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The Journal of Neuroscience, December 15, 2002, 22(24):10567-10579
Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of a Calyx of Held and Its
Postsynaptic Principal Neuron in the Medial Nucleus of the Trapezoid
Body
Kurt
Sätzler1, 2, *,
Leander F.
Söhl3, *,
Johann H.
Bollmann1,
J.
Gerard G.
Borst4,
Michael
Frotscher3,
Bert
Sakmann1, and
Joachim H. R.
Lübke3
1 Department of Cell Physiology, Max Planck Institute
for Medical Research, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany,
2 Interdisciplinary Center of Scientific Computing,
University of Heidelberg, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany,
3 Anatomical Institute, University of Freiburg, D-79104
Freiburg, Germany, and 4 Department of Neuroscience,
Erasmus University Rotterdam, 3015 GE Rotterdam, The Netherlands
The three-dimensional morphology of the axosomatic synaptic
structures between a calyx of Held and a principal neuron in the medial
nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) in the brainstem of young
postnatal day 9 rats was reconstructed from serial ultrathin sections.
In the apposition zone between the calyx and the principal neuron two
types of membrane specializations were identified: synaptic contacts
(SCs) with active zones (AZs) and their associated postsynaptic
densities (PSDs) constituted ~35% (n = 554) of
the specializations; the remaining 65% (n = 1010)
were puncta adherentia (PA). Synaptic contacts comprised ~5% of the
apposition area of presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes. A SC had an
average area of 0.100 µm2, and the nearest
neighbors were separated, on average, by 0.59 µm. Approximately
one-half of the synaptic vesicles in the calyx were clustered within a
distance of 200 nm of the AZ membrane area, a cluster consisting of
~60 synaptic vesicles (n = 52 SCs). Approximately
two synaptic vesicles per SC were "anatomically docked."
Comparing the geometry of the synaptic structure with its previously
studied functional properties, we find that during a single presynaptic
action potential (AP) (1) ~35% of the AZs release a
transmitter quantum, (2) the number of SCs and anatomically docked
vesicles is comparable with the low estimates of the readily releasable
pool (RRP) of quanta, and (3) the broad distribution of PSD areas
[coefficient of variation (CV) = 0.9] is likely to contribute to
the large variability of miniature EPSC peaks. The geometry of the reconstructed synapse suggests that each of the hundreds of SCs is likely to contribute independently to the size and
rising phase of the EPSC during a single AP.
Key words:
electron microscopy; three-dimensional reconstruction; synapse; active zones; puncta adherentia; synaptic vesicles
*
K.S. and L.F.S. contributed equally to this work.
Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/02/222410567-13$05.00/0
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