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Abstract
Regulation of neurotransmitter receptor content at synapses is achieved through a dynamic equilibrium between biogenesis and degradation pathways, receptor stabilization at synaptic sites, and receptor trafficking in and out synapses. In the past 20 years, the movements of receptors to and from synapses have emerged as a series of highly regulated processes that mediate postsynaptic plasticity. Our understanding of the properties and roles of receptor movements has benefited from technological advances in receptor labeling and tracking capacities, as well as from new methods to interfere with their movements. Focusing on two key glutamatergic receptors, we review here our latest understanding of the characteristics of receptor movements and their role in tuning the efficacy of synaptic transmission in health and brain disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Groc
- Interdisciplinary Institute for NeuroScience, CNRS, UMR 5297, Centre Broca Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 146, rue Léo-Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux, France
- IINS, University of Bordeaux, UMR5297, Bordeaux, France
| | - Daniel Choquet
- Interdisciplinary Institute for NeuroScience, CNRS, UMR 5297, Centre Broca Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 146, rue Léo-Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux, France
- IINS, University of Bordeaux, UMR5297, Bordeaux, France
- Bordeaux Imaging Center, UMS 3420 CNRS, US4 INSERM, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
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102
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Zhu PK, Zheng WS, Zhang P, Jing M, Borden PM, Ali F, Guo K, Feng J, Marvin JS, Wang Y, Wan J, Gan L, Kwan AC, Lin L, Looger LL, Li Y, Zhang Y. Nanoscopic Visualization of Restricted Nonvolume Cholinergic and Monoaminergic Transmission with Genetically Encoded Sensors. NANO LETTERS 2020; 20:4073-4083. [PMID: 32396366 PMCID: PMC7519949 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b04877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
How neuromodulatory transmitters diffuse into the extracellular space remains an unsolved fundamental biological question, despite wide acceptance of the volume transmission model. Here, we report development of a method combining genetically encoded fluorescent sensors with high-resolution imaging and analysis algorithms which permits the first direct visualization of neuromodulatory transmitter diffusion at various neuronal and non-neuronal cells. Our analysis reveals that acetylcholine and monoamines diffuse at individual release sites with a spread length constant of ∼0.75 μm. These transmitters employ varied numbers of release sites, and when spatially close-packed release sites coactivate they can spillover into larger subcellular areas. Our data indicate spatially restricted (i.e., nonvolume) neuromodulatory transmission to be a prominent intercellular communication mode, reshaping current thinking of control and precision of neuromodulation crucial for understanding behaviors and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula K. Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Math, Engineering & Science Academy Class of 2020, Albemarle High School, Charlottesville, VA 22901
- Summer Secondary School Neurobiology Class of 2019, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Current address: Undergraduate Class of 2024, Harvard College, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - W. Sharon Zheng
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Class of 2021, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Peng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Miao Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Philip M. Borden
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147
- Current address: LifeEDIT, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
| | - Farhan Ali
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Kaiming Guo
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jiesi Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jonathan S. Marvin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147
| | - Yali Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Jinxia Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Li Gan
- Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer’s Disease Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine College, New York, NY 10065
| | - Alex C. Kwan
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Li Lin
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Loren L. Looger
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yajun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908
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103
