Presynaptic terminals are specialized for mediating rapid fusion of synaptic vesicles (SVs) after calcium influx. The regulated trafficking of SVs likely results from a highly organized cytomatrix. How this cytomatrix links SVs, maintains them near the active zones (AZs) of release, and organizes docked SVs at the release sites is not fully understood.To analyze the three-dimensional (3D) architecture of the presynaptic cytomatrix, electron tomography of presynaptic terminals contacting spines was performed in the stratum radiatum of the rat hippocampal CA1 area. To preserve the cytomatrix, hippocampal slices were immobilized using high-pressure freezing, followed by cryosubstitution and embedding. SVs are surrounded by a dense network of filaments. A given vesicle is connected to ϳ1.5 neighboring ones. SVs at the periphery of this network are also linked to the plasma membrane, by longer filaments. More of these filaments are found at the AZ. At the AZ, docked SVs are grouped around presynaptic densities. Filaments with adjacent SVs emerge from these densities. Immunogold localizations revealed that synapsin is located in the presynaptic bouton, whereas Bassoon and CAST (ERC2) are at focal points next to the AZ. In synapsin triple knock-out mice, the number of SVs is reduced by 63%, but the size of the boutons is reduced by only 18%, and the mean distance of SVs to the AZ is unchanged. This 3D analysis reveals the morphological constraints exerted by the presynaptic molecular scaffold. SVs are tightly interconnected in the axonal bouton, and this network is preferentially connected to the AZ.

Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complexes execute synaptic vesicle (SV) fusion. Vesicle fusion is preceded by an obligatory Munc13-dependent priming process that conveys fusion competence to SVs by facilitating SNARE complex assembly. Ultrastructural studies after chemical fixation indicated that vesicle docking to the plasma membrane is independent of Munc13s but these results may be misleading because aldehyde fixatives modify the localization of SVs with respect to the plasma membrane. To reinvestigate the role of Munc13s in vesicle docking, cultured hippocampal slices were immobilized using high-pressure freezing, which circumvents aldehyde artifacts. High-pressure freezing was combined with electron tomography to reach a resolution that allows the characterization of details of SV docking in a close-to-native state. In control slices, docked vesicles are not hemifused with the plasma membrane but linked to it and to dense material at the active zone by small strands. In slice cultures from Munc13-deficient mice, vesicles are not docked to the active zone plasma membrane. These results indicate that SV docking at the plasma membrane and functional priming are respective morphological and physiological manifestations of the same molecular process mediated by SNARE complexes and Munc13s.

The dense reconstruction of neuronal circuits from volumetric electron microscopy (EM) data has the potential to uncover fundamental structure-function relationships in the brain. To address bottlenecks in the workflow of this emerging methodology, we developed a procedure for conductive sample embedding and a pipeline for neuron reconstruction. We reconstructed ∼98% of all neurons (>1,000) in the olfactory bulb of a zebrafish larva with high accuracy and annotated all synapses on subsets of neurons representing different types. The organization of the larval olfactory bulb showed marked differences from that of the adult but similarities to that of the insect antennal lobe. Interneurons comprised multiple types but granule cells were rare. Interglomerular projections of interneurons were complex and bidirectional. Projections were not random but biased toward glomerular groups receiving input from common types of sensory neurons. Hence, the interneuron network in the olfactory bulb exhibits a specific topological organization that is governed by glomerular identity.

Electron microscopy allows the analysis of synaptic ultrastructure and its modifications during learning or in pathological conditions. However, conventional electron microscopy uses aldehyde fixatives that alter the morphology of the synapse by changing osmolarity and collapsing its molecular components. We have used high-pressure freezing (HPF) to capture within a few milliseconds structural features without aldehyde fixative, and thus to provide a snapshot of living synapses. CA1 hippocampal area slices from P21 rats were frozen at -173 degrees C under high pressure to reduce crystal formation, and synapses on dendritic spines were analysed after cryosubstitution and embedding. Synaptic terminals were larger than after aldehyde fixation, and synaptic vesicles in these terminals were less densely packed. Small filaments linked the vesicles in subgroups. The postsynaptic densities (PSDs) exhibited filamentous projections extending into the spine cytoplasm. Tomographic analysis showed that these projections were connected with the spine cytoskeletal meshwork. Using immunocytochemistry, we found as expected GluR1 at the synaptic cleft and CaMKII in the PSD. Actin immunoreactivity (IR) labelled the cytoskeletal meshwork beneath the filamentous projections, but was very scarce within the PSD itself. ProSAP2/Shank3, cortactin and Ena/VASP-IRs were concentrated on the cytoplasmic face of the PSD, at the level of the PSD projections. Synaptic ultrastructure after HPF was different from that observed after aldehyde fixative. The boutons were larger, and filamentous components were preserved. Particularly, filamentous projections were observed linking the PSD to the actin cytoskeleton. Thus, synaptic ultrastructure can be analysed under more realistic conditions following HPF.