Structure and Function of Neurotransmitter Release Sites
{'Code': '08090200', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'IOS', 'LongName': 'Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'name not available'}
Dr. Walrond describes an in depth study of the structure of the                 sites where neurotransmitter is released (active zones).  He                    intends to determine the relationship between the organization of               active zone components (active zone particles, synatic vesicles,                and presynaptic densities) and the amount of transmitter released               from synapses with diverse functions.  Lobster (Homarus                         americanus) neuromuscular junctions provide a unique model system               for these studies, since they contain synapses that release known               amounts of neurotransmitter.  The synapses will be identified in                thin section and freeze-fracture views in the electron                          microscope.  Dr. Walrond will examine three mechanisms that may                 regulate the amount of transmitter released:  the number and                    density of large intramembrane particles aggregated at the                      transmitter release sites (active zone particles); the number of                synaptic vesicles appropriately positioned to release transmitter               (active zone vesicles); and the distance between the active zone                vesicles, the active zone particles and the presynaptic density.                These factors will be examined in three different preparations:                 in normal adult animals to correlate structure and function at                  mature, well-defined synapses; in developing synapses to                        correlate changes in active zone structure with changes in the                  amount of transmitter released during muscle growth; and in                     experimentally manipulated preparations to correlate long-term                  changes in the amount of transmitter released with changes in                   active zone structure accompanying altered patterns of neuronal                 activity.  These studies will provide insights into the                         relationship between structure and function in one of the                       remaining puzzles of synaptic transmission:  how functionally                   diverse synapses differentially control the amount of transmitter               they release in response to a stereotyped signal, the action                    potential, and modulate the dynamic output of statically                        connected neural circuits.
{'FirstName': 'John', 'LastName': 'Walrond', 'EmailAddress': '3034915588', 'StartDate': '05/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'Colorado State University', 'CityName': 'Fort Collins', 'ZipCode': '805232002', 'PhoneNumber': '9704916355', 'StreetAddress': '601 S Howes St', 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Colorado', 'StateCode': 'CO'}
{'Code': '1192', 'Text': 'NEURONAL AND GLIAL MECHANISMS'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1987&All=true', 'xml': '8719517.xml'}