Neurotransmission depends on presynaptic membrane retrieval and local reformation of synaptic vesicles (SVs) at nerve terminals. The mechanisms involved in these processes are highly controversial with evidence being presented for SV membranes being retrieved exclusively via clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) from the plasma membrane or via ultrafast endocytosis independent of clathrin. Here we show that clathrin and its major adaptor protein 2 (AP-2) in addition to the plasma membrane operate at internal endosome-like vacuoles to regenerate SVs but are not essential for membrane retrieval. Depletion of clathrin or conditional knockout of AP-2 result in defects in SV reformation and an accumulation of endosome-like vacuoles generated by clathrin-independent endocytosis (CIE) via dynamin 1/3 and endophilin. These results together with theoretical modeling provide a conceptual framework for how synapses capitalize on clathrin-independent membrane retrieval and clathrin/AP-2-mediated SV reformation from endosome-like vacuoles to maintain excitability over a broad range of stimulation frequencies.

Autophagosomes primarily mediate turnover of cytoplasmic proteins or organelles to provide nutrients and eliminate damaged proteins. In neurons, autophagosomes form in distal axons and are trafficked retrogradely to fuse with lysosomes in the soma. Although defective neuronal autophagy is associated with neurodegeneration, the function of neuronal autophagosomes remains incompletely understood. We show that in neurons, autophagosomes promote neuronal complexity and prevent neurodegeneration in vivo via retrograde transport of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-activated TrkB receptors. p150Glued/dynactin-dependent transport of TrkB-containing autophagosomes requires their association with the endocytic adaptor AP-2, an essential protein complex previously thought to function exclusively in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. These data highlight a novel non-canonical function of AP-2 in retrograde transport of BDNF/TrkB-containing autophagosomes in neurons and reveal a causative link between autophagy and BDNF/TrkB signalling.

Neurotransmission depends on the exo-endocytosis of synaptic vesicles at active zones. Synaptobrevin 2 [also known as vesicleassociated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2)], the most abundant synaptic vesicle protein and a major soluble NSF attachment protein receptor (SNARE) component, is required for fast calcium-triggered synaptic vesicle fusion. In contrast to the extensive knowledge about the mechanism of SNARE-mediated exocytosis, little is known about the endocytic sorting of synaptobrevin 2. Here we show that synaptobrevin 2 sorting involves determinants within its SNARE motif that are recognized by the ANTH domains of the endocytic adaptors AP180 and clathrin assembly lymphoid myeloid leukemia (CALM). Depletion of CALM or AP180 causes selective surface accumulation of synaptobrevin 2 but not vGLUT1 at the neuronal surface. Endocytic sorting of synaptobrevin 2 is mediated by direct interaction of the ANTH domain of the related endocytic adaptors CALM and AP180 with the N-terminal half of the SNARE motif centered around M46, as evidenced by NMR spectroscopy analysis and site-directed mutagenesis. Our data unravel a unique mechanism of SNARE motif-dependent endocytic sorting and identify the ANTH domain proteins AP180 and CALM as cargo-specific adaptors for synaptobrevin endocytosis. Defective SNARE endocytosis may also underlie the association of CALM and AP180 with neurodevelopmental and cognitive defects or neurodegenerative disorders.clathrin-mediated endocytosis | structure N eurotransmission in the brain depends on the calcium-triggered fusion and recycling of neurotransmitter-filled synaptic vesicles (SVs) with the presynaptic membrane at active zones (1). Following their exocytic insertion into the presynaptic membrane, SV proteins need to be retrieved at a precisely defined stoichiometry by endocytosis, a process involving clathrin, adaptors, and other endocytic proteins (2). Fast calcium-triggered SV fusion critically depends on the SV arginine (R)-soluble NSF attachment protein receptor (SNARE) synaptobrevin [or vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP)], which by forming a complex with the plasma membrane glutamine (Q)-SNAREs syntaxin and synaptosomal-associated protein (SNAP)-25 (3) drives neuroexocytosis (4, 5). Synapses lacking synaptobrevin 2 display <1% of wild-type release when stimulated by action potential (AP)-mediated calcium influx (6). Proteomic studies have shown that synaptobrevin 2 is a highly abundant SV protein (7) that is exoendocytically sorted with very high precision (8). Similar observations have been made for other SV proteins, including synaptotagmin and vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs). How such precise sorting of synaptobrevin 2 is achieved has remained enigmatic. Synaptobrevin lacks recognizable linear sorting motifs (9), and unlike other SNARE proteins does not contain a folded N-terminal domain that serves as a targeting determinant in other VAMP family members (10-12).Genetic data have linked synaptobrevin sorting to the function of the AP180 N-terminal homology (...

Active zones (AZs) of inner hair cells (IHCs) indefatigably release hundreds of vesicles per second, requiring each release site to reload vesicles at tens per second. Here, we report that the endocytic adaptor protein 2l (AP-2l) is required for release site replenishment and hearing. We show that hair cell-specific disruption of AP-2l slows IHC exocytosis immediately after fusion of the readily releasable pool of vesicles, despite normal abundance of membrane-proximal vesicles and intact endocytic membrane retrieval. Sound-driven postsynaptic spiking was reduced in a use-dependent manner, and the altered interspike interval statistics suggested a slowed reloading of release sites. Sustained strong stimulation led to accumulation of endosomelike vacuoles, fewer clathrin-coated endocytic intermediates, and vesicle depletion of the membrane-distal synaptic ribbon in AP-2l-deficient IHCs, indicating a further role of AP-2l in clathrin-dependent vesicle reformation on a timescale of many seconds. Finally, we show that AP-2 sorts its IHC-cargo otoferlin. We propose that binding of AP-2 to otoferlin facilitates replenishment of release sites, for example, via speeding AZ clearance of exocytosed material, in addition to a role of AP-2 in synaptic vesicle reformation.

