scholarly journals Hippocampal CA1 Pyramidal Neurons ofMecp2Mutant Mice Show a Dendritic Spine Phenotype Only in the Presymptomatic Stage

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Chapleau ◽  
Elena Maria Boggio ◽  
Gaston Calfa ◽  
Alan K. Percy ◽  
Maurizio Giustetto ◽  
...  

Alterations in dendritic spines have been documented in numerous neurodevelopmental disorders, including Rett Syndrome (RTT). RTT, an X chromosome-linked disorder associated with mutations inMECP2, is the leading cause of intellectual disabilities in women. Neurons inMecp2-deficient mice show lower dendritic spine density in several brain regions. To better understand the role of MeCP2 on excitatory spine synapses, we analyzed dendritic spines of CA1 pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus ofMecp2tm1.1Jaemale mutant mice by either confocal microscopy or electron microscopy (EM). At postnatal-day 7 (P7), well before the onset of RTT-like symptoms, CA1 pyramidal neurons from mutant mice showed lower dendritic spine density than those from wildtype littermates. On the other hand, at P15 or later showing characteristic RTT-like symptoms, dendritic spine density did not differ between mutant and wildtype neurons. Consistently, stereological analyses at the EM level revealed similar densities of asymmetric spine synapses in CA1stratum radiatumof symptomatic mutant and wildtype littermates. These results raise caution regarding the use of dendritic spine density in hippocampal neurons as a phenotypic endpoint for the evaluation of therapeutic interventions in symptomaticMecp2-deficient mice. However, they underscore the potential role of MeCP2 in the maintenance of excitatory spine synapses.

Hippocampus ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 1493-1500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaston Calfa ◽  
Christopher A. Chapleau ◽  
Susan Campbell ◽  
Takafumi Inoue ◽  
Sarah J. Morse ◽  
...  

1998 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.I. Pérez-Vega ◽  
G. Barajas-López ◽  
A.R. del Angel-Meza ◽  
I. González-Burgos ◽  
A. Feria-Velasco

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tharkika Nagendran ◽  
Rylan S. Larsen ◽  
Rebecca L. Bigler ◽  
Shawn B. Frost ◽  
Benjamin D. Philpot ◽  
...  

AbstractInjury of CNS nerve tracts remodels circuitry through dendritic spine loss and hyper-excitability, thus influencing recovery. Due to the complexity of the CNS, a mechanistic understanding of injury-induced synaptic remodeling remains unclear. Using microfluidic chambers to separate and injure distal axons, we show that axotomy causes retrograde dendritic spine loss at directly injured pyramidal neurons followed by retrograde presynaptic hyper-excitability. These remodeling events require activity at the site of injury, axon-to-soma signaling, and transcription. Similarly, directly injured corticospinal neurons in vivo also exhibit a specific increase in spiking following axon injury. Axotomy-induced hyper-excitability of cultured neurons coincides with elimination of inhibitory inputs onto injured neurons, including those formed onto dendritic spines. Netrin-1 downregulation occurs following axon injury and exogenous netrin-1 applied after injury normalizes spine density, presynaptic excitability, and inhibitory inputs at injured neurons. Our findings show that intrinsic signaling within damaged neurons regulates synaptic remodeling and involves netrin-1 signaling.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (10) ◽  
pp. S277
Author(s):  
Jennifer Kuflewski ◽  
Christopher Hensler ◽  
Shahwar Tariq ◽  
David Lewis ◽  
Robert Sweet ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn J. Lippman Bell ◽  
Tamar Lordkipanidze ◽  
Natalie Cobb ◽  
Anna Dunaevsky

In the cerebellum, lamellar Bergmann glial (BG) appendages wrap tightly around almost every Purkinje cell dendritic spine. The function of this glial ensheathment of spines is not entirely understood. The development of ensheathment begins near the onset of synaptogenesis, when motility of both BG processes and dendritic spines are high. By the end of the synaptogenic period, ensheathment is complete and motility of the BG processes decreases, correlating with the decreased motility of dendritic spines. We therefore have hypothesized that ensheathment is intimately involved in capping synaptogenesis, possibly by stabilizing synapses. To test this hypothesis, we misexpressed GluR2 in an adenoviral vector in BG towards the end of the synaptogenic period, rendering the BG α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs) Ca2+-impermeable and causing glial sheath retraction. We then measured the resulting spine motility, spine density and synapse number. Although we found that decreasing ensheathment at this time does not alter spine motility, we did find a significant increase in both synaptic pucta and dendritic spine density. These results indicate that consistent spine coverage by BG in the cerebellum is not necessary for stabilization of spine dynamics, but is very important in the regulation of synapse number.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie T. Ramírez ◽  
Eva Ramos-Fernández ◽  
Nibaldo C. Inestrosa

Mastoparan-7 (Mas-7), an analogue of the peptide mastoparan, which is derived from wasp venom, is a direct activator ofPertussis toxin-(PTX-) sensitive G proteins. Mas-7 produces several biological effects in different cell types; however, little is known about how Mas-7 influences mature hippocampal neurons. We examined the specific role of Mas-7 in the development of dendritic spines, the sites of excitatory synaptic contact that are crucial for synaptic plasticity. We report here that exposure of hippocampal neurons to a low dose of Mas-7 increases dendritic spine density and spine head width in a time-dependent manner. Additionally, Mas-7 enhances postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) clustering in neurites and activatesGαosignaling, increasing the intracellular Ca2+concentration. To define the role of signaling intermediates, we measured the levels of phosphorylated protein kinase C (PKC), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and calcium-calmodulin dependent protein kinase IIα(CaMKIIα) after Mas-7 treatment and determined that CaMKII activation is necessary for the Mas-7-dependent increase in dendritic spine density. Our results demonstrate a critical role forGαosubunit signaling in the regulation of synapse formation.


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