551
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Xu-Friedman MA, Harris KM, Regehr WG. Three-dimensional comparison of ultrastructural characteristics at depressing and facilitating synapses onto cerebellar Purkinje cells. J Neurosci 2001; 21:6666-72. [PMID: 11517256 PMCID: PMC6763067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Cerebellar Purkinje cells receive two distinctive types of excitatory inputs. Climbing fiber (CF) synapses have a high probability of release and show paired-pulse depression (PPD), whereas parallel fiber (PF) synapses facilitate and have a low probability of release. We examined both types of synapses using serial electron microscopic reconstructions in 15-d-old rats to look for anatomical correlates of these differences. PF and CF synapses were distinguishable by their overall ultrastructural organization. There were differences between PF and CF synapses in how many release sites were within 1 microm of a mitochondrion (67 vs 84%) and in the degree of astrocytic ensheathment (67 vs 94%). However, the postsynaptic density sizes for both types of synapses were similar (0.13-0.14 microm(2)). For both types of synapses, we counted the number of docked vesicles per release site to test whether this number determines the probability of release and synaptic plasticity. PF and CF synapses had the same number of anatomically docked vesicles (7-8). The number of docked vesicles at the CF does not support a simple model of PPD in which release of a single vesicle during the first pulse depletes the anatomically docked vesicle pool at a synapse. Alternatively, only a fraction of anatomically docked vesicles may be release ready, or PPD could result from multivesicular release at each site. Similarities in the number of docked vesicles for PF and CF synapses indicate that differences in probability of release are unrelated to the number of anatomically docked vesicles at these synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Xu-Friedman
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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552
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Abstract
Brain tissue has a remarkable ability to accumulate glutamate. This ability is due to glutamate transporter proteins present in the plasma membranes of both glial cells and neurons. The transporter proteins represent the only (significant) mechanism for removal of glutamate from the extracellular fluid and their importance for the long-term maintenance of low and non-toxic concentrations of glutamate is now well documented. In addition to this simple, but essential glutamate removal role, the glutamate transporters appear to have more sophisticated functions in the modulation of neurotransmission. They may modify the time course of synaptic events, the extent and pattern of activation and desensitization of receptors outside the synaptic cleft and at neighboring synapses (intersynaptic cross-talk). Further, the glutamate transporters provide glutamate for synthesis of e.g. GABA, glutathione and protein, and for energy production. They also play roles in peripheral organs and tissues (e.g. bone, heart, intestine, kidneys, pancreas and placenta). Glutamate uptake appears to be modulated on virtually all possible levels, i.e. DNA transcription, mRNA splicing and degradation, protein synthesis and targeting, and actual amino acid transport activity and associated ion channel activities. A variety of soluble compounds (e.g. glutamate, cytokines and growth factors) influence glutamate transporter expression and activities. Neither the normal functioning of glutamatergic synapses nor the pathogenesis of major neurological diseases (e.g. cerebral ischemia, hypoglycemia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy and schizophrenia) as well as non-neurological diseases (e.g. osteoporosis) can be properly understood unless more is learned about these transporter proteins. Like glutamate itself, glutamate transporters are somehow involved in almost all aspects of normal and abnormal brain activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- N C Danbolt
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1105, Blindern, N-0317, Oslo, Norway
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553
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Winder DG, Schramm NL. Plasticity and behavior: new genetic techniques to address multiple forms and functions. Physiol Behav 2001; 73:763-80. [PMID: 11566210 DOI: 10.1016/s0031-9384(01)00514-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
As the best-studied form of vertebrate synaptic plasticity, NMDA-receptor dependent long-term potentiation (NMDAR-LTP) has long been considered a leading candidate for a cellular locus for some aspects of learning and memory. However, assigning a specific role for this form of plasticity in learning and memory has proven surprisingly difficult. Two issues have contributed to this difficulty. First, a large number of molecules have been shown to in some way mediate or modulate not only NMDAR-LTP but also many forms of plasticity. Indeed, it is increasingly clear that multiple induction and maintenance mechanisms for plasticity exist, often at the same synapse. Second, linking cellular events to behavioral function has been hindered by a lack of sufficiently precise tools. In this review, we will discuss some of the proposed mechanisms of induction and maintenance of changes in synaptic efficacy and their regulation in the context of an attempt to understand their roles in animal behavior. Further, we will discuss recently developed genetic techniques, specifically, inducible transgenic models, which now allow more precise manipulations in the study of the roles plasticity plays in learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- D G Winder
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-0615, USA.
