Physiological studies on the mechanisms of synaptic transmission.

这项研究项目是为了促进对突触传递机制的了解而组织的，由14名研究突触传递机制的生理学家组成。在每年一次的会议上提出了新的发现并进行了广泛的讨论，导致了对突触传递机制的新的理解。主要的新发现如下：(1)鉴定了参与神经递质胞吐的不同类型神经元的钙通道类型。结果表明，钙通道结构域中高浓度的钙离子在胞吐中起着重要作用。如此高的钙离子不仅被Na/Ca交换和钙泵清除，而且是一个新的未知的快速过程。(2)阐明了海马神经元和小脑神经元谷氨酸离子亲电受体的亚单位结构，它们在突触后电位和长时程突触可塑性的产生、分布和贡献，以及它们的发育变化。(3)G-蛋白与代谢性受体、G-蛋白与激酶和离子通道之间的相互作用机制，以及这些相互作用参与突触前增强和抑制。(4)胶质细胞在突触传递中发挥某些作用的证据。克隆了一个与突触发育有关的新基因。

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.