recordings, and direct Ca2+ imaging of LSO bouton-type nerve terminals.