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Abstract Mitochondrial trafficking is influenced by neuronal activity, but it remains unclear how mitochondrial positioning influences neuronal transmission and plasticity. Here, we use live cell imaging with the genetically encoded presynaptically targeted Ca 2+ indicator, SyGCaMP5, to address whether presynaptic Ca 2+ responses are altered by mitochondria in synaptic terminals. We find that presynaptic Ca 2+ signals, as well as neurotransmitter release, are significantly decreased in terminals containing mitochondria. Moreover, the localisation of mitochondria at presynaptic sites can be altered during long‐term activity changes, dependent on the Ca 2+ ‐sensing function of the mitochondrial trafficking protein, Miro1. In addition, we find that Miro1‐mediated activity‐dependent synaptic repositioning of mitochondria allows neurons to homeostatically alter the strength of presynaptic Ca 2+ signals in response to prolonged changes in neuronal activity. Our results support a model in which mitochondria are recruited to presynaptic terminals during periods of raised neuronal activity and are involved in rescaling synaptic signals during homeostatic plasticity.
Vaccaro et al. (Fri,) studied this question.