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Paired-Pulse Facilitation of Transmitter Release at Different Levels of Extracellular Calcium Concentration

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Abstract

High-frequency synaptic activity can cause facilitation of transmitter release due to accumulation of “residual Ca2+” at the nerve terminal. However, the mechanism of this phenomenon is still under debate. Here we show that, using extracellular recording from frog cutaneous pectoris muscle, paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) at the frog neuro-muscular junction decays in two or three-exponential manner depending upon the extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]e). First, second and “early” PPF components are analyzed and described in this study. Considering the dependence of PPF on [Ca2+]e, existence of several specific high-affinity intra-terminal Ca2+-binding sites that underlie the facilitation of transmitter release at the frog neuro-muscular junction is proposed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research Grant 05-04-48428-а, and by Asklepios-Med Bt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, Kazan State Medical University, ul. Butlerova 49, 420012, Kazan, Russia

    Marat A. Mukhamedyarov, Andrey L. Zefirov & András Palotás

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical and Pharmaceutical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, H-6725, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, Hungary

    András Palotás

  3. Center for Cardiology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical and Pharmaceutical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, H-6720, Pécsi u 4, Szeged, Hungary

    András Palotás

  4. Asklepios-Med Bt. (private practice and research center), H-6722, Kossuth Lajos sgt. 23, Szeged, Hungary

    András Palotás

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  1. Marat A. Mukhamedyarov
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  2. Andrey L. Zefirov
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  3. András Palotás
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Correspondence to András Palotás.

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Mukhamedyarov, M.A., Zefirov, A.L. & Palotás, A. Paired-Pulse Facilitation of Transmitter Release at Different Levels of Extracellular Calcium Concentration. Neurochem Res 31, 1055–1058 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-006-9115-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-006-9115-x

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