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Sekine K, Haga W, Kim S, Imayasu M, Yoshida T, Tsutsui H. Neuron-microelectrode junction induced by an engineered synapse organizer. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 712-713:149935. [PMID: 38626529 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
The conventional microelectrodes for recording neuronal activities do not have innate selectivity to cell type, which is one of the critical limitations for the detailed analysis of neuronal circuits. In this study, we engineered a downsized variant of the artificial synapse organizer based on neurexin1β and a peptide-tag, fabricated gold microelectrodes functionalized with the receptor for the organizer, and performed validation experiments in primary cultured neurons. Successful inductions of synapse-like junctions were detected at the sites of contact between neurons expressing the engineered synapse organizer and functionalized microelectrodes, but not in the negative control experiment in which the electrode functionalization was omitted. Such a molecularly inducible neuron-microelectrode junction could be the basis for the next-generation electrophysiological technique enabling cell type-selective recording.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosuke Sekine
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Wataru Haga
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Samyoung Kim
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Mieko Imayasu
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Yoshida
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan; Research Center for Idling Brain Science, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
| | - Hidekazu Tsutsui
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan; Division of Transdisciplinary Sciences, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan.
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2
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Haga W, Sekine K, Hamid SA, Imayasu M, Yoshida T, Tsutsui H. Development of artificial synapse organizers liganded with a peptide tag for molecularly inducible neuron-microelectrode interface. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 699:149563. [PMID: 38277728 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
It has been proposed that cell-type-specific bioelectronic interfaces for neuronal circuits could be established by utilizing the function of synapse organizers. For this purpose, using neurexin-1β and a peptide tag, we engineered compact synapse organizers that do not interact with the naturally occurring receptors but induce presynaptic differentiation upon contact with nanobody-decorated objects in cultured mammalian and chick forebrain neurons. In chick neurons, the engineered organizer exerted synaptogenesis typically in ∼4 h after the contact, even under an air atmosphere at room temperature, thereby providing a useful cellular model for establishing the molecularly inducible neuron-microelectrode interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wataru Haga
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Kosuke Sekine
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Sm Ahasanul Hamid
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Mieko Imayasu
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Yoshida
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan; Research Center for Idling Brain Science, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
| | - Hidekazu Tsutsui
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan; Division of Transdisciplinary Sciences, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan.
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3
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Altas B, Tuffy LP, Patrizi A, Dimova K, Soykan T, Brandenburg C, Romanowski AJ, Whitten JR, Robertson CD, Khim SN, Crutcher GW, Ambrozkiewicz MC, Yagensky O, Krueger-Burg D, Hammer M, Hsiao HH, Laskowski PR, Dyck L, Puche AC, Sassoè-Pognetto M, Chua JJE, Urlaub H, Jahn O, Brose N, Poulopoulos A. Region-Specific Phosphorylation Determines Neuroligin-3 Localization to Excitatory Versus Inhibitory Synapses. Biol Psychiatry 2023:S0006-3223(23)01799-7. [PMID: 38154503 PMCID: PMC11209832 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroligin-3 is a postsynaptic adhesion molecule involved in synapse development and function. It is implicated in rare, monogenic forms of autism, and its shedding is critical to the tumor microenvironment of gliomas. While other members of the neuroligin family exhibit synapse-type specificity in localization and function through distinct interactions with postsynaptic scaffold proteins, the specificity of neuroligin-3 synaptic localization remains largely unknown. METHODS We investigated the synaptic localization of neuroligin-3 across regions in mouse and human brain samples after validating antibody specificity in knockout animals. We raised a phospho-specific neuroligin antibody and used phosphoproteomics, cell-based assays, and in utero CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9) knockout and gene replacement to identify mechanisms that regulate neuroligin-3 localization to distinct synapse types. RESULTS Neuroligin-3 exhibits region-dependent synapse specificity, largely localizing to excitatory synapses in cortical regions and inhibitory synapses in subcortical regions of the brain in both mice and humans. We identified specific phosphorylation of cortical neuroligin-3 at a key binding site for recruitment to inhibitory synapses, while subcortical neuroligin-3 remained unphosphorylated. In vitro, phosphomimetic mutation of that site disrupted neuroligin-3 association with the inhibitory postsynaptic scaffolding protein gephyrin. In vivo, phosphomimetic mutants of neuroligin-3 localized to excitatory postsynapses, while phospho-null mutants localized to inhibitory postsynapses. CONCLUSIONS These data reveal an unexpected region-specific pattern of neuroligin-3 synapse specificity, as well as a phosphorylation-dependent mechanism that regulates its recruitment to either excitatory or inhibitory synapses. These findings add to our understanding of how neuroligin-3 is involved in conditions that may affect the balance of excitation and inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bekir Altas
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Liam P Tuffy
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Annarita Patrizi
- Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Kalina Dimova
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany; Neuroproteomics Group, Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tolga Soykan
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Cheryl Brandenburg
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Andrea J Romanowski
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Julia R Whitten
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Colin D Robertson
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Saovleak N Khim
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Garrett W Crutcher
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Mateusz C Ambrozkiewicz
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oleksandr Yagensky
- Research Group Protein Trafficking in Synaptic Development and Function, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dilja Krueger-Burg
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Matthieu Hammer
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - He-Hsuan Hsiao
- Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Pawel R Laskowski
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lydia Dyck
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Adam C Puche
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - John J E Chua
- Research Group Protein Trafficking in Synaptic Development and Function, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Henning Urlaub
- Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany; Bioanalytics Group, Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Olaf Jahn
- Neuroproteomics Group, Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany; Translational Neuroproteomics Group, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nils Brose
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alexandros Poulopoulos
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany.
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Connor SA, Siddiqui TJ. Synapse organizers as molecular codes for synaptic plasticity. Trends Neurosci 2023; 46:971-985. [PMID: 37652840 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Synapse organizing proteins are multifaceted molecules that coordinate the complex processes of brain development and plasticity at the level of individual synapses. Their importance is demonstrated by the major brain disorders that emerge when their function is compromised. The mechanisms whereby the various families of organizers govern synapses are diverse, but converge on the structure, function, and plasticity of synapses. Therefore, synapse organizers regulate how synapses adapt to ongoing activity, a process central for determining the developmental trajectory of the brain and critical to all forms of cognition. Here, we explore how synapse organizers set the conditions for synaptic plasticity and the associated molecular events, which eventually link to behavioral features of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. We also propose central questions on how synapse organizers influence network function through integrating nanoscale and circuit-level organization of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven A Connor
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.
| | - Tabrez J Siddiqui
- PrairieNeuro Research Centre, Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0Z3, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada; The Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3P4, Canada; Program in Biomedical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
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5
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Hamid SA, Imayasu M, Yoshida T, Tsutsui H. Epitope-tag-mediated synaptogenic activity in an engineered neurexin-1β lacking the binding interface with neuroligin-1. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 658:141-147. [PMID: 37030069 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.03.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Clustering of neurexin-1β occurs through the formation of a trans-cellular complex with neuroligin-1, which promotes the generation of presynapse. While the extracellular region of neurexin-1β functions to constitute the heterophilic binding interface with neuroligin-1, it has remained unclear whether the region could also play any key role in exerting the intracellular signaling for presynaptic differentiation. In this study, we generated neurexin-1β lacking the binding site to neuroligin-1 and with a FLAG epitope at the N-terminus, and examined its activity in cultured neurons. The engineered protein still exhibited robust synaptogenic activities upon the epitope-mediated clustering, indicating that the region for complex formation and that for transmitting presynapse differentiation signals are structurally independent of each other. Using a fluorescence protein as an epitope, synaptogenesis was also induced by a gene-codable nanobody. The finding opens possibilities of neurexin-1β as a platform for developing various molecular tools which may allow, for example, precise modifications of neural wirings under genetic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sm Ahasanul Hamid
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Mieko Imayasu
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Yoshida
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan; Research Center for Idling Brain Science, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
| | - Hidekazu Tsutsui
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1292, Japan.
