title: Real-time Monitoring of Discrete Synaptic Release Events and Excitatory Potentials within Self-reconstructed Neuromuscular Junctions.
abstract: Chemical synaptic transmission is central to the brain functions. In this regard, real-time monitoring of chemical synaptic transmission during neuronal communication remains a great challenge. In this work, in vivo-like oriented neural networks between superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons and their effector smooth muscle cells (SMC) were assembled in a microfluidic device. This allowed amperometric detection of individual neurotransmitter release events inside functional SCG-SMC synapse with carbon fiber nanoelectrodes as well as recording of postsynaptic potential using glass nanopipette electrodes. The high vesicular release activities essentially involved complex events arising from flickering fusion pores as quantitatively established based on simulations. This work allowed for the first time monitoring in situ chemical synaptic transmission under conditions close to those found in vivo, which may yield important and new insights into the nature of neuronal communications.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, and LIA NanoBioCatEchem, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China).
authors.forename: Yu-Tao
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, and LIA NanoBioCatEchem, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China).
authors.forename: Shu-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, and LIA NanoBioCatEchem, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China).
authors.forename: Xue-Ying
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, and LIA NanoBioCatEchem, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China).
authors.forename: Xin-Wei
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Ecole Normale Supérieure, Département de Chimie, UMR 8640 (CNRS-ENS-UPMC and LIA NanoBioCatEchem, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris(France).
authors.forename: Alexander I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Oleinick
authors.affiliation: Ecole Normale Supérieure, Département de Chimie, UMR 8640 (CNRS-ENS-UPMC and LIA NanoBioCatEchem, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris(France).
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Svir
authors.affiliation: Ecole Normale Supérieure, Département de Chimie, UMR 8640 (CNRS-ENS-UPMC and LIA NanoBioCatEchem, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris(France). christian.amatore@ens.fr.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Amatore
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, and LIA NanoBioCatEchem, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China). whhuang@whu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Wei-Hua
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D004566:Electrodes; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D017783:Superior Cervical Ganglion / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents
keywords: microfluidic chip; nano-sensors; neuronal communication; synapse