• Journal of Life Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.43-46
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• 2002

Kinesin Superfamily Protein 1A (KIF1A) is an anterograde monomeric motor transporting a subset of synaptic vesicle precursors and plays an important role in neuronal function and survival. Here, f have used the yeast two-hybrid system to identify the proteins that interacts with the tail region of KIF1A. Calmodulin was found to interact specifically with the tail region of KIF1A. Calmodulin regulates many diverse cellular functions by modulating the activity of the proteins that interact with it. KIF1A interacts with calmodulin in the yeast two-hybrid assay, which is proved by immunoprecipitation with calmodulin in brain fraction. These results indicate that KIF1A is associated with calmodulin, suggesting that calmodulin may be a key role in the regulation of anterograde transport of synaptic 1 vesicle precursors.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.83-87
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• 2014

Electron tomography (ET) is a useful tool to investigate three-dimensional details based on virtual slices of relative thick specimen, and it requires complicated procedures consisted of image acquisition steps and image processing steps with computer program. Although the complicated step, this technique allows us to overcome some limitations of conventional transmission electron microscopy: (1) overlapping of information in the ultrathin section covering from 30 nm to 90 nm when we observe very small structures, (2) fragmentation of the information when we study larger structures over 100 nm. There are remarkable biological findings with ET, especially in the field of neuroscience, although it is not popular yet. Understanding of behavior of synaptic vesicle, active zone, pooling and fusion in the presynaptic terminal have been enhanced thanks to ET. Some sophisticated models of postsynaptic density with ET and immune labeling are introduced recently. In this review, we introduce principles, practical steps of ET and some recent researches in synapse biology.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.9
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• pp.533-539
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• 2019

Recent evidence from genetics, animal model systems and biochemical studies suggests that defects in membrane trafficking play an important part in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) constitute the most frequent genetic cause of both familial and sporadic PD, and LRRK2 has been suggested as a druggable target for PD. Although the precise physiological function of LRRK2 remains largely unknown, mounting evidence suggests that LRRK2 controls membrane trafficking by interacting with key regulators of the endosomal-lysosomal pathway and synaptic recycling. In this review, we discuss the genetic, biochemical and functional links between LRRK2 and membrane trafficking. Understanding the mechanism by which LRRK2 influences such processes may contribute to the development of disease-modifying therapies for PD.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.10
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• pp.762-767
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• 2016

Fasciclin II (FasII), the Drosophila ortholog of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), plays a critical role in synaptic stabilization and plasticity. Although this molecule undergoes constitutive cycling at the synaptic membrane, how its membrane trafficking is regulated to ensure proper synaptic development remains poorly understood. In a genetic screen, we recovered a mutation in Drosophila mical-like that displays an increase in bouton numbers and a decrease in FasII levels at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Similar phenotypes were induced by presynaptic, but not postsynaptic, knockdown of mical-like expression. FasII trafficking assays revealed that the recycling of internalized FasII molecules to the cell surface was significantly impaired in mical-like-knockdown cells. Importantly, this defect correlated with an enhancement of endosomal sorting of FasII to the lysosomal degradation pathway. Similarly, synaptic vesicle exocytosis was also impaired in mical-like mutants. Together, our results identify Mical-like as a novel regulator of synaptic growth and FasII endocytic recycling.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.107-123
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• 1983

The globus pallidus of normal cats were prepared for electron microscopic study following perfusion with a mixture of 1% paraformaldehyde and 1% glutaraldehyde solution. Neurons of two size categories were identified in 1 $\\mu$m araldite sections and their ultrastructural characteristics were studied in adjacent thin section. 1. Large neurons ($30 \\mum \\times 45 \\mum$ in diameter) had extensive areas of rough surfaced endoplasmic reticulm, abundant perinuclear Golgi complex, numerous mitochondria and lipofusin granule, and had a large spherical nucleus with shallow indentation of nuclear manbrane. Small neurons ($17 \\mum \\times 27 \\mum$ in diameter) had poorly rough surfaced endoplasmic reticulum, moderate number of mitochondria and randomly distributed Golgi complex. The nuclear envelope of this cell frequently showed multiple deep invagination. 2. Three types of axo-somatic synapses were identified on the basis of the size and shape of vesicle in the axon terminal and the symmetrical or asymmetrical thickening at the synaptic site. Type I synaptic terminal shows an even distribution of round and oval synaptic vesicles, and has a symmetrical synaptic thickening. Type II axon terminals reveal mostly round and pleomorphic vesicles and a few vesicles were localized near the presynaptic membrane in pale axoplasm and its synaptic thickening were symmetric. Type III axon terminals contain round vesicles, which were aggregated in the axoplasm, and has a asymmetrical synaptic thickening. 3. The majority of axo-somatic contact with the large and small neurons were type I, and type II and III synapes were rare.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.237-246
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• 2017