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6
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Bencsik N, Oueslati Morales CO, Hausser A, Schlett K. Endocytosis of AMPA receptors: Role in neurological conditions. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2023; 196:59-97. [PMID: 36813366 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2022.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AMPA receptors are glutamate-gated ion channels, present in a wide range of neuron types and in glial cells. Their main role is to mediate fast excitatory synaptic transmission, and therefore, they are critical for normal brain function. In neurons, AMPA receptors undergo constitutive and activity-dependent trafficking between the synaptic, extrasynaptic and intracellular pools. The kinetics of AMPA receptor trafficking is crucial for the precise functioning of both individual neurons and neural networks involved in information processing and learning. Many of the neurological diseases evoked by neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative malfunctions or traumatic injuries are caused by impaired synaptic function in the central nervous system. For example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), tumors, seizures, ischemic strokes, and traumatic brain injury are all characterized by impaired glutamate homeostasis and associated neuronal death, typically caused by excitotoxicity. Given the important role of AMPA receptors in neuronal function, it is not surprising that perturbations in AMPA receptor trafficking are associated with these neurological disorders. In this book chapter, we will first introduce the structure, physiology and synthesis of AMPA receptors, followed by an in-depth description of the molecular mechanisms that control AMPA receptor endocytosis and surface levels under basal conditions or synaptic plasticity. Finally, we will discuss how impairments in AMPA receptor trafficking, particularly endocytosis, contribute to the pathophysiology of various neurological disorders and what efforts are being made to therapeutically target this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Bencsik
- Neuronal Cell Biology Research Group, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Carlos Omar Oueslati Morales
- Membrane Trafficking and Signalling Group, Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Angelika Hausser
- Membrane Trafficking and Signalling Group, Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany; Stuttgart Research Center Systems Biology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Katalin Schlett
- Neuronal Cell Biology Research Group, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
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Liu X, Hua F, Yang D, Lin Y, Zhang L, Ying J, Sheng H, Wang X. Roles of neuroligins in central nervous system development: focus on glial neuroligins and neuron neuroligins. Lab Invest 2022; 20:418. [PMID: 36088343 PMCID: PMC9463862 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03625-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Neuroligins are postsynaptic cell adhesion molecules that are relevant to many neurodevelopmental disorders. They are differentially enriched at the postsynapse and interact with their presynaptic ligands, neurexins, whose differential binding to neuroligins has been shown to regulate synaptogenesis, transmission, and other synaptic properties. The proper functioning of functional networks in the brain depends on the proper connection between neuronal synapses. Impaired synaptogenesis or synaptic transmission results in synaptic dysfunction, and these synaptic pathologies are the basis for many neurodevelopmental disorders. Deletions or mutations in the neuroligins genes have been found in patients with both autism and schizophrenia. It is because of the important role of neuroligins in synaptic connectivity and synaptic dysfunction that studies on neuroligins in the past have mainly focused on their expression in neurons. As studies on the expression of genes specific to various cells of the central nervous system deepened, neuroligins were found to be expressed in non-neuronal cells as well. In the central nervous system, glial cells are the most representative non-neuronal cells, which can also express neuroligins in large amounts, especially astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, and they are involved in the regulation of synaptic function, as are neuronal neuroligins. This review examines the mechanisms of neuron neuroligins and non-neuronal neuroligins in the central nervous system and also discusses the important role of neuroligins in the development of the central nervous system and neurodevelopmental disorders from the perspective of neuronal neuroligins and glial neuroligins.
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Ramirez MA, Ninoyu Y, Miller C, Andrade LR, Edassery S, Bomba-Warczak E, Ortega B, Manor U, Rutherford MA, Friedman RA, Savas JN. Cochlear ribbon synapse maturation requires Nlgn1 and Nlgn3. iScience 2022; 25:104803. [PMID: 35992071 PMCID: PMC9386149 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Hearing depends on precise synaptic transmission between cochlear inner hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons through afferent ribbon synapses. Neuroligins (Nlgns) facilitate synapse maturation in the brain, but they have gone unstudied in the cochlea. We report Nlgn3 and Nlgn1 knockout (KO) cochleae have fewer ribbon synapses and have impaired hearing. Nlgn3 KO is more vulnerable to noise trauma with limited activity at high frequencies one day after noise. Furthermore, Nlgn3 KO cochleae have a 5-fold reduction in synapse number compared to wild type after two weeks of recovery. Double KO cochlear phenotypes are more prominent than the KOs, for example, 5-fold smaller synapses, 25% reduction in synapse density, and 30% less synaptic output. These observations indicate Nlgn3 and Nlgn1 are essential to cochlear ribbon synapse maturation and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A. Ramirez
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yuzuru Ninoyu
- Division of Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0666, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Cayla Miller
- Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Core, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Leonardo R. Andrade
- Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Core, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Seby Edassery
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ewa Bomba-Warczak
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Briana Ortega
- Division of Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0666, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Uri Manor
- Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Core, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Mark A. Rutherford
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Rick A. Friedman
- Division of Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0666, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jeffrey N. Savas
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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9
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Nozawa K, Sogabe T, Hayashi A, Motohashi J, Miura E, Arai I, Yuzaki M. In vivo nanoscopic landscape of neurexin ligands underlying anterograde synapse specification. Neuron 2022; 110:3168-3185.e8. [PMID: 36007521 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Excitatory synapses are formed and matured by the cooperative actions of synaptic organizers, such as neurexins (Nrxns), neuroligins (Nlgns), LRRTMs, and Cbln1. Recent super-resolution nanoscopy developments have revealed that many synaptic organizers, as well as glutamate receptors and glutamate release machinery, exist as nanoclusters within synapses. However, it is unclear how such nanodomains interact with each other to organize excitatory synapses in vivo. By applying X10 expansion microscopy to epitope tag knockin mice, we found that Cbln1, Nlgn1, and LRRTM1, which share Nrxn as a common presynaptic receptor, form overlapping or separate nanodomains depending on Nrxn with or without a sequence encoded by splice site 4. The size and position of glutamate receptor nanodomains of GluD1, NMDA, and AMPA receptors were regulated by Cbln1, Nlgn1, and LRRTM1 nanodomains, respectively. These findings indicate that Nrxns anterogradely regulate the postsynaptic nanoscopic architecture of glutamate receptors through competition and coordination of Nrxn ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuya Nozawa
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Taku Sogabe
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Ayumi Hayashi
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Junko Motohashi
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Eriko Miura
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Itaru Arai
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Michisuke Yuzaki
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.
