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Presynaptic Terminals pp 69–83Cite as

Network of Protein-Protein Interactions at the Presynaptic Active Zone

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Abstract

Presynaptic active zone is a slightly electron dense region beneath the presynaptic plasma membrane, where synaptic vesicles, containing neurotransmitters, dock, fuse, and release the content into the synaptic cleft in a Ca2+-dependent manner. This highly ordered regulation of neurotransmitter release from the presynaptic active zone is crucial for normal brain functions such as learning and memory, emotion, and consciousness. Currently, a few active zone-specific proteins have been identified and characterized, including Bassoon, Piccolo/Aczonin, RIM1, Munc13-1, CAST/ERC2, and ELKS. These relatively large proteins with significant domain structures have been shown to interact with each other, forming a large macromolecular complex, and play pivotal roles in the structure and function of the presynaptic active zone. In this chapter, I would like to mainly describe and focus on protein-protein interactions among these active zone proteins and attempt to correlate the disruption of some of these interactions with deficits in synaptic functions such as neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Y. Hida for preparing the figures in this manuscript.

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  1. Department of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine/Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, 1110 Shimokato, Chuo, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan

    Toshihisa Ohtsuka

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  1. Toshihisa Ohtsuka
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Correspondence to Toshihisa Ohtsuka .

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  1. Department of Physiology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

    Sumiko Mochida

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Ohtsuka, T. (2015). Network of Protein-Protein Interactions at the Presynaptic Active Zone. In: Mochida, S. (eds) Presynaptic Terminals. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55166-9_3

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