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554
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Abstract
Astrocytes, a sub-type of glia in the central nervous system, are dynamic signaling elements that integrate neuronal inputs, exhibit calcium excitability, and can modulate neighboring neurons. Neuronal activity can lead to neurotransmitter-evoked activation of astrocytic receptors, which mobilizes their internal calcium. Elevations in astrocytic calcium in turn trigger the release of chemical transmitters from astrocytes, which can cause sustained modulatory actions on neighboring neurons. Astrocytes, and perisynaptic Schwann cells, by virtue of their intimate association with synapses, are strategically positioned to regulate synaptic transmission. This capability, that has now been demonstrated in several studies, raises the untested possibility that astrocytes are an integral element of the circuitry for synaptic plasticity. Because the highest ratio of glia-to-neurons is found at the top of the phylogenetic tree in the human brain, these recent demonstrations of dynamic bi-directional signaling between astrocytes and neurons leave us with the question as to whether astrocytes are key regulatory elements of higher cortical functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Araque
- Instituto Cajal, CSIC, Doctor Arce 37, Madrid 28002, Spain.
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555
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Abstract
Glial cells are active partners of neurons in processing information and synaptic integration. They receive coded signals from synapses and elaborate modulatory responses. The active properties of glia, including long-range signalling and regulated transmitter release, are beginning to be elucidated. Recent insights suggest that the active brain should no longer be regarded as a circuitry of neuronal contacts, but as an integrated network of interactive neurons and glia.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Bezzi
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Centre of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Disorders, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9,20133, Milan, Italy.
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556
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Sharma G, Vijayaraghavan S. Nicotinic cholinergic signaling in hippocampal astrocytes involves calcium-induced calcium release from intracellular stores. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001; 98:4148-53. [PMID: 11259680 PMCID: PMC31194 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.071540198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 280] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In this report we provide evidence that neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are present on hippocampal astrocytes and their activation produces rapid currents and calcium transients. Our data indicate that these responses obtained from astrocytes are primarily mediated by an AChR subtype that is functionally blocked by alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha Bgt) and contains the alpha7 subunit (alpha Bgt-AChRs). Furthermore, their action is unusual in that they effectively increase intracellular free calcium concentrations by activating calcium-induced calcium release from intracellular stores, triggered by influx through the receptor channels. These results reveal a mechanism by which alpha Bgt-AChRs on astrocytes can efficiently modulate calcium signaling in the central nervous system in a manner distinct from that observed with these receptors on neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Sharma
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA
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557
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Abstract
Glial cells are emerging from the background to become more prominent in our thinking about integration in the nervous system. Given that glial cells associated with synapses integrate neuronal inputs and can release transmitters that modulate synaptic activity, it is time to rethink our understanding of the wiring diagram of the nervous system. It is no longer appropriate to consider solely neuron-neuron connections; we also need to develop a view of the intricate web of active connections among glial cells, and between glia and neurons. Without such a view, it might be impossible to decode the language of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- P G Haydon
- Department of Zoology and Genetics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.
