December 7, 1984Science207 citations
Synapsin I in Nerve Terminals: Selective Association with Small Synaptic Vesicles
View Full Paper
Key Points
- To determine whether synapsin I selectively associates with specific types of synaptic organelles within nerve terminals.
- Performed immunocytochemical analysis on bovine hypothalamus tissue to examine the subcellular localization of synapsin I across vesicle populations.
- Synapsin I localized preferentially and possibly exclusively to small (40- to 60-nanometer) synaptic vesicles.
- No association of synapsin I was detected with large (greater than 60-nanometer) dense-core vesicles.
Abstract
Immunocytochemistry revealed that synapsin I is preferentially (and possibly exclusively) associated with small (40- to 60-nanometer) synaptic vesicles and not with large (greater than 60-nanometer) dense-core vesicles in bovine hypothalamus. These observations may explain why synapsin I is found exclusively in neurons, since small synaptic vesicles are specific to neurons whereas large dense-core vesicles in neurons may be considered the equivalent of secretory organelles in endocrine cells.