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Xu Y, Wang ML, Tao H, Geng C, Guo F, Hu B, Wang R, Hou XY. ErbB4 in parvalbumin-positive interneurons mediates proactive interference in olfactory associative reversal learning. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1292-1303. [PMID: 34707248 PMCID: PMC9117204 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01205-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Consolidated memories influence later learning and cognitive processes when new information is overlapped with previous events. To reveal which cellular and molecular factors are associated with this proactive interference, we challenged mice with odor-reward associative learning followed by a reversal-learning task. The results showed that genetical ablation of ErbB4 in parvalbumin (PV)-positive interneurons improved performance in reversal-learning phase, with no alteration in learning phase, supporting that PV interneuron ErbB4 is required for proactive interference. Mechanistically, olfactory learning promoted PV interneuron excitatory synaptic plasticity and direct binding of ErbB4 with presynaptic Neurexin1β (NRXN1β) and postsynaptic scaffold PSD-95 in the prefrontal cortex. Interrupting ErbB4-NRXN1β interaction impaired network activity-driven excitatory inputs and excitatory synaptic transmission onto PV interneurons. Neuronal activity-induced ErbB4-PSD-95 association facilitated transsynaptic binding of ErbB4-NRXN1β and excitatory synapse formation in ErbB4-positive interneurons. Furthermore, ErbB4-NRXN1β binding was responsible for the activity-regulated activation of ErbB4 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 in PV interneurons, as well as synaptic plasticity-related expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Correlatedly, blocking ErbB4-NRXN1β coupling in the medial prefrontal cortex of adult mice facilitated reversal learning of an olfactory associative task. These findings provide novel insight into the physiological role of PV interneuron ErbB4 signaling in cognitive processes and reveal an associative learning-related transsynaptic NRXN1β-ErbB4-PSD-95 complex that affects the ERK1/2-BDNF pathway and underlies local inhibitory circuit plasticity and proactive interference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Xu
- grid.417303.20000 0000 9927 0537Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Brain Disease Bioinformation, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004 China
| | - Meng-Lin Wang
- grid.417303.20000 0000 9927 0537Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Brain Disease Bioinformation, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004 China
| | - Hui Tao
- grid.417303.20000 0000 9927 0537Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Brain Disease Bioinformation, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004 China ,grid.254147.10000 0000 9776 7793State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211198 China
| | - Chi Geng
- grid.417303.20000 0000 9927 0537Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Brain Disease Bioinformation, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004 China
| | - Feng Guo
- grid.417303.20000 0000 9927 0537Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Brain Disease Bioinformation, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004 China
| | - Bin Hu
- grid.417303.20000 0000 9927 0537Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Brain Disease Bioinformation, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004 China
| | - Ran Wang
- grid.417303.20000 0000 9927 0537Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Brain Disease Bioinformation, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004 China
| | - Xiao-Yu Hou
- Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Brain Disease Bioinformation, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211198, China.
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11
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Lim D, Kim D, Um JW, Ko J. Reassessing synaptic adhesion pathways. Trends Neurosci 2022; 45:517-528. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2022.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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12
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Niescier RF, Lin YC. The Potential Role of AMPA Receptor Trafficking in Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Conditions. Neuroscience 2021; 479:180-191. [PMID: 34571086 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a multifaceted condition associated with difficulties in social interaction and communication. It also shares several comorbidities with other neurodevelopmental conditions. Intensive research examining the molecular basis and characteristics of ASD has revealed an association with a large number and variety of low-penetrance genes. Many of the variants associated with ASD are in genes underlying pathways involved in long-term potentiation (LTP) or depression (LTD). These mechanisms then control the tuning of neuronal connections in response to experience by modifying and trafficking ionotropic glutamate receptors at the post-synaptic areas. Despite the high genetic heterogeneity in ASD, surface trafficking of the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-Methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) receptor is a vulnerable pathway in ASD. In this review, we discuss autism-related alterations in the trafficking of AMPA receptors, whose surface density and composition at the post-synapse determine the strength of the excitatory connection between neurons. We highlight genes associated with neurodevelopmental conditions that share the autism comorbidity, including Fragile X syndrome, Rett Syndrome, and Tuberous Sclerosis, as well as the autism-risk genes NLGNs, IQSEC2, DOCK4, and STXBP5, all of which are involved in regulating AMPAR trafficking to the post-synaptic surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert F Niescier
- Program in Neuroscience, Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
| | - Yu-Chih Lin
- Program in Neuroscience, Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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13
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Uchigashima M, Cheung A, Futai K. Neuroligin-3: A Circuit-Specific Synapse Organizer That Shapes Normal Function and Autism Spectrum Disorder-Associated Dysfunction. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:749164. [PMID: 34690695 PMCID: PMC8526735 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.749164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical synapses provide a vital foundation for neuron-neuron communication and overall brain function. By tethering closely apposed molecular machinery for presynaptic neurotransmitter release and postsynaptic signal transduction, circuit- and context- specific synaptic properties can drive neuronal computations for animal behavior. Trans-synaptic signaling via synaptic cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) serves as a promising mechanism to generate the molecular diversity of chemical synapses. Neuroligins (Nlgns) were discovered as postsynaptic CAMs that can bind to presynaptic CAMs like Neurexins (Nrxns) at the synaptic cleft. Among the four (Nlgn1-4) or five (Nlgn1-3, Nlgn4X, and Nlgn4Y) isoforms in rodents or humans, respectively, Nlgn3 has a heterogeneous expression and function at particular subsets of chemical synapses and strong association with non-syndromic autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Several lines of evidence have suggested that the unique expression and function of Nlgn3 protein underlie circuit-specific dysfunction characteristic of non-syndromic ASD caused by the disruption of Nlgn3 gene. Furthermore, recent studies have uncovered the molecular mechanism underlying input cell-dependent expression of Nlgn3 protein at hippocampal inhibitory synapses, in which trans-synaptic signaling of specific alternatively spliced isoforms of Nlgn3 and Nrxn plays a critical role. In this review article, we overview the molecular, anatomical, and physiological knowledge about Nlgn3, focusing on the circuit-specific function of mammalian Nlgn3 and its underlying molecular mechanism. This will provide not only new insight into specific Nlgn3-mediated trans-synaptic interactions as molecular codes for synapse specification but also a better understanding of the pathophysiological basis for non-syndromic ASD associated with functional impairment in Nlgn3 gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motokazu Uchigashima
- Department of Cellular Neuropathology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Amy Cheung
- Department of Neurobiology, Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Kensuke Futai
- Department of Neurobiology, Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
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14
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Steffen DM, Ferri SL, Marcucci CG, Blocklinger KL, Molumby MJ, Abel T, Weiner JA. The γ-Protocadherins Interact Physically and Functionally with Neuroligin-2 to Negatively Regulate Inhibitory Synapse Density and Are Required for Normal Social Interaction. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:2574-2589. [PMID: 33471287 PMCID: PMC8137559 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-020-02263-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are key players in the formation of neural circuits during development. The γ-protocadherins (γ-Pcdhs), a family of 22 CAMs encoded by the Pcdhg gene cluster, are known to play important roles in dendrite arborization, axon targeting, and synapse development. We showed previously that multiple γ-Pcdhs interact physically with the autism-associated CAM neuroligin-1, and inhibit the latter's ability to promote excitatory synapse maturation. Here, we show that γ-Pcdhs can also interact physically with the related neuroligin-2, and inhibit this CAM's ability to promote inhibitory synapse development. In an artificial synapse assay, γ-Pcdhs co-expressed with neuroligin-2 in non-neuronal cells reduce inhibitory presynaptic maturation in contacting hippocampal axons. Mice lacking the γ-Pcdhs from the forebrain (including the cortex, the hippocampus, and portions of the amygdala) exhibit increased inhibitory synapse density and increased co-localization of neuroligin-2 with inhibitory postsynaptic markers in vivo. These Pcdhg mutants also exhibit defective social affiliation and an anxiety-like phenotype in behavioral assays. Together, these results suggest that γ-Pcdhs negatively regulate neuroligins to limit synapse density in a manner that is important for normal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Steffen
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Sarah L Ferri
