Abstract
Synaptic function and role of mitochondria inside nerve terminals can be studied by the isolation of an enriched fraction of synaptosomes, which consist in nerve-ending particles that are formed during homogenization of brain tissue. Different procedures have been described for the isolation of an enriched synaptosomal fraction, most of them based on the use of gradients.
Neuronal function seems to be critically dependent on the energy provided by mitochondrial respiration. The determination of bioenergetic parameters such as mitochondrial membrane potential, respiratory rates, ATP content, and mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in synaptosomal preparations can provide useful information for the understanding of the importance of mitochondrial function in neurotransmission.
Synaptic nerve terminals are constantly exposed to complex Ca2+ fluxes. At the presynaptic terminal, the recovery from calcium oscillations critically depends on the proper mitochondrial function to generate ATP and modulate Ca2+ homeostasis together with an efficient endoplasmic reticulum function.
The differential characteristics of synaptic and non-synaptic mitochondria in terms of bioenergetics and free radical production as well as the response to aging are discussed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Abbreviations
- DAF-2:
-
4,5-Diaminofluorescein
- DAF-2-DA:
-
4,5-Diaminofluorescein diacetate
- EDTA:
-
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
- ER:
-
Endoplasmic reticulum
- FCCP:
-
Carbonyl cyanide-4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone
- GSNO:
-
S-nitrosoglutathione
- H2O2:
-
Hydrogen peroxide
- l-NNA:
-
Nω-nitro-l-arginine
- MPT:
-
Mitochondrial permeability transition
- NAO:
-
10-N-nonylacridine orange
- NMDA:
-
N-methyl-d-aspartate
- NMDAR2B:
-
NMDA receptor NR2B subunit
- nNOS:
-
Neuronal nitric oxide synthase
- NO:
-
Nitric oxide
- NOS:
-
Nitric oxide synthase
- PSD-95:
-
Postsynaptic density protein 95 kDa
- RNS:
-
Reactive nitrogen species
- ROS:
-
Reactive oxygen species
- SYTs:
-
Synaptotagmins
- TMRE:
-
Tetramethylrhodamine, ethyl ester
- VDAC:
-
Voltage-dependent anion channel
References
Whittaker VP, Michaelson IA, Kirkland RJ (1964) The separation of synaptic vesicles from nerve-ending particles (‘synaptosomes’). Biochem J 90:293–303
Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz G, De Robertis E (1972) Properties of the isolated nerve endings. In: Bronner F, Kleinzeller A (eds) Current topics in membranes and transport, vol III. Academic Press, New York, pp 237–272
Nicholls DG (2010) Stochastic aspects of transmitter release and bioenergetic dysfunction in isolated nerve terminals. Biochem Soc Trans 38:457–459
Ly CV, Verstreken P (2006) Mitochondria at the synapse. Neuroscientist 12:291–299
Attwell D, Laughlin SB (2001) An energy budget for signaling in the grey matter of the brain. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 21:1133–1145
De Robertis E, Pellegrino de Iraldi A, Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz G et al (1961) On the isolation of nerve endings and synaptic vesicles. J Biophys Biochem Cytol 9:229–235
Whittaker VP (1959) The isolation and characterization of acetylcholine-containing particles from brain. Biochem J 72:694–706
Bellamy D (1959) The distribution of bound acetylcholine and choline acetylase in rat and pigeon brain. Biochem J 72:165–168
De Robertis E, Pellegrino de Iraldi A, Rodríguez de LoresArnaiz G et al (1962) Cholinergic and non-cholinergic nerve endings in rat brain. I. Isolation and subcellular distribution of acetylcholine and acetylcholinesterase. J Neurochem 9:23–35
Gray EG, Whittaker VP (1962) The isolation of nerve endings from brain: an electron-microscopic study of cell fragments derived by homogenization and centrifugation. J Anat 96:79–88
Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz G, Alberici M, De Robertis E (1967) Ultrastructural and enzymic studies of cholinergic and noncholinergic synaptic membranes isolated from brain cortex. J Neurochem 14:215–225
Lai JC, Clark JB (1976) Preparation and properties of mitochondria derived from synaptosomes. Biochem J 154:423–432
Cotman CW, Matthews DA (1971) Synaptic plasma membranes from rat brain synaptosomes: isolation and partial characterization. Biochim Biophys Acta 249:380–394
Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz G, Girardi E (1977) The increase in respiratory capacity of brain subcellular fractions after the administration of the convulsant 3-mercaptopropionic acid. Life Sci 21:637–646
Lores-Arnaiz S, Lombardi P, Karadayian AG et al (2016) Brain cortex mitochondrial bioenergetics in synaptosomes and non-synaptic mitochondria during aging. Neurochem Res 41:353–363
Lores-Arnaiz S, Bustamante J (2011) Age-related alterations in mitochondrial physiological parameters and nitric oxide production in synaptic and non-synaptic brain cortex mitochondria. Neuroscience 188:117–124
Anderson MF, Sims NR (2000) Improved recovery of highly enriched mitochondrial fractions from small brain tissue samples. Brain Res Protocol 5:95–101
Dunkley PR, Jarvie PE, Robinson PJ (2008) A rapid Percoll gradient procedure for preparation of synaptosomes. Nat Protoc 3:1718–1728
Tenreiro P, Rebelo S, Martins F et al (2017) Comparison of simple sucrose and percoll based methodologies for synaptosome enrichment. Anal Biochem 517:1–8
Nicholls DG (1993) The glutamatergic nerve terminal. Eur J Biochem 212:613–631
Dodd PR, Hardy JA, Oakley AE et al (1981) A rapid method for preparing synaptosomes: comparison, with alternative procedures. Brain Res 226:107–118
Dunkley PR, Jarvie PE, Heath JW et al (1986) A rapid method for isolation of synaptosomes on Percoll gradients. Brain Res 372:115–129
Gylys KH, Fein JA, Cole GM (2000) Quantitative characterization of crude synaptosomal fraction (P-2) components by flow cytometry. J Neurosci Res 61:186–192
Sudhof TC (1995) The synaptic vesicle cycle: a cascade of protein-proteininteractions. Nature 375:645–653
Kornau HC, Schenker LT, Kennedy MB et al (1995) Domain interaction between NMDA receptor subunits and the postsynaptic density protein PSD-95. Science 269:1737–1740
Blanco Garcia J, Aldinucci C, Maiorca SM et al (2009) Physiopathological effects of the NO donor 3-Morpholinosydnonimine on rat cortical synaptosomes. Neurochem Res 34:931–941
Gylys KH, Fein JA, Yang F et al (2004) Enrichment of presynaptic and postsynaptic markers by size-based gating analysis of synaptosome preparations from rat and human cortex. Cytometry A 60:90–96
Hollenbeck PJ, Saxton WM (2005) The axonal transport of mitochondria. J Cell Sci 118:5411–5419
Guo X, Macleod GT, Wellington A et al (2005) GTPase dMiro is required for axonal transport of mitochondria to Drosophila synapses. Neuron 47:379–393
Ma H, Cai Q, Lu W et al (2009) KIF5B motor adaptor syntabulin maintains synaptic transmission in sympathetic neurons. J Neurosci 29:13019–13029
Stowers RS, Megeath LJ, Górska-Andrzejak J et al (2002) Axonal transport of mitochondria to synapses depends on Milton, a novel Drosophila protein. Neuron 36:1063–1077
Lin MY, Sheng ZH (2015) Regulation of mitochondrial transport in neurons. Exp Cell Res 334:35–44
Sheng ZH (2014) Mitochondrial trafficking and anchoring in neurons: new insight and implications. J Cell Biol 204:1087–1098
Brown MR, Sullivan PG, Geddes JW (2006) Synaptic mitochondria are more susceptible to Ca2+ overload than non-synaptic mitochondria. J Biol Chem 281:11658–11668
Naga KK, Sullivan PG, Geddes JW (2007) High cyclophilin D content of synaptic mitochondria results in increased vulnerability to permeability transition. J Neurosci 27:7469–7475
Yarana C, Sanit J, Chattipakorn N et al (2012) Synaptic and non synaptic mitochondria demonstrate a different degree of calcium-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Life Sci 90:808–814
Choi SW, Gerencser AA, Lee DW et al (2011) Intrinsic bioenergetic properties and stress sensitivity of dopaminergic synaptosomes. J Neurosci 31:4524–4534
Brand MD, Nicholls DG (2011) Assessing mitochondrial dysfunction in cells. Biochem J 435:297–312
Choi SW, Gerencser AA, Nicholls DG (2009) Bioenergetic analysis of isolated cerebrocortical nerve terminals on a microgram scale: spare respiratory capacity and stochastic mitochondrial failure. J Neurochem 109:1179–1191
Chavan V, Willis J, Walker SK et al (2015) Central presynaptic terminals are enriched in ATP but the majority lack mitochondria. PLoS One 10(4):e0125185. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0125185
