ArticleNature2016
A trans-synaptic nanocolumn aligns neurotransmitter release to receptors.
Article in Nature, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 398 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
398 citing papers in PubMed, 688 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Novel Striated Membrane Contact Site in Vestibular Hair Cells.Biology of the cell · 2026Article
- Ternary Neurexin-T178-PTPR complexes represent a pre-synaptic core-module of neuronal synapse organization.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Lithium as a therapeutic strategy for SNAP25 encephalopathies via modulation of homeostatic plasticity.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Review
- Resolving endogenous protein organization in cells with nanometer resolution.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Neuroligins and Neuropathic Pain: Insights into Synaptic Plasticity and Pain Transmission.Biology · 2026Review
- Distinct nanoscale architectures of GABAergic inhibitory synapses predict diverse synaptic output.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Article
- A noncanonical neuroligin 3-centered complex promotes functional recovery of spinal cord injury.Stem cell research & therapy · 2026Article
- Robust learning-driven structural and functional plasticity of spines in the mature mouse cortex: Robust learning-driven plasticity of spines in the mature cortex.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Postsynaptic Complexin Mediates Constitutive Exocytosis of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- NMDA Receptor Mediated Mechanisms in the Post-Stroke Brain: From Physiology to Pathology.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Transsynaptic linking of calcium channels and postsynaptic receptors at a dyadic synapse.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Interferometric ultra-high resolution 3D imaging through brain sections.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Dynamic recruitment of CaMKII into SHANK3 phase-separated condensates tunes postsynaptic density remodeling during long-term potentiation.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Neurexins, Ephrin receptors, and N-cadherin signaling as emerging mechanisms in synaptic dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases.Communications biology · 2026Review
- Munc13 serves as a molecular filter for SNARE sorting and assembly in active zone condensates.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- 3D STED Super-Resolution Imaging Strategy for Visualizing Synaptic Nano-architecture in Brain Cryosections.Bio-protocol · 2026Article
- Subcellular Structures in Native Hippocampal Synapses Revealed by Cryo-electron Tomography.Neuroscience bulletin · 2026Article
- 3D Expansion-PALM (PhotoActivated Localization Microscopy) Dissects Protein-Protein Interactions Down to the Molecular Scale in Bacteria.Microorganisms · 2026Article
338 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Synaptic transmission is maintained by a delicate, sub-synaptic molecular architecture, and even mild alterations in synapse structure drive functional changes during experience-dependent plasticity and pathological disorders. Key to this architecture is how the distribution of presynaptic vesicle fusion sites corresponds to the position of receptors in the postsynaptic density. However, while it has long been recognized that this spatial relationship modulates synaptic strength, it has not been precisely described, owing in part to the limited resolution of light microscopy. Using localization microscopy, here we show that key proteins mediating vesicle priming and fusion are mutually co-enriched within nanometre-scale subregions of the presynaptic active zone. Through development of a new method to map vesicle fusion positions within single synapses in cultured rat hippocampal neurons, we find that action-potential-evoked fusion is guided by this protein gradient and occurs preferentially in confined areas with higher local density of Rab3-interacting molecule (RIM) within the active zones. These presynaptic RIM nanoclusters closely align with concentrated postsynaptic receptors and scaffolding proteins, suggesting the existence of a trans-synaptic molecular 'nanocolumn'. Thus, we propose that the nanoarchitecture of the active zone directs action-potential-evoked vesicle fusion to occur preferentially at sites directly opposing postsynaptic receptor-scaffold ensembles. Remarkably, NMDA receptor activation triggered distinct phases of plasticity in which postsynaptic reorganization was followed by trans-synaptic nanoscale realignment. This architecture suggests a simple organizational principle of central nervous system synapses to maintain and modulate synaptic efficiency.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.