During development of the synapse, the nerve cells send out processes, the neurites, which grow out to contact the target cells. As part of the process of maturation of this initial contact into a functioning synapse, the nerve must start to release transmitter onto the target cell, and in addition, the nerve-target contact must be stable and continue to release transmitter. The experiments of this grant will focus on these two important areas of synaptic development: Identifying the process(es) which initiate the start of transmitter release at early nerve-target contacts and the mechanisms that contribute to the stability of this release. Cultured nerve and muscle cells of the frog Xenopus laevis will be used in combination with the patch clamp technique in order to achieve a high level of control over the geometry and resolution of the measured transmitter release. The major goal of these experiments is to enhance the understanding of the initiation and stabilization of transmitter release at developing synapses.
