THE SYNAPTIC VESICLE CYCLE - A CASCADE OF PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS

The synaptic vesicle cycle at the nerve terminal consists of vesicle e xocytosis with neurotransmitter release, endocytosis of empty vesicles , and regeneration of fresh vesicles. Of all cellular transport pathwa ys, the synaptic vesicle cycle is the fastest and the most tightly reg ulated. A convergence of results now allows formulation of molecular m odels for key steps of the cycle. These developments may form the basi s for a mechanistic understanding of higher neural function.