Atomic-level Scrutiny of Neurotransmitter Vesicles is a First

From Chemical and Engineering News:

The first depiction of an organelle right down to its molecular minutia has finally come to light. Using a combination of biophysical and proteomic techniques, European and Japanese scientists examined quantitatively the relative ratios of the lipids and 180 or so proteins that adorn synaptic vesicles, the compartments that house and traffic neurotransmitters essential for brain function (Cell 2006, 127, 671).

ANATOMICALLY CORRECT

This picture of a synaptic vesicle is the first atomic-level description of any cellular organelle. Cell © 2006

Next up, the researchers will focus on how vesicles that carry different neurotransmitters — such as glutamate or gamma-aminobutyric acid — differ from one another.