Abstract

Neurotransmitter Release: The Neuromuscular Junction is a collection of papers presented at a small meeting organized in the University of Milan to honor Bruno Ceccarelli. Ceccarelli was particularly interested in the structure and functioning of the neuromuscular junction and spent the rest of his career characterizing the process of neurotransmitter release, and eventually providing the strongest available support for the widely accepted ""vesicle hypothesis"" of neurotransmitter release. The meeting was intended to gather as many scientists who had been directly in touch with Bruno as possible and to discuss together problems of Bruno's interest.
Organized into 20 chapters, the book first discusses the organelles of distinct secretory pathways involved in distinct types of neuronal signaling, such as synapsins, synaptophysin , and synaptobrevin. It then examines the role of coated vesicles, acetylcholine compartments, and potassium and calcium channels on neurotransmission processes. Other topics considered are the regeneration of nerve-evoked neurotransmission; the single-channel recordings of KNa in avian sensory neurons; the modulation of voltage-dependent calcium currents in identified snail neurons; and the agonistic/antagonistic action of calcium channel in mammalian peripheral neurons. Cross-talks between receptors coupled to calcium currents and between different intracellular signaling are provided in the last chapters of the book. These chapters also look into the relevance of lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid to cell-to-cell communication in the central nervous system.
This book is an invaluable source for scientists, researchers, and students who are interested in basic neurology.