Submillisecond kinetics of glutamate release from a sensory synapse

Exocytosis-mediated glutamate release from ribbon-type synaptic terminals of retinal bipolar cells was studied using AMPA receptors and simultaneous membrane capacitance measurements. Release onset (delay <0.8 ms) and offset were closely tied to Ca²⁺ channel opening and closing. Asynchronous release was not copious and we estimate that there are ~5 Ca²⁺ channels per docked synaptic vesicle. Depending on Ca²⁺ current amplitude, release occurred in a single fast bout or in two successive bouts with fast and slow onset kinetics. The second, slower bout may reflect a mobilization rate of reserve vesicles toward fusion sites that is accelerated by increasing Ca²⁺ influx. Bipolar cell synaptic ribbons thus are remarkably versatile signal transducers, capable of transmitting rapidly changing sensory input, as well as sustained stimuli, due to their large pool of releasable vesicles.