Neurotransmission depends on synaptic vesicle (SV) exocytosis driven by soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex formation of vesicular synaptobrevin/VAMP2 (Syb2). Exocytic fusion is followed by endocytic SV membrane retrieval and the high-fidelity reformation of SVs. Syb2 is the most abundant SV protein with 70 copies per SV, yet, one to three Syb2 molecules appear to be sufficient for basal exocytosis. Here we demonstrate that loss of the Syb2-specific endocytic adaptor AP180 causes a moderate activity-dependent reduction of vesicular Syb2 levels, defects in SV reformation, and a corresponding impairment of neurotransmission that lead to excitatory/inhibitory imbalance, epileptic seizures, and premature death. Further reduction of Syb2 levels in AP180(-/-)/Syb2(+/-) mice results in perinatal lethality, whereas Syb2(+/-) mice partially phenocopy loss of AP180, indicating that reduced vesicular Syb2 levels underlie the observed defects in neurotransmission. Thus, a large vesicular Syb2 pool maintained by AP180 is crucial to sustain efficient neurotransmission and SV reformation.

Neurotransmission depends on the exocytic fusion of synaptic vesicles (SVs) and their subsequent reformation either by clathrinmediated endocytosis or budding from bulk endosomes. How synapses are able to rapidly recycle SVs to maintain SV pool size, yet preserve their compositional identity, is poorly understood. We demonstrate that deletion of the endocytic adaptor stonin 2 (Stn2) in mice compromises the fidelity of SV protein sorting, whereas the apparent speed of SV retrieval is increased. Loss of Stn2 leads to selective missorting of synaptotagmin 1 to the neuronal surface, an elevated SV pool size, and accelerated SV protein endocytosis. The latter phenotype is mimicked by overexpression of endocytosisdefective variants of synaptotagmin 1. Increased speed of SV protein retrieval in the absence of Stn2 correlates with an upregulation of SV reformation from bulk endosomes. Our results are consistent with a model whereby Stn2 is required to preserve SV protein composition but is dispensable for maintaining the speed of SV recycling.pHluorin | hippocampus | mossy fibers N eurotransmission involves the calcium-regulated fusion of synaptic vesicles (SVs), a process that requires the SV calcium sensor synaptotagmin (Syt) (1) and components of the active zone (AZ) that define sites of neurotransmitter release (2). Postexocytic fusion SV membranes are retrieved by endocytosis from the plasma membrane (2-5) to regenerate SVs of the correct size and composition (6). Alternatively, SVs can also be reformed from large plasma membrane infoldings and from endosomes (7) via a brefeldin A-sensitive pathway (8) that may become particularly important under conditions of sustained high-level activity and involves endosomal adaptor complexes such as adaptor protein complex 1 (AP-1) (9, 10). Maintenance of the SV pool requires that the number of recycled SVs closely matches those having undergone exocytosis. As SVs are characterized by a precise protein composition (11) that at least for some SV proteins including Syt1, VGLUT1, and SV2A displays little intervesicle variation (12), molecular mechanisms must exist to control the fidelity of SV protein sorting while maintaining the speed of exo-endocytosis.The mechanisms by which exo-endocytic balance and the fidelity of SV protein sorting are maintained are unknown. One possibility is that retrieval of SV proteins involves clustering (13,14), which would alleviate a need for specific sorting, even if multiple pathways of SV reformation are used (9, 10). However, data based on imaging of SV proteins tagged with the GFPderived pH sensor pHluorin indicate that exocytosed and newly endocytosed SV proteins are not identical, suggesting that intermixing between exocytosed and preexisting surface pools of vesicle proteins occurs (15,16). If SVs lose their identity over multiple rounds of exo-endocytosis, specific mechanisms should exist for the cargo-specific recognition and sorting of SV proteins, e.g., by adaptors (4, 15).Several components of the endocytic machinery may function as a...

ClC-3 is an intracellular chloride transport protein known to reside on endosomes and synaptic vesicles. The endogenous protein has been notoriously difficult to detect in immunohistological experiments because of the lack of reliable antibodies. Using newly generated antibodies, we now examine its expression pattern at the cellular and subcellular level. In all tissues examined, immunostaining indicated that ClC-3 is a vesicular protein, with a prominent expression in endocrine cells like adrenal chromaffin cells and pancreatic islet cells. In line with a possible function of ClC-3 in regulating vesicle trafficking or exocytosis in those secretory cells, capacitance measurements and amperometry indicated that exocytosis of large dense-core vesicles (LDCVs) was decreased in chromaffin cells from ClC-3 knock-out mice. However, immunohistochemistry complemented with subcellular fractionation showed that ClC-3 is not detectable on LDCVs of endocrine cells, but localizes to endosomes and synaptic-like microvesicles in both adrenal chromaffin and pancreatic ␤ cells. This observation points to an indirect influence of ClC-3 on LDCV exocytosis in chromaffin cells, possibly by affecting an intracellular trafficking step.

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