Calcium-dependent oligomerization of synaptotagmins I and II. Synaptotagmins I and II are localized on the same synaptic vesicle and heterodimerize in the presence of calcium.

Synaptotagmins constitute a large family of membrane proteins characterized by their distinct distributions and different biochemical features. Genetic evidence suggests that members of this protein family are likely to function as calcium sensors in calcium-regulated events in neurons, although the precise molecular mechanism remains ill defined. Here we demonstrate that different synaptotagmin isoforms (Syt I, II, and IV) are present in the same synaptic vesicle population from rat brain cortex. In addition, Syt I and II co-localize on the same small synaptic vesicle (SSV), and they heterodimerize in the presence of calcium with a concentration dependence resembling that of the starting phase of SSV exocytosis (EC50 = 6 +/- 4 microM). The association between Syt I and Syt II was demonstrated by immunoprecipitation of the native proteins and the recombinant cytoplasmic domains and by using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Although a subpopulation of SSV containing Syt I and IV can be isolated, these two isoforms do not show a calcium-dependent interaction. These results suggest that the self-association of synaptotagmins with different calcium binding features may create a variety of calcium sensors characterized by distinct calcium sensitivities. This combinatorial hypothesis predicts that the probability of a single SSV exocytic event is determined, in addition to the gating properties of the presynaptic calcium channels, by the repertoire and relative abundance of distinct synaptotagmin isoforms present on the SSV surface.