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Charles G Marcucci
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Kelsey L Blocklinger
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Michael J Molumby
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Ted Abel
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Joshua A Weiner
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
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15
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Petit-Pedrol M, Groc L. Regulation of membrane NMDA receptors by dynamics and protein interactions. J Cell Biol 2021; 220:211609. [PMID: 33337489 PMCID: PMC7754687 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202006101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding neurotransmitter system crosstalk in the brain is a major challenge in neurobiology. Several intracellular and genomic cascades have been identified in this crosstalk. However, the discovery that neurotransmitter receptors are highly diffusive in the plasma membrane of neurons, where they form heterocomplexes with other proteins, has profoundly changed our view of neurotransmitter signaling. Here, we review new insights into neurotransmitter crosstalk at the plasma membrane. We focus on the membrane organization and interactome of the ionotropic glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) that plays a central role in excitatory synaptic and network physiology and is involved in the etiology of several major neuropsychiatric disorders. The nanoscale organization and dynamics of NMDAR is a key regulatory process for glutamate synapse transmission, plasticity, and crosstalk with other neurotransmitter systems, such as the monoaminergic ones. The plasma membrane appears to be a prime regulatory compartment for spatial and temporal crosstalk between neurotransmitter systems in the healthy and diseased brain. Understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating membrane neurotransmitter receptor crosstalk will likely open research avenues for innovative therapeutical strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mar Petit-Pedrol
- Université de Bordeaux, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Bordeaux, France
| | - Laurent Groc
- Université de Bordeaux, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Bordeaux, France
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16
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Kim HY, Um JW, Ko J. Proper synaptic adhesion signaling in the control of neural circuit architecture and brain function. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 200:101983. [PMID: 33422662 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2020.101983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Trans-synaptic cell-adhesion molecules are critical for governing various stages of synapse development and specifying neural circuit properties via the formation of multifarious signaling pathways. Recent studies have pinpointed the putative roles of trans-synaptic cell-adhesion molecules in mediating various cognitive functions. Here, we review the literature on the roles of a diverse group of central synaptic organizers, including neurexins (Nrxns), leukocyte common antigen-related receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (LAR-RPTPs), and their associated binding proteins, in regulating properties of specific type of synapses and neural circuits. In addition, we highlight the findings that aberrant synaptic adhesion signaling leads to alterations in the structures, transmission, and plasticity of specific synapses across diverse brain areas. These results seem to suggest that proper trans-synaptic signaling pathways by Nrxns, LAR-RPTPs, and their interacting network is likely to constitute central molecular complexes that form the basis for cognitive functions, and that these complexes are heterogeneously and complexly disrupted in many neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee Young Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, South Korea
| | - Ji Won Um
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, South Korea; Core Protein Resources Center, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, South Korea.
| | - Jaewon Ko
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, South Korea.
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17
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The soluble neurexin-1β ectodomain causes calcium influx and augments dendritic outgrowth and synaptic transmission. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18041. [PMID: 33093500 PMCID: PMC7582164 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75047-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Classically, neurexins are thought to mediate synaptic connections through trans interactions with a number of different postsynaptic partners. Neurexins are cleaved by metalloproteases in an activity-dependent manner, releasing the soluble extracellular domain. Here, we report that in both immature (before synaptogenesis) and mature (after synaptogenesis) hippocampal neurons, the soluble neurexin-1β ectodomain triggers acute Ca2+-influx at the dendritic/postsynaptic side. In both cases, neuroligin-1 expression was required. In immature neurons, calcium influx required N-type calcium channels and stimulated dendritic outgrowth and neuronal survival. In mature glutamatergic neurons the neurexin-1β ectodomain stimulated calcium influx through NMDA-receptors, which increased presynaptic release probability. In contrast, prolonged exposure to the ectodomain led to inhibition of synaptic transmission. This secondary inhibition was activity- and neuroligin-1 dependent and caused by a reduction in the readily-releasable pool of vesicles. A synthetic peptide modeled after the neurexin-1β:neuroligin-1 interaction site reproduced the cellular effects of the neurexin-1β ectodomain. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that the soluble neurexin ectodomain stimulates growth of neurons and exerts acute and chronic effects on trans-synaptic signaling involved in setting synaptic strength.
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18
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SNX27-Mediated Recycling of Neuroligin-2 Regulates Inhibitory Signaling. Cell Rep 2020; 29:2599-2607.e6. [PMID: 31775031 PMCID: PMC6899438 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.10.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
GABAA receptors mediate fast inhibitory transmission in the brain, and their number can be rapidly up- or downregulated to alter synaptic strength. Neuroligin-2 plays a critical role in the stabilization of synaptic GABAA receptors and the development and maintenance of inhibitory synapses. To date, little is known about how the amount of neuroligin-2 at the synapse is regulated and whether neuroligin-2 trafficking affects inhibitory signaling. Here, we show that neuroligin-2, when internalized to endosomes, co-localizes with SNX27, a brain-enriched cargo-adaptor protein that facilitates membrane protein recycling. Direct interaction between the PDZ domain of SNX27 and PDZ-binding motif in neuroligin-2 enables membrane retrieval of neuroligin-2, thus enhancing synaptic neuroligin-2 clusters. Furthermore, SNX27 knockdown has the opposite effect. SNX27-mediated up- and downregulation of neuroligin-2 surface levels affects inhibitory synapse composition and signaling strength. Taken together, we show a role for SNX27-mediated recycling of neuroligin-2 in maintenance and signaling of the GABAergic synapse.
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19
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Yumoto T, Kimura M, Nagatomo R, Sato T, Utsunomiya S, Aoki N, Kitaura M, Takahashi K, Takemoto H, Watanabe H, Okano H, Yoshida F, Nao Y, Tomita T. Autism-associated variants of neuroligin 4X impair synaptogenic activity by various molecular mechanisms. Mol Autism 2020; 11:68. [PMID: 32873342 PMCID: PMC7465329 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00373-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several genetic alterations, including point mutations and copy number variations in NLGN genes, have been associated with psychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and X-linked mental retardation (XLMR). NLGN genes encode neuroligin (NL) proteins, which are adhesion molecules that are important for proper synaptic formation and maturation. Previously, we and others found that the expression level of murine NL1 is regulated by proteolytic processing in a synaptic activity-dependent manner. METHODS In this study, we analyzed the effects of missense variants associated with ASD and XLMR on the metabolism and function of NL4X, a protein which is encoded by the NLGN4X gene and is expressed only in humans, using cultured cells, primary neurons from rodents, and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons. RESULTS NL4X was found to undergo proteolytic processing in human neuronal cells. Almost all NL4X variants caused a substantial decrease in the levels of mature NL4X and its synaptogenic activity in a heterologous culture system. Intriguingly, the L593F variant of NL4X accelerated the proteolysis of mature NL4X proteins located on the cell surface. In contrast, other variants decreased the cell-surface trafficking of NL4X. Notably, protease inhibitors as well as chemical chaperones rescued the expression of mature NL4X. LIMITATIONS Our study did not reveal whether these dysfunctional phenotypes occurred in individuals carrying NLGN4X variant. Moreover, though these pathological mechanisms could be exploited as potential drug targets for ASD, it remains unclear whether these compounds would have beneficial effects on ASD model animals and patients. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that reduced amounts of the functional NL4X protein on the cell surface is a common mechanism by which point mutants of the NL4X protein cause psychiatric disorders, although different molecular mechanisms are thought to be involved. Furthermore, these results highlight that the precision medicine approach based on genetic and cell biological analyses is important for the development of therapeutics for psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takafumi Yumoto
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Misaki Kimura
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Ryota Nagatomo
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Tsukika Sato
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shun Utsunomiya
- Neuroscience 2, Laboratory for Drug Discovery and Disease Research, Shionogi, Osaka, Japan
- Business-Academia Collaborative Laboratory (Shionogi), Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Natsue Aoki