Bustamante J, Di Libero E, Fernandez-Cobo M et al (2004) Kinetic analysis of thapsigargin-induced thymocyte apoptosis. Free Radic Bio Med 37:1490–1498
Alekseenko AV, Lemeshchenko VV, Pekun TG et al (2012) Glutamate-induced free radical formation in rat brain synaptosomes is not dependent on intrasynaptosomal mitochondria membrane potential. Neurosci Lett 513:238–242
Hrynevich SV, Pekun TG, Waseem TV et al (2015) Influence of glucose deprivation on membrane potentials of plasma membranes, mitochondria and synaptic vesicles in rat brain synaptosomes. Neurochem Res 40:1188–1196
Berridge MJ (1997) Elementary and global aspects of calcium signalling. J Physiol 499:291–306
Bootman MD, Collins TJ, Peppiatt CM et al (2001) Calcium signalling-an overview. Semin Cell Dev Biol 12:3–10
Bucurenciu I, Bischofberger J, Jonas P (2010) A small number of open Ca2+ channels trigger transmitter release at a central GABAergic synapse. Nat Neurosci 13:19–21
Bacci A, Verderio C, Pravettoni E et al (1999) Synaptic and intrinsic mechanisms shape synchronous oscillations in hippocampal neurons in culture. Eur J Neurosci 11:389–397
Berridge MJ (1998) Neuronal calcium signaling. Neuron 21:13–26
Berridge MJ, Lipp P, Bootman MD (2000) The versatility and universality of calcium signalling. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 1:11–21
Ishii K, Hirose K, Iino M (2006) Ca2+ shuttling between endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria underlying Ca2+ oscillations. EMBO Rep 7:390–396
Bannai H, Inonie H, Nakayama T et al (2004) Kinesin dependent, rapid, bi-directional transport of ER sub-compartment in dendrites of hippocampal neurons. J Cell Sci 117:163–175
Mironov SL, Symonchuk N (2006) ER vesicles and mitochondria move and communicate at synapses. J Cell Sci 119:4926–4934
Markram H, Helm PJ, Sakmann B (1995) Dendritic calcium transients evoked by single back-propagating action potentials in rat neocortical pyramidal neurons. J Physiol 485:1–20
Billups B, Forsythe ID (2002) Presynaptic mitochondrial calcium sequestration influences transmission at mammalian central synapses. J Neurosci 22:5840–5847
Medler K, Gleason EL (2002) Mitochondrial Ca(2+) buffering regulates synaptic transmission between retinal amacrine cells. J Neurophysiol 87:1426–1439
Belair EL, Vallee J, Robitaille R (2005) Long-term in vivo modulation of synaptic efficacy at the neuromuscular junction of Rana pipiens frogs. J Physiol 569:163–178
Mattson MP (2008) Glutamate and neurotrophic factors in neuronal plasticity and disease. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1144:97–112
Nicholls DG (2008) Oxidative stress and energy crises in neuronal dysfunction. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1147:53–60 o
Bustamante J, Czerniczyniec A, Lores-Arnaiz S (2016) Ketamine effect on intracellular and mitochondrial calcium mobilization. Biocell 40:11–14
Logan CV, Szabadkai G, Sharpe JA et al (2014) Loss-of-function mutations in MICU1 cause a brain and muscle disorder linked to primary alterations in mitochondrial calcium signaling. Nat Genet 46:188–193
Rangaraju V, Calloway N, Ryan TA (2014) Activity-driven local ATP synthesis is required for synaptic function. Cell 156:825–835
Katz B, Miledi R (1967) Ionic requirements of synaptic transmitter release. Nature 215:651
Sabatini BL, Regehr WG (1996) Timing of neurotransmission at fast synapses in the mammalian brain. Nature 384:170–172
Perin MS, Fried VA, Mignery GA et al (1990) Phospholipid binding by a synaptic vesicle protein homologous to the regulatory region of protein kinase C. Nature 345:260–263
Südhof TC (2012) Calcium control of neurotransmitter release. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 4:a011353
Kavalali ET (2015) The mechanisms and functions of spontaneous neurotransmitter release. Nat Rev Neurosci 16(1):5–16
Kilbride SM, Telford JE, Davey GP (2008) Age-related changes in H2O2 production and bioenergetics in rat brain synaptosomes. Biochem Biophys Acta 1777:783–788
Tarasenko A, Krupko O, Himmelreich N (2011) Presynaptic kainate and NMDA receptors are implicated in the modulation of GABA release from cortical and hippocampal nerve terminals. Neurochem Int 59:81–89
Tarasenko A, Krupko O, Himmelreich N (2012) Reactive oxygen species induced by presynaptic glutamate receptor activation is involved in [3H] GABA release from rat brain cortical nerve terminals. Neurochem Int 61:1044–1051
