Introduction of synaptotagmin 7 promotes facilitation at the climbing fiber to Purkinje cell synapse

Abstract

Synaptotagmin 7 (Syt7) is a high-affinity calcium sensor that is implicated in multiple aspects of synaptic transmission. Here, we study the influence of Syt7 on the climbing fiber (CF) to Purkinje cell (PC) synapse. We find that small facilitation and prominent calcium-dependent recovery from depression at this synapse do not rely on Syt7 and that Syt7 is not normally present in CFs. We expressed Syt7 in CFs to assess the consequences of introducing Syt7 to a synapse that normally lacks Syt7. Syt7 expression does not promote asynchronous release or accelerate recovery from depression. Syt7 decreases the excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) magnitude, consistent with a decrease in the initial probability of release (P_R). Syt7 also increases synaptic facilitation to such a large extent that it could not arise solely as an indirect consequence of decreased P_R. Thus, the primary consequence of Syt7 expression in CFs, which normally lack Syt7, is to promote synaptic facilitation.

Keywords: asynchronous release; cerebellum; depression; facilitation; probability of release; recovery from depression; synaptic plasticity; synaptotagmin VII.