Lab: Richard Huganir Laboratory
School: SOM
Department: Neuroscience
The hippocampal CA1 region was stained with a pre-synaptic active zone marker (blue), post-synaptic density (PSD) marker (magenta), and a protein of interest (green) localized at the PSD, forming liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) at the PSD. Millions of synapses were resolved at subspine resolution using STED super-resolution microscopy and subsequent PSF-based deconvolution.The presynaptic active zone, a hotspot for neurotransmitter release in chemical synapses, formed “nano-columns” spaced approximately 50-100 nm apart. The PSD, which anchors receptors that receive neurotransmitters, is located 40-50 nm (the distance of the synaptic cleft) away from the active zone. The protein of interest (green), which forms the LLPS and provides the biochemical basis of the PSD, was localized at both the PSD core and the PSD pallium.