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Crosby KC, Gookin SE, Garcia JD, Hahm KM, Dell'Acqua ML, Smith KR. Nanoscale Subsynaptic Domains Underlie the Organization of the Inhibitory Synapse. Cell Rep 2020; 26:3284-3297.e3. [PMID: 30893601 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.02.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Revised: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory synapses mediate the majority of synaptic inhibition in the brain, thereby controlling neuronal excitability, firing, and plasticity. Although essential for neuronal function, the central question of how these synapses are organized at the subsynaptic level remains unanswered. Here, we use three-dimensional (3D) super-resolution microscopy to image key components of the inhibitory postsynaptic domain and presynaptic terminal, revealing that inhibitory synapses are organized into nanoscale subsynaptic domains (SSDs) of the gephyrin scaffold, GABAARs and the active-zone protein Rab3-interacting molecule (RIM). Gephyrin SSDs cluster GABAAR SSDs, demonstrating nanoscale architectural interdependence between scaffold and receptor. GABAAR SSDs strongly associate with active-zone RIM SSDs, indicating an important role for GABAAR nanoscale organization near sites of GABA release. Finally, we find that in response to elevated activity, synapse growth is mediated by an increase in the number of postsynaptic SSDs, suggesting a modular mechanism for increasing inhibitory synaptic strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin C Crosby
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Sara E Gookin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Joshua D Garcia
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Katlin M Hahm
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Mark L Dell'Acqua
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Katharine R Smith
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
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104
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Letellier M, Lagardère M, Tessier B, Janovjak H, Thoumine O. Optogenetic control of excitatory post-synaptic differentiation through neuroligin-1 tyrosine phosphorylation. eLife 2020; 9:e52027. [PMID: 32324534 PMCID: PMC7180054 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroligins (Nlgns) are adhesion proteins mediating trans-synaptic contacts in neurons. However, conflicting results around their role in synaptic differentiation arise from the various techniques used to manipulate Nlgn expression level. Orthogonally to these approaches, we triggered here the phosphorylation of endogenous Nlgn1 in CA1 mouse hippocampal neurons using a photoactivatable tyrosine kinase receptor (optoFGFR1). Light stimulation for 24 hr selectively increased dendritic spine density and AMPA-receptor-mediated EPSCs in wild-type neurons, but not in Nlgn1 knock-out neurons or when endogenous Nlgn1 was replaced by a non-phosphorylatable mutant (Y782F). Moreover, light stimulation of optoFGFR1 partially occluded LTP in a Nlgn1-dependent manner. Combined with computer simulations, our data support a model by which Nlgn1 tyrosine phosphorylation promotes the assembly of an excitatory post-synaptic scaffold that captures surface AMPA receptors. This optogenetic strategy highlights the impact of Nlgn1 intracellular signaling in synaptic differentiation and potentiation, while enabling an acute control of these mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Letellier
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297BordeauxFrance
- CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297BordeauxFrance
| | - Matthieu Lagardère
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297BordeauxFrance
- CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297BordeauxFrance
| | - Béatrice Tessier
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297BordeauxFrance
- CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297BordeauxFrance
| | - Harald Janovjak
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash UniversityClaytonAustralia
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory Australia (EMBL Australia), Monash UniversityClaytonAustralia
| | - Olivier Thoumine
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297BordeauxFrance
- CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297BordeauxFrance
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105
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Sanderson TM, Georgiou J, Collingridge GL. Illuminating Relationships Between the Pre- and Post-synapse. Front Neural Circuits 2020; 14:9. [PMID: 32308573 PMCID: PMC7146027 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2020.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Excitatory synapses in the mammalian cortex are highly diverse, both in terms of their structure and function. However, relationships between synaptic features indicate they are highly coordinated entities. Imaging techniques, that enable physiology at the resolution of individual synapses to be investigated, have allowed the presynaptic activity level of the synapse to be related to postsynaptic function. This approach has revealed that neuronal activity induces the pre- and post-synapse to be functionally correlated and that subsets of synapses are more susceptible to certain forms of synaptic plasticity. As presynaptic function is often examined in isolation from postsynaptic properties, the effect it has on the post-synapse is not fully understood. However, since postsynaptic receptors at excitatory synapses respond to release of glutamate, it follows that they may be differentially regulated depending on the frequency of its release. Therefore, examining postsynaptic properties in the context of presynaptic function may be a useful way to approach a broad range of questions on synaptic physiology. In this review, we focus on how optophysiology tools have been utilized to study relationships between the pre- and the post-synapse. Multiple imaging techniques have revealed correlations in synaptic properties from the submicron to the dendritic level. Optical tools together with advanced imaging techniques are ideally suited to illuminate this area further, due to the spatial resolution and control they allow.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John Georgiou
