for Biophysical Chemistry, D-37077 Göttingen,

The functioning of excitatory synapses in the mammalian brain is governed by macromolecular complexes that are held together by protein-protein, protein-lipid and lipid-lipid interactions. On the presynaptic side, neurotransmitter (NT)-filled synaptic vesicles (SVs) are recruited to specialized release sites termed active zones. Glutamate is the major excitatory NT. It is released from presynaptic boutons, diffuses across the synaptic cleft and binds to postsynaptic NT receptors that alter the membrane potential and trigger signal transduction cascades. Action potentials arriving at presynaptic boutons trigger exocytosis and the retrieval of SV component