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Synapse formation requires the differentiation of a functional nerve terminal opposite a specialized postsynaptic membrane. Here, we show that laminin beta2, a component of the synaptic cleft at the neuromuscular junction, binds directly to calcium channels that are required for neurotransmitter release from motor nerve terminals. This interaction leads to clustering of channels, which in turn recruit other presynaptic components. Perturbation of this interaction in vivo results in disassembly of neurotransmitter release sites, resembling defects previously observed in an autoimmune neuromuscular disorder, Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome. These results identify an extracellular ligand of the voltage-gated calcium channel as well as a new laminin receptor. They also suggest a model for the development of nerve terminals, and provide clues to the pathogenesis of a synaptic disease.

Status epilepticus (SE) induces neuroinflammation and epileptogenesis, but the mechanisms are not yet fully delineated. The Fyn, a non-receptor Src family tyrosine kinase (SFK), and its immediate downstream target, PKCδ are emerging as potential mediators of neuroinflammation. In order to first determine the role of Fyn kinase signaling in SE, we tested the efficacy of a SFK inhibitor, saracatinib (25mg/kg, oral) in C57BL/6J mouse kainate model of acute seizures. Saracatinib pretreatment dampened SE severity and completely prevented mortality. We further utilized fyn and fyn mice (wildtype control for the fyn mice on same genetic background), and the rat kainate model, treated with saracatinib post-SE, to validate the role of Fyn/SFK in SE and epileptogenesis. We observed significant reduction in SE severity, epileptiform spikes, and electrographic non-convulsive seizures in fyn mice when compared to fyn mice. Interestingly, significant reductions in phosphorylated pSrc-416 and PKCδ (pPKCδ-507) and naive PKCδ were observed in fyn mice as compared to fyn mice suggesting that PKCδ signaling is a downstream mediator of Fyn in SE and epileptogenesis. Notably, fyn mice also showed a reduction in key proinflammatory mediators TNF-α, IL-1β, and iNOS mRNA expression; serum IL-6 and IL-12 levels; and nitro-oxidative stress markers such as 4-HNE, gp91, and 3-NT in the hippocampus. Immunohistochemistry revealed a significant increase in reactive microgliosis and neurodegeneration in the hippocampus and hilus of dentate gyrus in fyn mice in contrast to fyn mice. Interestingly, we did not observe upregulation of Fyn in pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus during post-SE in fyn mice, but it was upregulated in hilar neurons of the dentate gyrus when compared to naïve control. In reactive microglia, both Fyn and PKCδ were persistently upregulated during post-SE suggesting that Fyn-PKCδ may drive neuroinflammation during epileptogenesis. Since disabling the Fyn kinase prior to SE, either by treating with saracatinib or fyn gene knockout, suppressed seizures and the subsequent epileptogenic events, we further tested whether Fyn/SFK inhibition during post-SE modifies epileptogenesis. Telemetry-implanted, SE-induced, rats were treated with saracatinib and continuously monitored for a month. At 2h post-diazepam, the saracatinib (25mg/kg) or the vehicle was administered orally and repeated twice daily for first three days followed by a single dose/day for the next four days. The saracatinib post-treatment prevented epileptogenesis in >50% of the rats and significantly reduced spontaneous seizures and epileptiform spikes in the rest (one animal did not respond) when compared to the vehicle treated group, which had >24 seizures in a month. Collectively, the findings suggest that Fyn/SFK is a potential mediator of epileptogenesis and a therapeutic target to prevent/treat seizures and epileptogenesis.

We have purified cholinergic synaptic vesicles from the electric organs of two related marine elasmobranchs, Torpedo californica and Narcine brasiliensis, to a specific activity higher than had previously been obtained. We have demonstrated the homogeneity of the vesicles by biophysical criteria. The purification scheme consisted of differential centrifugation, flotation equilibrium in sucrose density gradients, and permeation chromatography on glass bead columns of average pore size 3000 A. Our criteria for purity were that bound acetylcholine, bound nucleotide triphosphate, protein, and lipid--phosphorus behave identically when vesicles were analyzed by procedures which depend on vesicle size, density, and charge. Contaminants were not detected when vesicles were fractionated by preparative and analytical sedimentation, by preparative equilibrium sedimentation using glycerol density gradients, or by electrophoresis in Ficoll density gradients. Pure synaptic vesicles, which have been purified 290-fold from the initial homogenate, contain per mg of protein: 8 mumol of acetylcholine, 3 mumol of ATP, and 7 mumol of lipid phosphorus. These procedures may be of general value in the purification of membrane vesicles.

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We have determined that synaptic vesicles contain a vesicle-specific keratan sulfate integral membrane proteoglycan. This is a major proteoglycan in electric organ synaptic vesicles. It exists in two forms on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, i.e., the L form, which migrates like a protein with an M(r) of 100,000, and the H form, with a lower mobility that migrates with an M(r) of approximately 250,000. Both forms contain SV2, an epitope located on the cytoplasmic side of the vesicle membrane. In addition to electric organ, we have analyzed the SV2 proteoglycan in vesicle fractions from two other sources, electric fish brain and rat brain. Both the H and L forms of SV2 are present in these vesicles and all are keratan sulfate proteoglycans. Unlike previously studied synaptic vesicle proteins, this proteoglycan contains a marker specific for a single group of neurons. This marker is an antigenically unique keratan sulfate side chain that is specific for the cells innervating the electric organ; it is not found on the synaptic vesicle keratan sulfate proteoglycan in other neurons of the electric fish brain.

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