- Neuroscience 2, Laboratory for Drug Discovery and Disease Research, Shionogi, Osaka, Japan
- Business-Academia Collaborative Laboratory (Shionogi), Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Motoji Kitaura
- Research Administration SPRC, R&D General Administration Unit, General Administration Division, Shionogi Administration Service, Osaka, Japan
| | - Koji Takahashi
- Drug Discovery Technology 3, Laboratory for Innovative Therapy Research, Shionogi, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Takemoto
- Neuroscience 2, Laboratory for Drug Discovery and Disease Research, Shionogi, Osaka, Japan
- Business-Academia Collaborative Laboratory (Shionogi), Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Watanabe
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Okano
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fumiaki Yoshida
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yosuke Nao
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Taisuke Tomita
- Laboratory of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
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20
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Uchigashima M, Leung M, Watanabe T, Cheung A, Le T, Pallat S, Dinis ALM, Watanabe M, Kawasawa YI, Futai K. Neuroligin3 splice isoforms shape inhibitory synaptic function in the mouse hippocampus. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:8589-8595. [PMID: 32381505 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ac120.012571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Synapse formation is a dynamic process essential for the development and maturation of the neuronal circuitry in the brain. At the synaptic cleft, trans-synaptic protein-protein interactions are major biological determinants of proper synapse efficacy. The balance of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission (E-I balance) stabilizes synaptic activity, and dysregulation of the E-I balance has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the E-I balance remain to be elucidated. Here, using single-cell transcriptomics, immunohistochemistry, and electrophysiology approaches to murine CA1 pyramidal neurons obtained from organotypic hippocampal slice cultures, we investigate neuroligin (Nlgn) genes that encode a family of postsynaptic adhesion molecules known to shape excitatory and inhibitory synaptic function. We demonstrate that the NLGN3 protein differentially regulates inhibitory synaptic transmission in a splice isoform-dependent manner at hippocampal CA1 synapses. We also found that distinct subcellular localizations of the NLGN3 isoforms contribute to the functional differences observed among these isoforms. Finally, results from single-cell RNA-Seq analyses revealed that Nlgn1 and Nlgn3 are the major murine Nlgn genes and that the expression levels of the Nlgn splice isoforms are highly diverse in CA1 pyramidal neurons. Our results delineate isoform-specific effects of Nlgn genes on the E-I balance in the murine hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motokazu Uchigashima
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Anatomy, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Ming Leung
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Institute for Personalized Medicine, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Takuya Watanabe
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amy Cheung
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Timmy Le
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sabine Pallat
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alexandre Luis Marques Dinis
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Masahiko Watanabe
- Department of Anatomy, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Yuka Imamura Kawasawa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Institute for Personalized Medicine, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA .,Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kensuke Futai
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
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21
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Nguyen TA, Wu K, Pandey S, Lehr AW, Li Y, Bemben MA, Badger JD, Lauzon JL, Wang T, Zaghloul KA, Thurm A, Jain M, Lu W, Roche KW. A Cluster of Autism-Associated Variants on X-Linked NLGN4X Functionally Resemble NLGN4Y. Neuron 2020; 106:759-768.e7. [PMID: 32243781 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more prevalent in males; however, the etiology for this sex bias is not well understood. Many mutations on X-linked cell adhesion molecule NLGN4X result in ASD or intellectual disability. NLGN4X is part of an X-Y pair, with NLGN4Y sharing ∼97% sequence homology. Using biochemistry, electrophysiology, and imaging, we show that NLGN4Y displays severe deficits in maturation, surface expression, and synaptogenesis regulated by one amino acid difference with NLGN4X. Furthermore, we identify a cluster of ASD-associated mutations surrounding the critical amino acid in NLGN4X, and these mutations phenocopy NLGN4Y. We show that NLGN4Y cannot compensate for the functional deficits observed in ASD-associated NLGN4X mutations. Altogether, our data reveal a potential pathogenic mechanism for male bias in NLGN4X-associated ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thien A Nguyen
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University, Washington DC 20057, USA
| | - Kunwei Wu
- Synapse and Neural Circuit Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Saurabh Pandey
- Synapse and Neural Circuit Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Alexander W Lehr
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yan Li
- Protein/Peptide Sequencing Facility, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Michael A Bemben
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - John D Badger
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Julie L Lauzon
- Department of Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Tongguang Wang
- Translational Neuroscience Center, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kareem A Zaghloul
- Surgical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Audrey Thurm
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Mahim Jain
- Department of Bone and OI, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Wei Lu
- Synapse and Neural Circuit Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Katherine W Roche
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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22
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Li J, Han W, Wu K, Li YD, Liu Q, Lu W. A Conserved Tyrosine Residue in Slitrk3 Carboxyl-Terminus Is Critical for GABAergic Synapse Development. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:213. [PMID: 31551708 PMCID: PMC6746929 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-passing transmembrane protein, Slitrk3 (Slit and Trk-like family member 3, ST3), is a synaptic cell adhesion molecule highly expressed at inhibitory synapses. Recent studies have shown that ST3, through its extracellular domain, selectively regulates inhibitory synapse development via the trans-synaptic interaction with presynaptic cell adhesion molecule, receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase δ (PTPδ) and the cis-interaction with postsynaptic cell adhesion molecule, Neuroligin 2 (NL2). However, little is known about the physiological function of ST3 intracellular, carboxyl (C)-terminal region. Here we report that in heterologous cells, ST3 C-terminus is not required for ST3 homo-dimerization and trafficking to the cell surface. In contrast, in hippocampal neurons, ST3 C-terminus, more specifically, the conserved tyrosine Y969 (in mice), is critical for GABAergic synapse development. Indeed, overexpression of ST3 Y969A mutant markedly reduced the gephyrin puncta density and GABAergic transmission in hippocampal neurons. In addition, single-cell genetic deletion of ST3 strongly impaired GABAergic transmission. Importantly, wild-type (WT) ST3, but not the ST3 Y969A mutant, could fully rescue GABAergic transmission deficits in neurons lacking endogenous ST3, confirming a critical role of Y969 in the regulation of inhibitory synapses. Taken together, our data identify a single critical residue in ST3 C-terminus that is important for GABAergic synapse development and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Li
- Synapse and Neural Circuit Research Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Wenyan Han
- Synapse and Neural Circuit Research Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Kunwei Wu
- Synapse and Neural Circuit Research Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Yuping Derek Li
- Synapse and Neural Circuit Research Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Qun Liu
- Synapse and Neural Circuit Research Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Wei Lu
- Synapse and Neural Circuit Research Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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23
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Brouwer M, Farzana F, Koopmans F, Chen N, Brunner JW, Oldani S, Li KW, van Weering JR, Smit AB, Toonen RF, Verhage M. SALM1 controls synapse development by promoting F-actin/PIP2-dependent Neurexin clustering. EMBO J 2019; 38:e101289. [PMID: 31368584 PMCID: PMC6717895 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2018101289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Synapse development requires spatiotemporally regulated recruitment of synaptic proteins. In this study, we describe a novel presynaptic mechanism of cis‐regulated oligomerization of adhesion molecules that controls synaptogenesis. We identified synaptic adhesion‐like molecule 1 (SALM1) as a constituent of the proposed presynaptic Munc18/CASK/Mint1/Lin7b organizer complex. SALM1 preferentially localized to presynaptic compartments of excitatory hippocampal neurons. SALM1 depletion in excitatory hippocampal primary neurons impaired Neurexin1β‐ and Neuroligin1‐mediated excitatory synaptogenesis and reduced synaptic vesicle clustering, synaptic transmission, and synaptic vesicle release. SALM1 promoted Neurexin1β clustering in an F‐actin‐ and PIP2‐dependent manner. Two basic residues in SALM1's juxtamembrane polybasic domain are essential for this clustering. Together, these data show that SALM1 is a presynaptic organizer of synapse development by promoting F‐actin/PIP2‐dependent clustering of Neurexin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marinka Brouwer
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Fatima Farzana
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Frank Koopmans
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ning Chen
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jessie W Brunner
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Silvia Oldani