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Graham L Collingridge
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Glutamate Research Group, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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106
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Jullié D, Stoeber M, Sibarita JB, Zieger HL, Bartol TM, Arttamangkul S, Sejnowski TJ, Hosy E, von Zastrow M. A Discrete Presynaptic Vesicle Cycle for Neuromodulator Receptors. Neuron 2020; 105:663-677.e8. [PMID: 31837915 PMCID: PMC7035187 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
A major function of GPCRs is to inhibit presynaptic neurotransmitter release, requiring ligand-activated receptors to couple locally to effectors at terminals. The current understanding of how this is achieved is through receptor immobilization on the terminal surface. Here, we show that opioid peptide receptors, GPCRs that mediate highly sensitive presynaptic inhibition, are instead dynamic in axons. Opioid receptors diffuse rapidly throughout the axon surface and internalize after ligand-induced activation specifically at presynaptic terminals. We delineate a parallel regulated endocytic cycle for GPCRs operating at the presynapse, separately from the synaptic vesicle cycle, which clears activated receptors from the surface of terminals and locally reinserts them to maintain the diffusible surface pool. We propose an alternate strategy for achieving local control of presynaptic effectors that, opposite to using receptor immobilization and enforced proximity, is based on lateral mobility of receptors and leverages the inherent allostery of GPCR-effector coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien Jullié
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94158, USA,Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
| | - Miriam Stoeber
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94158, USA,Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94158, USA,Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Baptiste Sibarita
- Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 33077 Bordeaux, France,Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, University of Bordeaux, 33077 Bordeaux, France
| | - Hanna L. Zieger
- Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 33077 Bordeaux, France,Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, University of Bordeaux, 33077 Bordeaux, France
| | - Thomas M. Bartol
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Seksiri Arttamangkul
- The Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
| | - Terrence J. Sejnowski
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Eric Hosy
- Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 33077 Bordeaux, France,Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, University of Bordeaux, 33077 Bordeaux, France
| | - Mark von Zastrow
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94158, USA,Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94158, USA,Lead contact,Correspondence:
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107
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Linking Nanoscale Dynamics of AMPA Receptor Organization to Plasticity of Excitatory Synapses and Learning. J Neurosci 2019; 38:9318-9329. [PMID: 30381423 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2119-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatiotemporal organization of neurotransmitter receptors in the postsynaptic membrane is a fundamental determinant of synaptic transmission and thus of information processing by the brain. The ionotropic AMPA subtype of glutamate receptors (AMPARs) mediate fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the CNS. The number of AMPARs located en face presynaptic glutamate release sites sets the efficacy of synaptic transmission. Understanding how this number is set and regulated has been the topic of intense research in the last two decades. We showed that AMPARs are not stable in the synapse as initially thought. They continuously enter and exit the postsynaptic density by lateral diffusion, and they exchange between the neuronal surface and intracellular compartments by endocytosis and exocytosis at extrasynaptic sites. Regulation of these various trafficking pathways has emerged as a key mechanism for activity-dependent plasticity of synaptic transmission, a process important for learning and memory. I here present my view of these findings. In particular, the advent of super-resolution microscopy and single-molecule tracking has helped to uncover the intricacy of AMPARs' dynamic organization at the nanoscale. In addition, AMPAR surface diffusion is highly regulated by a variety of factors, including neuronal activity, stress hormones, and neurodegeneration, suggesting that AMPAR diffusion-trapping may play a central role in synapse function. Using innovative tools to understand further the link between receptor dynamics and synapse plasticity is now unveiling new molecular mechanisms of learning. Modifying AMPAR dynamics may emerge as a new target to correct synapse dysfunction in the diseased brain.
