Commentary Cellscience Reviews Vol 4 No 3 ISSN 1742-8130

What is the nature of ribbon-free active zones in retina bipolar cells?

Ribbon synapses are a specialized type of synapse found in photoreceptors and bipolar cells of the retina, hair cells of the inner ear, and pinealocytes of the pineal gland. They are commonly thought to release neurotransmitters at an active zone located at the base of a specialized structure called the synaptic ribbon. A recent study by Midorikawa et al demonstrates that goldfish retinal bipolar cells also contain additional ribbon-free active zones. They further demonstrate that the docking of synaptic vesicles at these ribbon-free active zones can be modulated by phorbol esters. This commentary discusses the results of the study and the molecular components that are likely involved in the formation of the ribbon-free active zones.

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