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ka Wan Li
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Rt van Weering
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - August B Smit
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ruud F Toonen
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Matthijs Verhage
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Amsterdam and VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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24
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Wu X, Morishita WK, Riley AM, Hale WD, Südhof TC, Malenka RC. Neuroligin-1 Signaling Controls LTP and NMDA Receptors by Distinct Molecular Pathways. Neuron 2019; 102:621-635.e3. [PMID: 30871858 PMCID: PMC6509009 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Neuroligins, postsynaptic cell adhesion molecules that are linked to neuropsychiatric disorders, are extensively studied, but fundamental questions about their functions remain. Using in vivo replacement strategies in quadruple conditional knockout mice of all neuroligins to avoid heterodimerization artifacts, we show, in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, that neuroligin-1 performs two key functions in excitatory synapses by distinct molecular mechanisms. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent LTP requires trans-synaptic binding of postsynaptic neuroligin-1 to presynaptic β-neurexins but not the cytoplasmic sequences of neuroligins. In contrast, postsynaptic NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated responses involve a neurexin-independent mechanism that requires the neuroligin-1 cytoplasmic sequences. Strikingly, deletion of neuroligins blocked the spine expansion associated with LTP, as monitored by two-photon imaging; this block involved a mechanism identical to that of the role of neuroligin-1 in NMDAR-dependent LTP. Our data suggest that neuroligin-1 performs two mechanistically distinct signaling functions and that neurolign-1-mediated trans-synaptic cell adhesion signaling critically regulates LTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoting Wu
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. 94305,Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. 94305
| | - Wade K. Morishita
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. 94305
| | - Ashley M. Riley
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. 94305,Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. 94305
| | - William D. Hale
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. 94305
| | - Thomas C. Südhof
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. 94305,Co-corresponding authors: R. Malenka; T. Südhof, Stanford University School of Medicine, 265 Campus Drive, Room G1021, G1022, Stanford, CA 94305-5453, 650-724-2730; ;
| | - Robert C. Malenka
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. 94305,Co-corresponding authors: R. Malenka; T. Südhof, Stanford University School of Medicine, 265 Campus Drive, Room G1021, G1022, Stanford, CA 94305-5453, 650-724-2730; ;
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25
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Bourke AM, Bowen AB, Kennedy MJ. New approaches for solving old problems in neuronal protein trafficking. Mol Cell Neurosci 2018; 91:48-66. [PMID: 29649542 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2018.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fundamental cellular properties are determined by the repertoire and abundance of proteins displayed on the cell surface. As such, the trafficking mechanisms for establishing and maintaining the surface proteome must be tightly regulated for cells to respond appropriately to extracellular cues, yet plastic enough to adapt to ever-changing environments. Not only are the identity and abundance of surface proteins critical, but in many cases, their regulated spatial positioning within surface nanodomains can greatly impact their function. In the context of neuronal cell biology, surface levels and positioning of ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors play essential roles in establishing important properties, including cellular excitability and synaptic strength. Here we review our current understanding of the trafficking pathways that control the abundance and localization of proteins important for synaptic function and plasticity, as well as recent technological advances that are allowing the field to investigate protein trafficking with increasing spatiotemporal precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M Bourke
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Aaron B Bowen
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Matthew J Kennedy
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.
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26
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Ribeiro LF, Verpoort B, de Wit J. Trafficking mechanisms of synaptogenic cell adhesion molecules. Mol Cell Neurosci 2018; 91:34-47. [PMID: 29631018 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2018.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Nearly every aspect of neuronal function, from wiring to information processing, critically depends on the highly polarized architecture of neurons. Establishing and maintaining the distinct molecular composition of axonal and dendritic compartments requires precise control over the trafficking of the proteins that make up these cellular domains. Synaptic cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), membrane proteins with a critical role in the formation, differentiation and plasticity of synapses, require targeting to the correct pre- or postsynaptic compartment for proper functioning of neural circuits. However, the mechanisms that control the polarized trafficking, synaptic targeting, and synaptic abundance of CAMs are poorly understood. Here, we summarize current knowledge about the sequential trafficking events along the secretory pathway that control the polarized surface distribution of synaptic CAMs, and discuss how their synaptic targeting and abundance is additionally influenced by post-secretory determinants. The identification of trafficking-impairing mutations in CAMs associated with various neurodevelopmental disorders underscores the importance of correct protein trafficking for normal brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luís F Ribeiro
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ben Verpoort
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joris de Wit
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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27
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Glia-to-neuron transfer of miRNAs via extracellular vesicles: a new mechanism underlying inflammation-induced synaptic alterations. Acta Neuropathol 2018; 135:529-550. [PMID: 29302779 PMCID: PMC5978931 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-017-1803-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates synaptic dysfunction as an early mechanism affected in neuroinflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, which are characterized by chronic microglia activation. However, the mode(s) of action of reactive microglia in causing synaptic defects are not fully understood. In this study, we show that inflammatory microglia produce extracellular vesicles (EVs) which are enriched in a set of miRNAs that regulate the expression of key synaptic proteins. Among them, miR-146a-5p, a microglia-specific miRNA not present in hippocampal neurons, controls the expression of presynaptic synaptotagmin1 (Syt1) and postsynaptic neuroligin1 (Nlg1), an adhesion protein which play a crucial role in dendritic spine formation and synaptic stability. Using a Renilla-based sensor, we provide formal proof that inflammatory EVs transfer their miR-146a-5p cargo to neuron. By western blot and immunofluorescence analysis we show that vesicular miR-146a-5p suppresses Syt1 and Nlg1 expression in receiving neurons. Microglia-to-neuron miR-146a-5p transfer and Syt1 and Nlg1 downregulation do not occur when EV-neuron contact is inhibited by cloaking vesicular phosphatidylserine residues and when neurons are exposed to EVs either depleted of miR-146a-5p, produced by pro-regenerative microglia, or storing inactive miR-146a-5p, produced by cells transfected with an anti-miR-146a-5p. Morphological analysis reveals that prolonged exposure to inflammatory EVs leads to significant decrease in dendritic spine density in hippocampal neurons in vivo and in primary culture, which is rescued in vitro by transfection of a miR-insensitive Nlg1 form. Dendritic spine loss is accompanied by a decrease in the density and strength of excitatory synapses, as indicated by reduced mEPSC frequency and amplitude. These findings link inflammatory microglia and enhanced EV production to loss of excitatory synapses, uncovering a previously unrecognized role for microglia-enriched miRNAs, released in association to EVs, in silencing of key synaptic genes.
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28
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Südhof TC. Synaptic Neurexin Complexes: A Molecular Code for the Logic of Neural Circuits. Cell 2017; 171:745-769. [PMID: 29100073 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 471] [Impact Index Per Article: 67.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2017] [Revised: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/15/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Synapses are specialized junctions between neurons in brain that transmit and compute information, thereby connecting neurons into millions of overlapping and interdigitated neural circuits. Here, we posit that the establishment, properties, and dynamics of synapses are governed by a molecular logic that is controlled by diverse trans-synaptic signaling molecules. Neurexins, expressed in thousands of alternatively spliced isoforms, are central components of this dynamic code. Presynaptic neurexins regulate synapse properties via differential binding to multifarious postsynaptic ligands, such as neuroligins, cerebellin/GluD complexes, and latrophilins, thereby shaping the input/output relations of their resident neural circuits. Mutations in genes encoding neurexins and their ligands are associated with diverse neuropsychiatric disorders, especially schizophrenia, autism, and Tourette syndrome. Thus, neurexins nucleate an overall trans-synaptic signaling network that controls synapse properties, which thereby determines the precise responses of synapses to spike patterns in a neuron and circuit and which is vulnerable to impairments in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Südhof
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University Medical School, 265 Campus Drive, CA 94305-5453, USA.
