ABSTRACT
NEUROTRANSMISSION FLAVIA VALTORTA1, FABIO BENFENATI2 AND CHIARA LEONI1
2Dept. Medical Pharmachology, “B. Ceccarelli” and CNR Molecular and Cellular
INTRODUCTION
The process of neuroexocytosis is characterized by several important properties, that distinguish it from other kinds of secretory processes:
(1) it is tightly regulated; (2) it is very rapid, suggesting that it relies upon preformed metastable complexes of a
group of synaptic vesicles with the presynaptic plasma membrane; (3) it is extremely efficient, exploiting a local recycling of synaptic vesicles, that after
discharge are re-loaded in situ with locally synthesized neurotransmitter; (4) it is remarkably resistent to exhaustion; (5) its efficiency can be modulated according to the previous history of the synapse and
to the changing environment.
