The role of zinc as a novel synaptic messenger in the brain

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Zinc is known as an abundant nutritionally essential element and present in a variety of tissues, including liver, muscle and brain. In the brain, zinc is present at high concentrations and selectively accumulates in pre-synaptic vesicles of glutamatergic synapses. Its synaptic activity-dependent release suggests an important role in synaptic plasticity and various brain functions such as learning and memory. However, understanding the role of dynamic zinc from pre-synaptic vesicles has been hampered by the inability to visualize the process in individual synapses. Developing novel zinc probes and optical methods, we propose to study how dynamic zinc regulates synaptic plasticity and various brain functions. Our studies will provide a new view for the function of zinc, which is essential for the processes of synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory. The project will facilitate the unique signaling studies of other metals and establish a new class of messenger for various biological systems.