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108
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Humeau Y, Choquet D. The next generation of approaches to investigate the link between synaptic plasticity and learning. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:1536-1543. [PMID: 31477899 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0480-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Activity-dependent synaptic plasticity has since long been proposed to represent the subcellular substrate of learning and memory, one of the most important behavioral processes through which we adapt to our environment. Despite the undisputed importance of synaptic plasticity for brain function, its exact contribution to learning processes in the context of cellular and connectivity modifications remains obscure. Causally bridging synaptic and behavioral modifications indeed remains limited by the available tools to measure and control synaptic strength and plasticity in vivo under behaviorally relevant conditions. After a brief summary of the current state of knowledge of the links between synaptic plasticity and learning, we will review and discuss the available and desired tools to progress in this endeavor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Humeau
- Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France. .,Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bordeaux, France.
| | - Daniel Choquet
- Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France. .,Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bordeaux, France. .,Bordeaux Imaging Center, UMS 3420 CNRS - University of Bordeaux, US4 INSERM, Bordeaux, France.
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109
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Reshetniak S, Rizzoli SO. Interrogating Synaptic Architecture: Approaches for Labeling Organelles and Cytoskeleton Components. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2019; 11:23. [PMID: 31507402 PMCID: PMC6716447 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2019.00023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Synaptic transmission has been studied for decades, as a fundamental step in brain function. The structure of the synapse, and its changes during activity, turned out to be key aspects not only in the transfer of information between neurons, but also in cognitive processes such as learning and memory. The overall synaptic morphology has traditionally been studied by electron microscopy, which enables the visualization of synaptic structure in great detail. The changes in the organization of easily identified structures, such as the presynaptic active zone, or the postsynaptic density, are optimally studied via electron microscopy. However, few reliable methods are available for labeling individual organelles or protein complexes in electron microscopy. For such targets one typically relies either on combination of electron and fluorescence microscopy, or on super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. This review focuses on approaches and techniques used to specifically reveal synaptic organelles and protein complexes, such as cytoskeletal assemblies. We place the strongest emphasis on methods detecting the targets of interest by affinity binding, and we discuss the advantages and limitations of each method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofiia Reshetniak
- Institute for Neuro- and Sensory Physiology, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration (BIN), University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Molecular Biology, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Silvio O. Rizzoli
- Institute for Neuro- and Sensory Physiology, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration (BIN), University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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110
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Kawaguchi D, Gotoh Y. Neurexin nanoclusters: A novel structure at presynaptic terminals. J Cell Biol 2019; 218:2442-2443. [PMID: 31332023 PMCID: PMC6683738 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201907074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The trans-synaptic cell adhesion molecule neurexin regulates synaptic functions but its high-resolution subcellular localization and dynamics were unknown. Trotter et al. (2019. J. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201812076) describe previously unrecognized nanoscale clusters of neurexin-1 in presynaptic terminals and their regulation by ADAM10-mediated proteolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daichi Kawaguchi
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukiko Gotoh
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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111
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Glasgow SD, McPhedrain R, Madranges JF, Kennedy TE, Ruthazer ES. Approaches and Limitations in the Investigation of Synaptic Transmission and Plasticity. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2019; 11:20. [PMID: 31396073 PMCID: PMC6667546 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2019.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The numbers and strengths of synapses in the brain change throughout development, and even into adulthood, as synaptic inputs are added, eliminated, and refined in response to ongoing neural activity. A number of experimental techniques can assess these changes, including single-cell electrophysiological recording which offers measurements of synaptic inputs with high temporal resolution. Coupled with electrical stimulation, photoactivatable opsins, and caged compounds, to facilitate fine spatiotemporal control over release of neurotransmitters, electrophysiological recordings allow for precise dissection of presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms of action. Here, we discuss the strengths and pitfalls of various techniques commonly used to analyze synapses, including miniature excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) postsynaptic currents, evoked release, and optogenetic stimulation. Together, these techniques can provide multiple lines of convergent evidence to generate meaningful insight into the emergence of circuit connectivity and maturation. A full understanding of potential caveats and alternative explanations for findings is essential to avoid data misinterpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Edward S. Ruthazer
- Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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112
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Chen JH, Blanpied TA, Tang AH. Quantification of trans-synaptic protein alignment: A data analysis case for single-molecule localization microscopy. Methods 2019; 174:72-80. [PMID: 31325491 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2019.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanoscale distribution of proteins and their relative positioning within a defined subcellular region are key to their physiological functions. Thanks to the super-resolution imaging methods, especially single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), mapping the three-dimensional distribution of multiple proteins has been easier and more efficient than ever. Nevertheless, in spite of the many tools available for efficient localization detection and image rendering, it has been a challenge to quantitatively analyze the 3D distribution and relative positioning of proteins in these SMLM data. Here, using heterogeneously distributed synaptic proteins as examples, we describe in detail a series of analytical methods including detection of nanoscale density clusters, quantification of the trans-synaptic alignment between these protein densities, and automatic en face projection and averaging. These analyses were performed within customized Matlab routines and we make the full scripts available. The concepts behind these analytical methods and the scripts can be adapted for quantitative analysis of spatial organization of other macromolecular complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Hui Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease and Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Thomas A Blanpied
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Ai-Hui Tang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease and Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
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113
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Yang X, Specht CG. Subsynaptic Domains in Super-Resolution Microscopy: The Treachery of Images. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:161. [PMID: 31312120 PMCID: PMC6614521 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of super-resolution optical microscopy to investigating synaptic structures has revealed a highly heterogeneous and variable intra-synaptic organization. Dense subsynaptic protein assemblies named subsynaptic domains or SSDs have been proposed as structural units that regulate the efficacy of neuronal transmission. However, an in-depth characterization of SSDs has been hampered by technical limitations of super-resolution microscopy of synapses, namely the stochasticity of the signals during the imaging procedures and the variability of the synaptic structures. Here, we synthetize the available evidence for the existence of SSDs at central synapses, as well as the possible functional relevance of SSDs. In particular, we discuss the possible regulation of co-transmission at mixed inhibitory synapses as a consequence of the subsynaptic distribution of glycine receptors (GlyRs) and GABAA receptors (GABAARs). LAY ABSTRACT Super-resolution imaging strategies bypass the resolution limit of conventional optical microscopy and have given new insights into the distribution of proteins at synapses in the central nervous system. Neurotransmitter receptors and scaffold proteins appear to occupy specialized locations within synapses that we refer to as subsynaptic domains or SSDs. Interestingly, these SSDs are highly dynamic and their formation seems to be related to the remodeling of synapses during synaptic plasticity. It was also shown that SSDs of pre-and post-synaptic proteins are aligned in so-called nanocolumns, highlighting the role of SSDs in the regulation of synaptic transmission. Despite recent advances, however, the detection of SSDs with super-resolution microscopy remains difficult due to the inherent technical limitations of these approaches that are discussed in this review article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojuan Yang
- École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, Inserm, Institute of Biology (IBENS), Paris, France
| | - Christian G Specht
- École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS, Inserm, Institute of Biology (IBENS), Paris, France
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114
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Abstract
PSD-95 is a scaffolding protein that regulates the synaptic localization of many receptors, channels, and signaling proteins. The NLGN gene family encodes single-pass transmembrane postsynaptic cell adhesion molecules that are important for synapse assembly and function. At excitatory synapses, NLGN1 mediates transsynaptic binding with neurexin, a presynaptic cell adhesion molecule, and also binds to PSD-95, although the relevance of the PSD-95 interaction is not clear. We now show that disruption of the NLGN1 and PSD-95 interaction decreases surface expression of NLGN1 in cultured neurons. Furthermore, PKA phosphorylates NLGN1 on S839, near the PDZ ligand, and dynamically regulates PSD-95 binding. A phosphomimetic mutation of NLGN1 S839 significantly reduced PSD-95 binding. Impaired NLGN1/PSD-95 binding diminished synaptic NLGN1 expression and NLGN1-mediated synaptic enhancement. Our results establish a phosphorylation-dependent molecular mechanism that regulates NLGN1 and PSD-95 binding and provides insights into excitatory synaptic development and function.
