Lecture37:

vesicletransport
andthe
neuromuscular
junction

1
B.Katz

Announcements! And other important info!

Last lecture quiz today
Lab presentations today
Lab notebooks, hard copy and
virtual, due today
Creative Biology assignment 5/6
Review session poll will be posted
Final Exam Monday 5/11, 9 am
2

Using mutant yeast to identify proteins involved in the

secretory pathway
Foreachclassofmutant:
A. Determinewhichpartofthepathwayisdefective
B. Identifymultipleproteinsthatcouldbedefectiveineachcase

3
Lodish et. al, Molecular Cell Biology.

In a motor neuron, what types of cargo need to be

transported to the axon terminus?

Peptide(e.g.
endorphins)

Nonpeptide
(e.g.Ach)

Coupled transport

Molecular Biology of the Cell ( Garland Science 2008)

Secondary active transport

G > 0 for transport of X

G < 0 for another reaction
G < 0

6
Molecular Biology of the Cell ( Garland Science 2008)

Secondary active transport: Na+ / glucose symporter

extracellular space

cytosol
7

Model 30: acetylcholine packaging and release

-

Microtubule

Glucose
transporter

Pre-synaptic
motor neuron
Vesicle
H+ ATPase
pump

H+H+
H+
ATP
ADP

Axon terminus
Choline/Na+
symporter

Na+
Na+

Vesicle containing
acetylcholine
Vesicular acetylcholine/
H+ antiporter

H+

Acetylcholine

Ca2+

+
H+
H+

ATP
ADP

Ca2+

Ca2+

H+

Ca2+

H+

Voltage-gated
Ca2+ channel

Acetylcholine
receptor
Post-synaptic
muscle cell
Copyright 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Which of the following would result from inhibition of the

Na+/K+ ATPase?
-

Microtubule

A. Acetylcholinecouldnot
besynthesized

Glucose
transporter

Pre-synaptic
motor neuron
Vesicle
H+ ATPase
ATP
ADP

Axon terminus
Choline/Na+
symporter

H+

Na+
Na+

Vesicle containing
acetylcholine
Vesicular acetylcholine/
H+ antiporter

B. H+wouldnotmove
throughthe
acetylcholine
antiporter

H+H+
H+

pump

Acetylcholine

Ca2+

+
H+
H+

ATP
ADP

Ca2+

H+

Ca2+
Ca2+

H+

Voltage-gated
Ca2+ channel

Acetylcholine
receptor
Post-synaptic
muscle cell

C. Acetylcholinewould
notbetransportedinto
thesynapticvesicle
D. Cholinecouldnotbe
transportedbackinto
theaxonterminus
E. Morethanoneofthe
aboveiscorrect
9

Copyright 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Regulation of vesicle docking and fusion: SNAREs

Model 31: Ca2+, SNAREs, and vesicle fusion

Botulism toxin is a protease that cleaves syntaxin and

SNAP. How might this affect synaptic vesicles?

A. VesiclescouldfusewithplasmamembranesintheabsenceofCa2+
B. Vesicleswouldbeunabletostablyinteractwiththeplasmamembrane
C. Ca2+wouldbeunabletobindsynaptotagmin
D. TSNAREswouldbeunabletointeractwithvSNAREs
E. Morethanoneoftheaboveiscorrect

There is an inactivating mutation in the H+/acetylcholine

antiporter in the axon terminal of a motor neuron. Which
of the following is true?
-

Microtubule

Glucose
transporter

Pre-synaptic
motor neuron

Vesicle
H+ ATPase
pump

H+H+
H+
ATP
ADP

Axon terminus
Choline/Na+
symporter

Na+
Na+

Vesicle containing
acetylcholine
Vesicular acetylcholine/
H+ antiporter

H+

Acetylcholine

Ca2+

+
H+
H+

ATP
ADP

H+

Ca2+

Ca2+
Ca2+

H+

Voltage-gated
Ca2+ channel

Acetylcholine
receptor
Post-synaptic
muscle cell

A. There will be a lack of H+ in the

secretory vesicles.
B. Acetylcholine cannot be
transported inside a vesicle.
C. There will be less release of
acetylcholine from the motor
neuron in response to an
upstream action potential.
D. There will be decreased fusion of
vesicles with the plasma
membrane of the motor neuron in
response to calcium influx into
the cytosol.
E. More than one of these is correct.

Dr. Frankenstein found a way to reanimate a monster

assembled from dead body parts he found while sneaking
around in graveyards. He believes that if he adds a mutant
synaptotagmin that is always activated in the presence or
absence of Ca2+ ions, the monster will be able to move.
Why is he wrong, focusing entirely on the interactions
between the motor neuron and the muscle cell?
-

Microtubule

Glucose
transporter

Pre-synaptic
motor neuron
Vesicle
H+ ATPase

H+H+
H+

pump

ATP
ADP

Axon terminus
Choline/Na+

Na+

symporter

Na+

Vesicle containing
acetylcholine
Vesicular acetylcholine/
H+ antiporter

H+

Acetylcholine

Ca2+

+
H+
H+

ATP
ADP

H+

Ca2+

Ca2+
Ca2+

H+

Voltage-gated
Ca2+ channel

Acetylcholine
receptor
Post-synaptic
muscle cell

15