title: Cysteine strings, calcium channels and synaptic transmission.
abstract: Multidisciplinary studies have led to the discovery and characterization of cysteine string proteins (csps) in both Drosophila and Torpedo. Phenotypic analysis of csp mutants in Drosophila demonstrates a crucial role for csp in synaptic transmission. Expression studies of Torpedo csp (Tcsp) in Xenopus oocytes suggests that the protein has some role in the function of presynaptic Ca2+ channels. However, biochemical purification of Tcsp indicates that is associated with synaptic vesicles rather than with the plasma membrane of presynaptic terminals where Ca2+ channels reside. These results suggest a model in which csps serve as a link by which docked synaptic vesicles could modulate the activity of presynaptic Ca2+ channels.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ganetzky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D004330:Drosophila; D050956:HSP40 Heat-Shock Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009865:Oocytes; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology; D014101:Torpedo; D014981:Xenopus
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D050956:HSP40 Heat-Shock Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C088460:cysteine string protein