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Molecular organization of the presynaptic active zone

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Abstract

The exocytosis of neurotransmitter-filled synaptic vesicles is under tight temporal and spatial control in presynaptic nerve terminals. The fusion of synaptic vesicles is restricted to a specialized area of the presynaptic plasma membrane: the active zone. The protein network that constitutes the cytomatrix at the active zone (CAZ) is involved in the organization of docking and priming of synaptic vesicles and in mediating use-dependent changes in release during short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity. To date, five protein families whose members are highly enriched at active zones (Munc13s, RIMs, ELKS proteins, Piccolo and Bassoon, and the liprins-α), have been characterized. These multidomain proteins are instrumental for the diverse functions performed by the presynaptic active zone.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the members of our laboratories and T.C. Südhof for discussions and support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emmy Noether Research Group, Institute of Neuropathology and Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Sigmund Freud Strasse 25, 53105, Bonn, Germany

    Susanne Schoch

  2. Department of Neurochemistry and Molecular Biology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brennecke Strasse 6, 39118, Magdeburg, Germany

    Eckart D. Gundelfinger

Authors
  1. Susanne Schoch
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  2. Eckart D. Gundelfinger
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Correspondence to Susanne Schoch.

Additional information

In our laboratories, work on the molecular organization of the active zone is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Emmy Noether Fellowship, SFB645/A4 to S.S., SFB426/A1 to E.D.G.), the European Commission (SynScaff Consortium), the Land Sachsen-Anhalt (LSA-N2), the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie, and a Max Planck Research Award by the Max Planck Society, the Alexander von Humboldt Society, and local funding (BONFOR to S.S.).

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Schoch, S., Gundelfinger, E.D. Molecular organization of the presynaptic active zone. Cell Tissue Res 326, 379–391 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-006-0244-y

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