Medication-assisted treatments are unavailable to patients with cocaine use disorders. Efforts to develop potential pharmacotherapies have led to the identification of a promising lead molecule, JJC8-091, that demonstrates a novel binding mode at the dopamine transporter (DAT). Here, JJC8-091 and a structural analogue, JJC8-088, were extensively and comparatively assessed to elucidate neurochemical correlates to their divergent behavioral profiles. Despite sharing significant structural similarity, JJC8-088 was more cocaine-like, increasing extracellular DA concentrations in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAS) efficaciously and more potently than JJC8-091. In contrast, JJC8-091 was not self-administered and was effective in blocking cocaine-induced reinstatement to drug seeking. Electrophysiology experiments confirmed that JJC8-091 was more effective than JJC8-088 at inhibiting cocaine-mediated enhancement of DA neurotransmission. Further, when VTA DA neurons in DAT-cre mice were optically stimulated, JJC8-088 produced a significant leftward shift in the stimulation-response curve, similar to cocaine, while JJC8-091 shifted the curve downward, suggesting attenuation of DA-mediated brain reward. Computational models predicted that JJC8-088 binds in an outward facing conformation of DAT, similar to cocaine. Conversely, JJC8-091 steers DAT towards a more occluded conformation. Collectively, these data reveal the underlying molecular mechanism at DAT that may be leveraged to rationally optimize leads for the treatment of cocaine use disorders, with JJC8-091 representing a compelling candidate for development.

Abstract. Exocytosis is the fundamental process by which cells communicate with each other. The events that lead up to the fusion of a vesicle loaded with chemical messenger with the cell membrane were the subject of a Nobel Prize in 2013. However, the processes occurring after the initial formation of a fusion pore are very much still in debate. The release of chemical messenger has traditionally been thought to occur through full distention of the vesicle membrane, hence assuming exocytosis to be all or none. In contrast to the all or none hypothesis, here we discuss the evidence that during exocytosis the vesicle-membrane pore opens to release only a portion of the transmitter content during exocytosis and then close again. This open and closed exocytosis is distinct from kiss-and-run exocytosis, in that it appears to be the main content released during regular exocytosis. The evidence for this partial release via open and closed exocytosis is presented considering primarily the quantitative evidence obtained with amperometry.1. An overview of exocytosis and endocytosis 2 2. Techniques to monitor exocytosis 5 2.1. Patch clamp 6 2.2. Amperometry 6 2.3. Patch amperometry 7 2.4. Cyclic voltammetry 7 2.5. Fluorescence microscopy imaging 83. Traditional models of exocytosis 94. Evidence where partial release during exocytosis appears to be dominant 11 4.1. The total content of a secretory vesicle is greater than the amount released 11 4.2. The majority of exocytotic events are followed by immediate endocytosis 12 4.3. Full distention of the vesicle may not be necessary for quantal release 13 4.4. A flickering fusion pore might regulate quantal release and vesicle recycling 15 4.5. Nanometer-sized pores can be seen as 'feet' associated with amperometric spikes 17 3. Release appears to be only a fraction of vesicle content in mammalian brains 23 7.4. Impact cytometry of adrenal cell vesicles shows a significantly larger catecholamine content then that released 23 7.5. Impact cytometry has been used to measure vesicle content in live cells and this quantity is greater than the amount released 23 7.6. Full distention of the vesicle is not necessary for the measured amperometric current during exocytotic release 23 7.7. Fast changes in cell environment alter the amount of messenger released 23 7.8. Patch amperometry measurements reveal a greater amount of release 23 7.9. Postspike 'feet' are observed with an amperometric spike 23Acknowledgements 24

Fabrication of carbon microelectrode arrays, with up to 15 electrodes in total tips as small as 10 to 50 μm, is presented. The support structures of microelectrodes were obtained by pulling multiple quartz capillaries together to form hollow capillary arrays before carbon deposition. Carbon ring microelectrodes were deposited by pyrolysis of acetylene in the lumen of these quartz capillary arrays. Each carbon deposited array tip was filled with epoxy, followed by beveling of the tip of the array to form a deposited carbon-ring microelectrode array (CRMA). Both the number of the microelectrodes in the array and the tip size are independently tunable. These CRMAs have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electrogenerated chemiluminescence. Additionally, the electrochemical properties were investigated with steady-state voltammetry. In order to demonstrate the utility of these fabricated microelectrodes in neurochemistry, CRMAs containing eight microring electrodes were used for electrochemical monitoring of exocytotic events from single PC12 cells. Subcellular temporal heterogeneities in exocytosis (ie. cold spots vs. hot spots) were successfully detected with the CRMAs.

We report the synthesis and characterization of bioconjugates in which the enzymes malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and/or citrate synthase (CS) were adsorbed to 30 nm diameter Au nanoparticles. Enzyme:Au stoichiometry and kinetic parameters (specific activity, kcat, KM, and activity per particle) were determined for MDH:Au, CS:Au, and three types of dual-activity MDH/CS:Au bioconjugates. For single-activity bioconjugates (MDH:Au and CS:Au), the number of enzyme molecules adsorbed per particle was dependent upon the enzyme concentration in solution, with multilayers forming at high enzyme:Au solution ratios. The specific activity of adsorbed enzyme increased with increasing number adsorbed per particle for CS:Au, but was less sensitive to stoichiometry for MDH:Au. Dual activity bioconjugates were prepared in three ways: (1) by adsorption of MDH followed by CS, (2) by adsorption of CS followed by MDH, and (3) by coadsorption of both enzymes from the same solution. The resulting bioconjugates differed substantially in the number of enzyme molecules adsorbed per particle, the specific activity of the adsorbed enzymes, and also the enzymatic activity per particle. Bioconjugates formed by adding CS to the Au nanoparticles before MDH was added exhibited higher specific activities for both enzymes than those formed by adding the enzymes in the reverse order. These bioconjugates also had 3-fold higher per-particle sequential activity for conversion of malate to citrate, despite substantially fewer copies of both enzymes present.