Physiological studies on the mechanisms of synaptic transmission.

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This research project was organized to promote the understanding of the mechanism of synaptic transmission and composed of 14 physiologists studying synaptic transmission mechanism. New findings were presented and extensively discussed in the meetings held once a year term, leading to the new aspect of understanding of the mechanisms of synaptic transmission. The principal new findings obtained are as follows.(1) The types of Ca^<2+> channels involved in the exocytosis of neurotransmitters in various types of neurons were identified. The evidence for the role of high Ca^<2+> concentration in Ca^<2+> channel domain in exocytosis was shown. Such a high Ca^<2+> was removed by not only Na/Ca exchange and Ca pumps, but also a new unknown fast process.(2) The subunit structures of glutamate ionotropic receptors, their distributions and contributions to the generation of postsynaptic potentials and long-term synaptic plasticities, and their developmental changes were clarifiled in hippocampal and cerebellar neurons.(3) The mechanisms of interactions between G-proteins and metabotropic receptors and between G-proteins and kinases and ion channels and the involvement of these interactions in presynaptic enhancement and inhibitions were demonstrated in various types of neurons.(4) The evidence for some roles of glial cells in synaptic transmission was presented. A new gene involved in the development of synapses was cloned.