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115
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Barberis A. Postsynaptic plasticity of GABAergic synapses. Neuropharmacology 2019; 169:107643. [PMID: 31108109 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The flexibility of neuronal networks is believed to rely mainly on the plasticity of excitatory synapses. However, like their excitatory counterparts, inhibitory synapses also undergo several forms of synaptic plasticity. This review examines recent advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to postsynaptic GABAergic plasticity. Specifically, modulation of GABAA receptor (GABAAR) number at postsynaptic sites plays a key role, with the interaction of GABAARs with the scaffold protein gephyrin and other postsynaptic scaffold/regulatory proteins having particular importance. Our understanding of these molecular interactions are progressing, based on recent insights into the processes of GABAAR lateral diffusion, gephyrin dynamics, and gephyrin nanoscale organization. This article is part of the special issue entitled 'Mobility and trafficking of neuronal membrane proteins'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Barberis
- Plasticity of Inhibitory Networks, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genova, Italy.
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Postsynaptic protein organization revealed by electron microscopy. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2019; 54:152-160. [PMID: 30904821 PMCID: PMC6753054 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2019.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 02/02/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal synapses are key devices for transmitting and processing information in the nervous system. Synaptic plasticity, generally regarded as the cellular basis of learning and memory, involves changes of subcellular structures that take place at the nanoscale. High-resolution imaging methods, especially electron microscopy (EM), have allowed for quantitative analysis of such nanoscale structures in different types of synapses. In particular, the semi-ordered organization of neurotransmitter receptors and their interacting scaffolds in the postsynaptic density have been characterized for both excitatory and inhibitory synapses by studies using various EM techniques such as immuno-EM, electron tomography of high-pressure freezing and freeze-substituted samples, and cryo electron tomography. These techniques, in combination with new correlative approaches, will further facilitate our understanding of the molecular organization underlying diverse functions of neuronal synapses.
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117
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Gustafsson B, Ma R, Hanse E. The Small and Dynamic Pre-primed Pool at the Release Site; A Useful Concept to Understand Release Probability and Short-Term Synaptic Plasticity? Front Synaptic Neurosci 2019; 11:7. [PMID: 30899219 PMCID: PMC6416800 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2019.00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Advanced imaging techniques have revealed that synapses contain nanomodules in which pre- and post-synaptic molecules are brought together to form an integrated subsynaptic component for vesicle release and transmitter reception. Based on data from an electrophysiological study of ours in which release from synapses containing a single nanomodule was induced by brief 50 Hz trains using minimal stimulation, and on data from such imaging studies, we present a possible modus operandi of such a nanomodule. We will describe the techniques and tools used to obtain and analyze the electrophysiological data from single CA3–CA1 hippocampal synapses from the neonatal rat brain. This analysis leads to the proposal that a nanomodule, despite containing a number of release locations, operates as a single release site, releasing at most a single vesicle at a time. In this nanomodule there appears to be two separate sets of release locations, one set that is responsible for release in response to the first few action potentials and another set that produces the release thereafter. The data also suggest that vesicles at the first set of release locations are primed by synaptic inactivity lasting seconds, this synaptic inactivity also resulting in a large heterogeneity in the values for vesicle release probability among the synapses. The number of vesicles being primed at this set of release locations prior to the arrival of an action potential is small (0–3) and varies from train to train. Following the first action potential, this heterogeneity in vesicle release probability largely vanishes in a release-independent manner, shaping a variation in paired-pulse plasticity among the synapses. After the first few action potentials release is produced from the second set of release locations, and is given by vesicles that have been recruited after the onset of synaptic activity. This release depends on the number of such release locations and the recruitment to such a location. The initial heterogeneity in vesicle release probability, its disappearance after a single action potential, and variation in the recruitment to the second set of release locations are instrumental in producing the heterogeneity in short-term synaptic plasticity among these synapses, and can be seen as means to create differential dynamics within a synapse population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bengt Gustafsson
- Department of Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Rong Ma
- Department of Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Eric Hanse
- Department of Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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