Abdel-Rahman EA, Mahmoud AM, Aaliya A et al (2016) Resolving contributions of oxygen-consuming and ROS-generating enzymes at the 2016 synapse. Oxidative Med Cell Longev 2016:1. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/1089364
Pubill D, Chipana C, Camins A et al (2005) Free radical production induced by methamphetamine in rat striatal synaptosomes. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 204:57–68
Sipos I, Tretter L, Adam-Vizi V (2003) Quantitative relationship between inhibition of respiratory complexes and formation of reactive oxygen species in isolated nerve terminals. J Neurochem 84:112–118
Sipos I, Tretter L, Adam-Vizi V (2003) The production of reactive oxygen species in intact isolated nerve terminals is independent of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Neurochem Res 28:1575–1581
Faber-Zuschratter H, Seidenbecher T, Reymann K et al (1996) Ultrastructural distribution of NADPH-diaphorase in the normal hippocampus and after long-term potentiation. J Neural Transm 103:807–817
Batista CM, de Paula KC, Cavalcante LA et al (2001) Subcellular localization of neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the superficial gray layer of the rat superior colliculus. Neurosci Res 41:67–70
Czerniczyniec A, Bustamante J, Lores-Arnaiz S (2006) Modulation of brain mitochondrial function by deprenyl. Neurochem Int 48:235–241
Brown GC, Cooper CE (1994) Nanomolar concentrations of nitric oxide reversibly inhibit synaptosomal respiration by competing with oxygen at cytochrome oxidase. FEBS Lett 356:295–298
López-Figueroa MO, Caamaño C, Morano MI et al (2000) Direct evidence of nitric oxide presence within mitochondria. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 272:129–133
Genova ML, Bovina C, Marchetti M et al (1997) Decrease of rotenone inhibition is a sensitive parameter of complex I damage in brain non-synaptic mitochondria of aged rats. FEBS Lett 410:467–469
Lenaz G, D’Aurelio M, Merlo Pich M et al (2000) Mitochondrial bioenergetics in aging. Biochem Biophys Acta 1459:397–404
Navarro A, Boveris A (2007) Brain mitochondrial dysfunction in aging: conditions that improve survival, neurological performance and mitochondrial function. Front Biosci 12:1154–1163
Davey GP, Peuchen S, Clark JB (1998) Energy thresholds in brain mitochondria. Potentialinvolvement in neurodegeneration. J Biol Chem 273:12753–12757
Nicoletti VG, Tendi EA, Lalicata C et al (1995) Changes of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase and FoF1 ATP synthase subunits in rat cerebral cortex during aging. Neurochem Res 20:1465–1470
Manczak M, Jung Y, Park BS et al (2005) Time course of mitochondrial gene expressions in mice brains: implications for mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage, and cytochrome c in aging. J Neurochem 92:494–504
Barazzoni R, Nair KS (2001) Changes in uncoupling protein-2 and -3 expression in aging rat skeletal muscle, liver, and heart. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 280:E413–E419
Stauch KL, Purnell PR, Fox HS (2014) Aging synaptic mitochondria exhibit dynamic proteomic changes while maintaining bioenergetic function. Aging (Albany NY) 6:320–334
Kokoszka JE, Coskun P, Esposito LA et al (2001) Increased mitochondrial oxidative stress in the Sod2 (+/−) mouse results in the age-related decline of mitochondrial function culminating in increased apoptosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98:2278–2283
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by grants from Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET, PIP 112-20110100271) and Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA, 20020130100255).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
About this protocol
Cite this protocol
Lores-Arnaiz, S., Rodríguez de Lores Arnaiz, G., Karadayian, A.G., Bustamante, J. (2018). Synaptosome Bioenergetics and Calcium Handling: Aging Response. In: Murphy, K. (eds) Synaptosomes. Neuromethods, vol 141. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8739-9_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8739-9_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-8738-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-8739-9
eBook Packages: Springer Protocols