Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Sci. Signal., 16 June 2009
Vol. 2, Issue 75, p. ec203
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.275ec203]

EDITORS' CHOICE

Neuroscience Neurotransmission in Living Color

Stella Hurtley

Science, AAAS, Cambridge CB2 1LQ, UK

Neurotransmission involves the release of small molecular neurotransmitters from one neuron to another across a synapse. Gubernator et al. introduce a means to observe neurotransmitter release optically, by the design of fluorescent false neurotransmitters, which act as substrates for the synaptic vesicle monoamine transporter. These endogenous monoamine optical tracers enabled visualization of neurotransmitter uptake and release from individual synaptic terminals and were used to evaluate dopamine neurotransmission in the striatum. The fraction of synaptic vesicles that release neurotransmitter per stimulus was frequency dependent, and a frequency-dependent selection of presynaptic terminals was observed.

N. G. Gubernator, H. Zhang, R. G. W. Staal, E. V. Mosharov, D. B. Pereira, M. Yue, V. Balsanek, P. A. Vadola, B. Mukherjee, R. H. Edwards, D. Sulzer, D. Sames, Fluorescent false neurotransmitters visualize dopamine release from individual presynaptic terminals. Science 324, 1441–1444 (2009). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Citation: S. Hurtley, Neurotransmission in Living Color. Sci. Signal. 2, ec203 (2009).

To Advertise     Find Products

Science Signaling. ISSN 1937-9145 (online), 1945-0877 (print). Pre-2008: Science's STKE. ISSN 1525-8882