MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SYNAPSE

Molecular mechanisms of the functional and structural maintenance of the synapse. The synapses are the points of contact where neuronal communication takes place that underlies the correct operation of the brain. The nerve endings house synaptic vesicles loaded with neurotransmitters that are released after the arrival of a nerve impulse. This phenomenon can occur thousands of times a day in terminals that are very remote from the neuronal body, as in the case of motor neurones. The nerve endings probably have molecular machinery that allows them to maintain synaptic function independently of the neuronal body. Our laboratory is interested in identifying the components of this machinery and in understanding their mode of operation. A key element is a protein of the synaptic vesicles called Cysteine String Protein-alpha (CSP-alpha). This protein is related to molecular chaperones that participate in the folding and unfolding of proteins. Strangely, genetically modified mice that lack