Synaptic Vesicle I Sampler Kit by BD Biosciences

Synaptic vesicles are organelles situated at the distal terminus of the presynaptic neuron. These vesicles carry neurotransmitters that, following exocytosis, bind at the postsynaptic membrane and modify the response of the recipient neuron. The exocytotic process consists of vesicle docking at the plasma membrane, priming, and fusion. Fusion is mediated by a complex consisting of membrane components of both the synaptic vesicle and the synaptic plasma membrane. The fusion complex consists of the soluble NSF (N-ethyl-maleimide-sensitive factor), SNAPs (soluble NSF attachment proteins), and receptor proteins (SNAREs) that include synaptobrevin, synaptotagmin, syntaxin, and SNAP-25 (synaptosomal-associated protein of 25kDa). SNAP-25 and syntaxin are plasmalemal proteins (t-SNAREs) while synaptobrevin and synaptotagmin are vesicular proteins (v-SNAREs).