The presynaptic dense projection of the Caenorhabditis elegans cholinergic neuromuscular junction localizes synaptic vesicles at the active zone through SYD-2/liprin and UNC-10/RIM-dependent interactions.

The active zone (AZ) of chemical synapses is a specialized area of the presynaptic bouton in which vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane and release neurotransmitters. Efficient signaling requires synaptic vesicles (SVs) to be recruited, primed, and retained at the AZ, in close proximity to voltage-dependent calcium channels that are activated during presynaptic depolarization. The electron-dense specializations at the AZ might provide a molecular platform for the spatial coordination of these different processes. To investigate this hypothesis, we examined high-resolution three-dimensional models of Caenorhabditis elegans cholinergic neuromuscular junctions generated by electron tomography. First, we found that SVs are interconnected within the bouton by filaments similar to those described in vertebrates. Second, we resolved the three-dimensional structure of the dense projection centered in the AZ. The dense projection is a more complex structure than previously anticipated, with filaments radiating from a core structure that directly contact SVs in the interior of the bouton as well as SVs docked at the plasma membrane. Third, we investigated the functional correlate of these contacts by analyzing mutants disrupting two key AZ proteins: UNC-10/RIM and SYD-2/liprin. In both mutants, the number of contacts between SVs and the dense projection was significantly reduced. Similar to unc-10 mutants, the dependence of SV fusion on extracellular calcium concentration was exacerbated in syd-2 mutants when compared with the wild type. Hence, we propose that the dense projection ensures proper coupling of primed vesicles with calcium signaling by retaining them at the AZ via UNC-10/RIM and SYD-2/liprin-dependent mechanisms.