Synaptische Vesikel (SV) besitzen abhängig vom Neurontyp unterschiedliche Neurotransmittertransporter. In glutamatergen Neuronen kommen die vesikulären Glutamattransporter (VGLUT)1, VGLUT2 und VGLUT3 vor. GABAerge Neurone besitzen den vesikulären GABA-Transporter (VGAT). Die getrennte Glutamat- und GABA-Speicherung in unterschiedlichen Neuronen dient dem exakten Funktionieren neuronaler Netze. Mitunter setzen glutamaterge Neurone auch GABA frei. Einige entscheidende Proteine GABAerger Nervenendigungen wurden auf dem Protein- und mRNA-Niveau nachgewiesen. GABAerge Transmission glutamaterger Neurone wurde elektrophysiologisch gezeigt. Diese Studie untersucht eine mögliche VGLUT/VGAT-Kolokalisation mittels Immunisolierungen (II) von SV (SP), Neurotransmitteraufnahmeversuchen mit aufgereinigten SV, SP und der elektronenmikroskopischen Postembeddingmethode. II aus dem Rattengehirn zeigen, dass die VGLUT1-SP VGLUT2 und die VGLUT2-SP auch VGLUT1 enthält. Beide VGLUT kommen auf dem selben SV vor. Die VGLUT2-SP beinhaltet VGAT- und die VGAT-SP VGLUT2-tragende SV. SP aus frühen Entwicklungsstadien zeigen bereits eine ausgeprägte vesikuläre VGLUT2/VGAT- Kolokalisation. SV der VGAT-SP akkumulieren GABA und Glutamat. Die Hemmung der VGLUT zeigt ihren unterstützenden Einfluss auf die vesikuläre GABA- und Monoaminaufnahme. Damit moduliert die VGLUT-Aktivität die Neurotransmitterspeicherung in nicht glutamatergen Neuronen. Doppelmarkierung im Postembeddingverfahren zeigen die synaptische VGLUT/VGAT- Kolokalisation in glutamatergen hippokampalen und cerebellären Moosfaserendigungen. Dagegen ist VGAT weder in den nur VGLUT1-positiven cerebellären Parallelfaser- noch in den nur VGLUT2-positiven Kletterfaserendigungen detektierbar. Die cerebellären GABAergen Korbzellenendigungen beinhalten auch VGLUT2. Diese Befunde liefern den morphologischen Beweis für die synaptische GABA/Glutamat-Koausschüttung aus speziellen großen glutamatergen und GABAergen präsynaptischen Endigungen. / Synaptic vesicles (SV) are equipped with a common set of proteins. Dependent on the type of nerve cell SV differ in their neurotransmitter transporters, i.e. the vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUT) 1 and VGLUT2 in types of glutamatergic neurons and the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT) in types of GABAergic neurons. The strict separation of glutamate and GABA storage generally guarantees the precise function of neuronal networks. However, GABA may be released by glutamatergic neurons under certain conditions as shown by electrophysiological studies. The project aims to analyse a putative vesicular and synaptic co-localisation of VGLUT and VGAT using immunoisolations, neurotransmitter uptake assays, and post-embedding electron microscopy. Immunoisolations from whole brain of adult rats revealed that VGLUT1 immunoisolates (ii) contain VGLUT2 and VGLUT2-ii also have VGLUT1 indicating the vesicular co-localisation of both VGLUT. VGLUT2-ii harbour in addition VGAT and VGAT-ii also contain VGLUT2. Transporter-specific ii from rat brain at different postnatal levels (P5/15/30) show a pronounced vesicular co-localisation of VGLUT2 and VGAT during these early developmental stages. Transmitter uptake studies show GABA and also glutamate concentrating VGAT-ii. Using the specific inhibitor trypan blue we found that VGLUT activity improves GABA as well as monoamine uptake into SV. Thus VGLUT activity modulates transmitter storage in non-glutamatergic neurons. Post-embedding immunogold double labelling indicates a synaptic co-localisation of VGLUT and VGAT in glutamatergic hippocampal and cerebellar mossy fibre terminals while VGAT was not seen in cerebellar parallel fibre (VGLUT1-positive only) and climbing fibre (VGLUT2-positive only) terminals. Remarkably, cerebellar GABAergic basket cell terminals also contain VGLUT2. These findings provide the morphological evidence for a synaptic co-release of GABA and glutamate from some large glutamatergic and GABAergic terminals.

Tauopathy, which results from the oligomerization of misfolded tau protein in neurons, is a feature present in a number of neurodegenerative diseases and a hallmark of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Tau is an important phosphoprotein that regulates the assembly of microtubules, but tauopathy can occur when tau becomes hyperphosphorylated. Phosphorylation prevents tau from binding to tubulin, which results in cytosolic accumulation of tau and eventual oligomerization. This abnormal accumulation of tau leads to the spreading of hyperphosphorylated tau to downstream synaptically connected neurons through an unknown mechanism. In AD, the hippocampus is one of the first brain structures to be affected by tauopathy in humans. According to previous research, tauopathy occurs primarily between principal cells in the hippocampus. The involvement of local inhibitory interneurons in tauopathy and their potential role in AD is more controversial. Previous research suggests that tau pathogenesis primarily affects principal cells; however, given the importance, diversity, and function of interneurons in the hippocampus, it is important to gain a better understanding of the interneuron subtypes that may be impacted by the spread of trans-synaptic tau into the hippocampus. Understanding the involvement of interneurons in trans-synaptic tau transmission is important to understanding neurodegeneration in AD and other neurodegenerative disorders. To investigate this, both male and female genetically-modified mice underwent surgery to examine the trans-synaptic spread of pathogenic tau (EGFP-Tau P301L) from the entorhinal cortex to hippocampal neurons. Histology and imaging analysis of brain sections were performed to examine the hippocampal cells impacted by trans-synaptic spread of tau. Results show that pathogenic tau can trans-synaptically spread from presynaptic neurons in the entorhinal cortex into downstream hippocampal interneurons and also that hippocampal interneurons are capable of trans-synaptically spreading tau. Future studies examining the specific subtypes of hippocampal interneurons vulnerable to trans-synaptic spread of tau will be important for a better understanding of disease progression, which could lead to uncovering new therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases, like AD, which are associated with tauopathy.

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