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558
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Nicholson C, Chen KC, Hrabĕtová S, Tao L. Diffusion of molecules in brain extracellular space: theory and experiment. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2001; 125:129-54. [PMID: 11098654 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(00)25007-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Volume transmission depends on the migration of informational substances through brain extracellular space (ECS) and almost always involves diffusion; basic concepts of diffusion are outlined from both the microscopic viewpoint based on random walks and the macroscopic viewpoint based on the solution of equations embodying Fick's Laws. In a complex medium like the brain, diffusing molecules are constrained by the local volume fraction of the ECS and tortuosity, a measure of the hindrance imposed by cellular obstacles. Molecules can also experience varying degrees of uptake or clearance. Bulk flow and the extracellular matrix may also play a role. Examples of recent work on diffusion of tetramethylammonium (molecular weight, 74) in brain slices, using iontophoretic application and ion-selective microelectrodes, are reviewed. In slices, the volume fraction is about 20% and tortuosity about 1.6, both similar to values found in the intact brain. Using integrative optical imaging, results obtained with dextrans and albumins up to a molecular weight of 70,000 are summarized, for such large molecules the tortuosity is about 2.3. Experiments using synthetic long-chain PHPMA polymers up to 1,000,000 molecular weight show that these molecules also diffuse in the ECS but with a tortuosity of about 1.6. Studies with osmotic challenge show that volume fraction and tortuosity do not vary together as expected when the size of the ECS changes; a model is presented that explains the osmotic-challenge on the basis of changes in cell shape. Finally, new analytical insights are provided into the complex movement of potassium in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Nicholson
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine, NY 10016, USA.
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559
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Kullmann DM. Spillover and synaptic cross talk mediated by glutamate and GABA in the mammalian brain. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2001; 125:339-51. [PMID: 11098670 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(00)25023-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D M Kullmann
- Department of Clinical Neurology, UCL, London, UK.
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560
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Abstract
Although astrocytes constitute nearly half of the cells in our brain, their function is a long-standing neurobiological mystery. Here we show by quantal analyses, FM1-43 imaging, immunostaining, and electron microscopy that few synapses form in the absence of glial cells and that the few synapses that do form are functionally immature. Astrocytes increase the number of mature, functional synapses on central nervous system (CNS) neurons by sevenfold and are required for synaptic maintenance in vitro. We also show that most synapses are generated concurrently with the development of glia in vivo. These data demonstrate a previously unknown function for glia in inducing and stabilizing CNS synapses, show that CNS synapse number can be profoundly regulated by nonneuronal signals, and raise the possibility that glia may actively participate in synaptic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M Ullian
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology, Fairchild Science Building, Stanford, CA 94305-5125, USA.
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561
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Rubio ME, Soto F. Distinct Localization of P2X receptors at excitatory postsynaptic specializations. J Neurosci 2001; 21:641-53. [PMID: 11160443 PMCID: PMC6763822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2000] [Revised: 10/03/2000] [Accepted: 10/23/2000] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
ATP mediates fast excitatory synaptic transmission in some regions of the central nervous system through activation of P2X receptors. Nonetheless, the functional significance of ATP-mediated neurotransmission is not yet understood. Using postembedding immunocytochemistry, we describe the distribution of P2X(2), P2X(4), and P2X(6) subunits in cerebellum and in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Dendritic spines of cerebellar Purkinje cells showed immunogold labeling for all three subunits when apposed to parallel fiber (PF) terminals. In contrast, no immunogold labeling was observed on dendritic spines or cell bodies receiving inputs from climbing fibers and basket cells, respectively. In CA1 pyramidal cells, postsynaptic membranes apposed to terminals of Schaffer collaterals were immunogold-labeled for P2X(2), P2X(4), and P2X(6) subunits. Immunolabeling was also observed perisynaptically and intracellularly in relation to membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum. The analysis of the tangential distribution of gold particles showed that they were preferentially located at the peripheral portion of the postsynaptic specialization of both parallel fiber and Schaffer collateral synapses. By double imunogold labeling using antibodies for P2X receptor subunits and GluR2/3 subunits of the AMPA glutamate receptors, we show that synapses expressing P2X receptors are also glutamatergic. The present study shows for the first time qualitatively and quantitatively the precise localization of P2X receptors in brain. Moreover, our data indicate that P2X receptors may play a significant role at glutamatergic synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Rubio
- Department of Molecular Biology of Neuronal Signals, Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany.
