Number of neurotransmitter molecules in vesicle

Range noradrenaline ~37,000: dopamine ~14,000 neurotransmitter molecules/vesicle
Organism Rat Rattus norvegicus
Reference Courtney NA, Ford CP. The timing of dopamine- and noradrenaline-mediated transmission reflects underlying differences in the extent of spillover and pooling. J Neurosci. 2014 May 28 34(22):7645-56. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0166-14.2014. p.7652 right column top paragraphPubMed ID24872568
Primary Source Jaffe EH, Marty A, Schulte A, Chow RH (1998) Extrasynaptic vesicular transmitter release from the somata of substantia nigra neurons in rat midbrain slices. J Neurosci 18: 3548–3553. & Huang HP et al., (2007) Long latency of evoked quantal transmitter release from somata of locus coeruleus neurons in rat pontine slices. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104: 1401–1406.PubMed ID9570786, 17227848
Method Amperometric measurements
Comments "The concentration of agonist determines the rate of activation of GPCR [G-protein-coupled receptor]-mediated GIRK [G-protein inwardly rectifying potassium] currents (Sodickson and Bean, 1996 Ingram et al.,1997 Fordetal.,2009). Amperometric measurements have estimated somatic quantal content of noradrenaline vesicles in the LC [locus ceruleus] to be approximately twice that of dopamine vesicles in the VTA [ventral tegmental area] (~37,000 noradrenaline molecules vs ~14,000 dopamine molecules per vesicle, primary sources). Despite the greater number of noradrenaline molecules being released per vesicle, the a2-dependent IPSC was nearly four times slower than D2-IPSC (Fig. 1C,F). This suggests that the a2-IPSC may be mediated by a subsaturating concentration of noradrenaline."
Entered by Uri M
ID 111046