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SNAREs and control of synaptic release probabilities

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 2QH, UK

¹Correspondence: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 2QH, UK. E-mail: baz{at}mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk

Since quantal release was first described, it has been clear that release of neurotransmitters is a stochastic process. Modulation of neurotransmitter release probability by regulatory factors likely affects the transfer of information within the nervous system. Although many rules governing release probabilities at the synapse have been discovered, their molecular basis is still under investigation. Here we analyze stimulus-evoked probabilistic assembly of the SNARE fusion machinery and show that a simple SNARE-based mechanism can account quantitatively for the classical binomial behavior of stochastic neurotransmitter release. Our analysis highlights for the first time how the fusion machinery, which is directly responsible for neurotransmitter release, may also contribute to the rich variety of synaptic responses.—Hu, K., Davletov, B. SNAREs and control of synaptic release probabilities.

Key Words: neurotransmission • synapse • exocytosis • vesicle • stochastic