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562
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Blondel O, Collin C, McCarran WJ, Zhu S, Zamostiano R, Gozes I, Brenneman DE, McKay RD. A glia-derived signal regulating neuronal differentiation. J Neurosci 2000; 20:8012-20. [PMID: 11050122 PMCID: PMC6772724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes are present in large numbers in the nervous system, are associated with synapses, and propagate ionic signals. Astrocytes influence neuronal physiology by responding to and releasing neurotransmitters, but the mechanisms that establish the close interaction between these cells are not defined. Here we use hippocampal neurons in culture to demonstrate that vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) promotes neuronal differentiation through activity-dependent neurotrophic factor (ADNF), a protein secreted by VIP-stimulated astroglia. ADNF is produced by glial cells and acts directly on neurons to promote glutamate responses and morphological development. ADNF causes secretion of neurotrophin 3 (NT-3), and both proteins regulate NMDA receptor subunit 2A (NR2A) and NR2B. These data suggest that the VIP-ADNF-NT-3 neuronal-glial pathway regulates glutamate responses from an early stage in the synaptic development of excitatory neurons and may also contribute to the known effects of VIP on learning and behavior in the adult nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Blondel
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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563
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Bergles DE, Roberts JD, Somogyi P, Jahr CE. Glutamatergic synapses on oligodendrocyte precursor cells in the hippocampus. Nature 2000; 405:187-91. [PMID: 10821275 DOI: 10.1038/35012083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 722] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Fast excitatory neurotransmission in the central nervous system occurs at specialized synaptic junctions between neurons, where a high concentration of glutamate directly activates receptor channels. Low-affinity AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl isoxazole propionic acid) and kainate glutamate receptors are also expressed by some glial cells, including oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). However, the conditions that result in activation of glutamate receptors on these non-neuronal cells are not known. Here we report that stimulation of excitatory axons in the hippocampus elicits inward currents in OPCs that are mediated by AMPA receptors. The quantal nature of these responses and their rapid kinetics indicate that they are produced by the exocytosis of vesicles filled with glutamate directly opposite these receptors. Some of these AMPA receptors are permeable to calcium ions, providing a link between axonal activity and internal calcium levels in OPCs. Electron microscopic analysis revealed that vesicle-filled axon terminals make synaptic junctions with the processes of OPCs in both the young and adult hippocampus. These results demonstrate the existence of a rapid signalling pathway from pyramidal neurons to OPCs in the mammalian hippocampus that is mediated by excitatory, glutamatergic synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Bergles
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland 97201, USA.
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564
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Semyanov A, Kullmann DM. Modulation of GABAergic signaling among interneurons by metabotropic glutamate receptors. Neuron 2000; 25:663-72. [PMID: 10774733 DOI: 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)81068-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Synapses between hippocampal interneurons are an important potential target for modulatory influences that could affect overall network behavior. We report that the selective group III metabotropic receptor agonist L(+)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (L-AP4) depresses GABAergic transmission to interneurons more than to pyramidal neurons. The L-AP4-induced depression is accompanied by changes in trial-to-trial variability and paired-pulse depression that imply a presynaptic site of action. Brief trains of stimuli in Schaffer collaterals also depress GABAergic transmission to interneurons. This depression persists when GABA(B) receptors are blocked, is enhanced by blocking glutamate uptake, and is abolished by the group III metabotropic receptor antagonist (alpha-methylserine-O-phosphate (MSOP). The results imply that GABAergic transmission among interneurons is modulated by glutamate spillover from excitatory afferent terminals.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Semyanov
- University Department of Clinical Neurology, Institute of Neurology, University College London, United Kingdom
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565
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566
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Chapter VIII Sodium- and potassium-dependent excitatory amino acid transporters in brain plasma membranes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2000. [DOI: 10.1016/s0924-8196(00)80049-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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