Docked Glutamate Loaded Synaptic Vesicle SNARE complex Rab3-RIM complex release of L-Glutamate at the synapse Authored: Mahajan, SS, 2008-01-14 16:01:52 Edited: Gillespie, ME, 2009-11-19 Once vesicles are docked, primed and ready to be released fusion of the synaptic vesicle with the plasma membrane can be triggered by an influx of Ca2+ through the voltage gated Ca2+ channels (N, P/Q and R type). Ca2+ influx initiates a cascade of events in which the Ca2+ sensing protein, synaptotagmin-1 (sty-1) is central. Sty-1 promotes the membrane fusion between the synaptic vesicle and the plasma membrane by Ca2+ dependant induction of membrane curvature. Synaptotagmin competes with SNARE complex binding in a Ca2+ dependent manner thereby displacing complexin-1 and causing membrane curvature and fusion of the synaptic vesicle with the plasma membrane. The fusion is characterized by the formation of a trans SNARE complex in which SNAP 25, syntaxin and synaptobrevin along with VGLUT1, the glutamate transporter, synaptotagmin, and Rab3a either become a part of the plasma membrane or membrane delimited in the vesicular membrane. Vesicle fusion ultimately results in the release of the glutamate into the synaptic cleft. Pubmed12519779 Pubmed16990140 Pubmed17478680 Pubmed17891149 Reactome Database ID Release 43210430 Reactome, http://www.reactome.org ReactomeREACT_12411 Reviewed: Kavalali, E, 2008-04-24 16:31:34