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29
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Abstract
At each of the brain's vast number of synapses, the presynaptic nerve terminal, synaptic cleft, and postsynaptic specialization form a transcellular unit to enable efficient transmission of information between neurons. While we know much about the molecular machinery within each compartment, we are only beginning to understand how these compartments are structurally registered and functionally integrated with one another. This review will describe the organization of each compartment and then discuss their alignment across pre- and postsynaptic cells at a nanometer scale. We propose that this architecture may allow for precise synaptic information exchange and may be modulated to contribute to the remarkable plasticity of brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Biederer
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
| | - Pascal S Kaeser
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Thomas A Blanpied
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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30
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Biederer T, Kaeser PS, Blanpied TA. Transcellular Nanoalignment of Synaptic Function. Neuron 2017; 96:680-696. [PMID: 29096080 PMCID: PMC5777221 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
At each of the brain's vast number of synapses, the presynaptic nerve terminal, synaptic cleft, and postsynaptic specialization form a transcellular unit to enable efficient transmission of information between neurons. While we know much about the molecular machinery within each compartment, we are only beginning to understand how these compartments are structurally registered and functionally integrated with one another. This review will describe the organization of each compartment and then discuss their alignment across pre- and postsynaptic cells at a nanometer scale. We propose that this architecture may allow for precise synaptic information exchange and may be modulated to contribute to the remarkable plasticity of brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Biederer
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
| | - Pascal S Kaeser
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Thomas A Blanpied
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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31
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Tanabe Y, Naito Y, Vasuta C, Lee AK, Soumounou Y, Linhoff MW, Takahashi H. IgSF21 promotes differentiation of inhibitory synapses via binding to neurexin2α. Nat Commun 2017; 8:408. [PMID: 28864826 PMCID: PMC5581337 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00333-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Coordinated development of excitatory and inhibitory synapses is essential for higher brain function, and impairment in this development is associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. In contrast to the large body of accumulated evidence regarding excitatory synapse development, little is known about synaptic adhesion and organization mechanisms underlying inhibitory synapse development. Through unbiased expression screens and proteomics, we identified immunoglobulin superfamily member 21 (IgSF21) as a neurexin2α-interacting membrane protein that selectively induces inhibitory presynaptic differentiation. IgSF21 localizes postsynaptically and recruits axonal neurexin2α in a trans-interaction manner. Deleting IgSF21 in mice impairs inhibitory presynaptic organization, especially in the hippocampal CA1 stratum radiatum, and also diminishes GABA-mediated synaptic transmission in hippocampal CA1 neurons without affecting their excitatory synapses. Finally, mice lacking IgSF21 show a sensorimotor gating deficit. These findings suggest that IgSF21 selectively regulates inhibitory presynaptic differentiation through interacting with presynaptic neurexin2α and plays a crucial role in synaptic inhibition in the brain. Molecular mechanisms regulating the development of inhibitory synapses are poorly understood. Here the authors show that IgSF21 interacts with neurexin2α to induce presynaptic differentiation of inhibitory synapses, and that mice lacking IgSF21 exhibit deficits in inhibitory synaptic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Tanabe
- Synapse Development and Plasticity Research Unit, Institut de RecherchesCliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada, H2W 1R7
| | - Yusuke Naito
- Synapse Development and Plasticity Research Unit, Institut de RecherchesCliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada, H2W 1R7.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 2B2
| | - Cristina Vasuta
- Synapse Development and Plasticity Research Unit, Institut de RecherchesCliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada, H2W 1R7
| | - Alfred Kihoon Lee
- Synapse Development and Plasticity Research Unit, Institut de RecherchesCliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada, H2W 1R7.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 2B2
| | - Youssouf Soumounou
- Synapse Development and Plasticity Research Unit, Institut de RecherchesCliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada, H2W 1R7
| | - Michael W Linhoff
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,The Brain Research Centre and Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2B5.,Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Hideto Takahashi
- Synapse Development and Plasticity Research Unit, Institut de RecherchesCliniques de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada, H2W 1R7. .,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 2B2. .,Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3T 1J4. .,Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0G4.
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32
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Gangwar SP, Zhong X, Seshadrinathan S, Chen H, Machius M, Rudenko G. Molecular Mechanism of MDGA1: Regulation of Neuroligin 2:Neurexin Trans-synaptic Bridges. Neuron 2017. [PMID: 28641112 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Neuroligins and neurexins promote synapse development and validation by forming trans-synaptic bridges spanning the synaptic cleft. Select pairs promote excitatory and inhibitory synapses, with neuroligin 2 (NLGN2) limited to inhibitory synapses and neuroligin 1 (NLGN1) dominating at excitatory synapses. The cell-surface molecules, MAM domain-containing glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor 1 (MDGA1) and 2 (MDGA2), regulate trans-synaptic adhesion between neurexins and neuroligins, impacting NLGN2 and NLGN1, respectively. We have determined the molecular mechanism of MDGA action. MDGA1 Ig1-Ig2 is sufficient to bind NLGN2 with nanomolar affinity; its crystal structure reveals an unusual locked rod-shaped array. In the crystal structure of the complex, two MDGA1 Ig1-Ig2 molecules each span the entire NLGN2 dimer. Site-directed mutagenesis confirms the observed interaction interface. Strikingly, Ig1 from MDGA1 binds to the same region on NLGN2 as neurexins do. Thus, MDGAs regulate the formation of neuroligin-neurexin trans-synaptic bridges by sterically blocking access of neurexins to neuroligins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanti Pal Gangwar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Xiaoying Zhong
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Suchithra Seshadrinathan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Hui Chen
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Mischa Machius
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Gabby Rudenko
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.