Synapse is the basic structural and functional component for neural communication in the brain. The presynaptic terminal is the structural and functionally essential area that initiates communication and maintains the continuous functional neural information flow. It contains synaptic vesicles (SV) filled with neurotransmitters, an active zone for release, and numerous proteins for SV fusion and retrieval. The structural and functional synaptic plasticity is a representative characteristic; however, it is highly vulnerable to various pathological conditions. In fact, synaptic alteration is thought to be central to neural disease processes. In particular, the alteration of the structural and functional phenotype of the presynaptic terminal is a highly significant evidence for neural diseases. In this review, we specifically describe structural and functional alteration of nerve terminals in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington's disease (HD).

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.133-139
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• 2016

The ultrastructural parameters related to synaptic release of endings which are presynaptic to tooth pulp afferent terminals (p-endings) were analyzed to understand the underlying mechanism for presynaptic modulation of tooth pulp afferents. Tooth pulp afferents were labelled by applying wheat-germ agglutinin conjugated horseradish peroxidase to the rat right lower incisor, whereafter electron microscopic morphometric analysis with serial section and reconstruction of p-endings in the trigeminal oral nucleus was performed. The results obtained from 15 p-endings presynaptic to 11 labeled tooth pulp afferent terminals were as follows. P-endings contained pleomorphic vesicles and made symmetrical synaptic contacts with labeled terminals. The p-endings showed small synaptic release-related ultrastructural parameters: volume, $0.82{\pm}0.45{\mu}m^3$ ($mean{\pm}SD$); surface area, $4.50{\pm}1.76{\mu}m^2$; mitochondrial volume, $0.15{\pm}0.07{\mu}m^3$; total apposed surface area, $0.69{\pm}0.24{\mu}m^2$; active zone area, $0.10{\pm}0.04{\mu}m^2$; total vesicle number, $1045{\pm}668.86$; and vesicle density, $1677{\pm}684/{\mu}m^2$. The volume of the p-endings showed strong positive correlation with the following parameters: surface area (r=0.97, P<0.01), mitochondrial volume (r=0.56, P<0.05), and total vesicle number (r=0.73, P<0.05). However, the volume of p-endings did not positively correlate or was very weakly correlated with the apposed surface area (r=-0.12, P=0.675) and active zone area (r=0.46, P=0.084). These results show that some synaptic release-related ultrastructural parameters of p-endings on the tooth pulp afferent terminals follow the "size principle" of Pierce and Mendell (1993) in the trigeminal nucleus oralis, but other parameters do not. Our findings may demonstrate a characteristic feature of synaptic release associated with p-endings.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.163-171
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• 2002

Neuromuscular junction consist of presynaptic membrane, synaptic cleft and postsynaptic membrane. In the neuromuscular junction, presynaptic membrane is the motor nerve terminal, have many synaptic vesicle. Postsynaptic membrane is the motor end plate of muscle fiber and the most striking structural features are the deep infolding of the sarcolemma. Between the nerve and muscle cells, there is a synaptic cleft of some 50-100nm. This review shows the ultrastructure and function of neuromuscular junction, summarizes the current knowledge.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.165-170
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• 2000

Vacuolar (H$^{+}$)-ATPase (V-ATPase) is an intracellular protein which consists of multiple subunits. It carries out acidification by pumping protons in the cell. This enzyme has also been found in the synaptic vesicles and may play an important role in the neurotransmission. We cloned cDNA fragments encoding the 16 kDa subunit of V-ATPase from the rat brain by RT-PCR and PCR using total RNA or recombinant phage DNA as templates. They contained the full coding sequences (468 bp) and one nucleotide at 3' region turned out to be different (A to C) when compared to the liver counterpart. However, this polymorphic difference did not cause any significant change in the primary structure of the protein because both GCA and GCC code for alanine. Our study would contribute to the understanding of the function of 16 M)a V-ATPase in the brain and of the mechanisms of neurotransmission.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 1996.07a
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• pp.38-38
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• 1996

Rab3A is a synaptic vesicle-associated, GTP-binding protein that has been implicated in the regulation of neurotransmission. We show here that Ca2+/calmodulin can form a 1:1 complex with Rab3A and cause it to dissociate from synaptosomal membranes. Formation of the complex requires both the lipidated C-terminus of Rab3A and the presence of guanine nucleotide. (omitted)