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33
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Nguyen QA, Horn ME, Nicoll RA. Distinct roles for extracellular and intracellular domains in neuroligin function at inhibitory synapses. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27805570 PMCID: PMC5098909 DOI: 10.7554/elife.19236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroligins (NLGNs) are postsynaptic cell adhesion molecules that interact trans-synaptically with neurexins to mediate synapse development and function. NLGN2 is only at inhibitory synapses while NLGN3 is at both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. We found that NLGN3 function at inhibitory synapses in rat CA1 depends on the presence of NLGN2 and identified a domain in the extracellular region that accounted for this functional difference between NLGN2 and 3 specifically at inhibitory synapses. We further show that the presence of a cytoplasmic tail (c-tail) is indispensible, and identified two domains in the c-tail that are necessary for NLGN function at inhibitory synapses. These domains point to a gephyrin-dependent mechanism that is disrupted by an autism-associated mutation at R705 and a gephyrin-independent mechanism reliant on a putative phosphorylation site at S714. Our work highlights unique and separate roles for the extracellular and intracellular regions in specifying and carrying out NLGN function respectively. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19236.001
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Affiliation(s)
- Quynh-Anh Nguyen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Meryl E Horn
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Roger A Nicoll
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
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34
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Beaubien F, Raja R, Kennedy TE, Fournier AE, Cloutier JF. Slitrk1 is localized to excitatory synapses and promotes their development. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27343. [PMID: 27273464 PMCID: PMC4895136 DOI: 10.1038/srep27343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Following the migration of the axonal growth cone to its target area, the initial axo-dendritic contact needs to be transformed into a functional synapse. This multi-step process relies on overlapping but distinct combinations of molecules that confer synaptic identity. Slitrk molecules are transmembrane proteins that are highly expressed in the central nervous system. We found that two members of the Slitrk family, Slitrk1 and Slitrk2, can regulate synapse formation between hippocampal neurons. Slitrk1 is enriched in postsynaptic fractions and is localized to excitatory synapses. Overexpression of Slitrk1 and Slitrk2 in hippocampal neurons increased the number of synaptic contacts on these neurons. Furthermore, decreased expression of Slitrk1 in hippocampal neurons led to a reduction in the number of excitatory, but not inhibitory, synapses formed in hippocampal neuron cultures. In addition, we demonstrate that different leucine rich repeat domains of the extracellular region of Slitrk1 are necessary to mediate interactions with Slitrk binding partners of the LAR receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase family, and to promote dimerization of Slitrk1. Altogether, our results demonstrate that Slitrk family proteins regulate synapse formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Beaubien
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Centre for Neuronal Survival, 3801 University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 2B4, Canada.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Canada
| | - Reesha Raja
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Centre for Neuronal Survival, 3801 University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 2B4, Canada.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Canada
| | - Timothy E Kennedy
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Centre for Neuronal Survival, 3801 University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 2B4, Canada.,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Canada
| | - Alyson E Fournier
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Centre for Neuronal Survival, 3801 University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 2B4, Canada.,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Canada
| | - Jean-François Cloutier
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Centre for Neuronal Survival, 3801 University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 2B4, Canada.,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Canada
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35
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Engelke MF, Winding M, Yue Y, Shastry S, Teloni F, Reddy S, Blasius TL, Soppina P, Hancock WO, Gelfand VI, Verhey KJ. Engineered kinesin motor proteins amenable to small-molecule inhibition. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11159. [PMID: 27045608 PMCID: PMC4822052 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The human genome encodes 45 kinesin motor proteins that drive cell division, cell motility, intracellular trafficking and ciliary function. Determining the cellular function of each kinesin would benefit from specific small-molecule inhibitors. However, screens have yielded only a few specific inhibitors. Here we present a novel chemical-genetic approach to engineer kinesin motors that can carry out the function of the wild-type motor yet can also be efficiently inhibited by small, cell-permeable molecules. Using kinesin-1 as a prototype, we develop two independent strategies to generate inhibitable motors, and characterize the resulting inhibition in single-molecule assays and in cells. We further apply these two strategies to create analogously inhibitable kinesin-3 motors. These inhibitable motors will be of great utility to study the functions of specific kinesins in a dynamic manner in cells and animals. Furthermore, these strategies can be used to generate inhibitable versions of any motor protein of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin F. Engelke
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Michael Winding
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
| | - Yang Yue
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Shankar Shastry
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Federico Teloni
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Sanjay Reddy
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - T. Lynne Blasius
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Pushpanjali Soppina
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - William O. Hancock
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Vladimir I. Gelfand
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
| | - Kristen J. Verhey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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Kazdoba TM, Leach PT, Crawley JN. Behavioral phenotypes of genetic mouse models of autism. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2016; 15:7-26. [PMID: 26403076 PMCID: PMC4775274 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2015] [Revised: 08/27/2015] [Accepted: 09/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
More than a hundred de novo single gene mutations and copy-number variants have been implicated in autism, each occurring in a small subset of cases. Mutant mouse models with syntenic mutations offer research tools to gain an understanding of the role of each gene in modulating biological and behavioral phenotypes relevant to autism. Knockout, knockin and transgenic mice incorporating risk gene mutations detected in autism spectrum disorder and comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders are now widely available. At present, autism spectrum disorder is diagnosed solely by behavioral criteria. We developed a constellation of mouse behavioral assays designed to maximize face validity to the types of social deficits and repetitive behaviors that are central to an autism diagnosis. Mouse behavioral assays for associated symptoms of autism, which include cognitive inflexibility, anxiety, hyperactivity, and unusual reactivity to sensory stimuli, are frequently included in the phenotypic analyses. Over the past 10 years, we and many other laboratories around the world have employed these and additional behavioral tests to phenotype a large number of mutant mouse models of autism. In this review, we highlight mouse models with mutations in genes that have been identified as risk genes for autism, which work through synaptic mechanisms and through the mTOR signaling pathway. Robust, replicated autism-relevant behavioral outcomes in a genetic mouse model lend credence to a causal role for specific gene contributions and downstream biological mechanisms in the etiology of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. M. Kazdoba
- MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - P. T. Leach
- MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - J. N. Crawley
- MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
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Zhang B, Chen LY, Liu X, Maxeiner S, Lee SJ, Gokce O, Südhof TC. Neuroligins Sculpt Cerebellar Purkinje-Cell Circuits by Differential Control of Distinct Classes of Synapses. Neuron 2015; 87:781-96. [PMID: 26291161 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Revised: 05/25/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Neuroligins are postsynaptic cell-adhesion molecules that bind presynaptic neurexins and are genetically linked to autism. Neuroligins are proposed to organize synaptogenesis and/or synaptic transmission, but no systematic analysis of neuroligins in a defined circuit is available. Here, we show that conditional deletion of all neuroligins in cerebellar Purkinje cells caused loss of distal climbing-fiber synapses and weakened climbing-fiber but not parallel-fiber synapses, consistent with alternative use of neuroligins and cerebellins as neurexin ligands for the excitatory climbing-fiber versus parallel-fiber synapses. Moreover, deletion of neuroligins increased the size of inhibitory basket/stellate-cell synapses but simultaneously severely impaired their function. Multiple neuroligin isoforms differentially contributed to climbing-fiber and basket/stellate-cell synapse functions, such that inhibitory synapse-specific neuroligin-2 was unexpectedly essential for maintaining normal climbing-fiber synapse numbers. Using systematic analyses of all neuroligins in a defined neural circuit, our data thus show that neuroligins differentially contribute to various Purkinje-cell synapses in the cerebellum in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University Medical School, 265 Campus Drive, Room G1021, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Lulu Y Chen
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University Medical School, 265 Campus Drive, Room G1021, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Xinran Liu
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Stephan Maxeiner
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University Medical School, 265 Campus Drive, Room G1021, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Sung-Jin Lee
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University Medical School, 265 Campus Drive, Room G1021, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ozgun Gokce
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University Medical School, 265 Campus Drive, Room G1021, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Thomas C Südhof
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University Medical School, 265 Campus Drive, Room G1021, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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38
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Abstract
To create a presynaptic terminal, molecular signaling events must be orchestrated across a number of subcellular compartments. In the soma, presynaptic proteins need to be synthesized, packaged together, and attached to microtubule motors for shipment through the axon. Within the axon, transport of presynaptic packages is regulated to ensure that developing synapses receive an adequate supply of components. At individual axonal sites, extracellular interactions must be translated into intracellular signals that can incorporate mobile transport vesicles into the nascent presynaptic terminal. Even once the initial recruitment process is complete, the components and subsequent functionality of presynaptic terminals need to constantly be remodeled. Perhaps most remarkably, all of these processes need to be coordinated in space and time. In this review, we discuss how these dynamic cellular processes occur in neurons of the central nervous system in order to generate presynaptic terminals in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke A D Bury
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Shasta L Sabo
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA Department of Neuroscience, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA
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Abstract
A fundamental physical interaction exists across the synapse. It is mediated by synaptic adhesion molecules, and is among the earliest and most indispensable of molecular events occurring during synaptogenesis. The regulation of adhesion molecules and their interactions with other synaptic proteins likely affect not only on synapse formation but also on ongoing synaptic function. We review research on one major family of postsynaptic adhesion molecules, neuroligins, which bind to their presynaptic partner neurexin across the synaptic cleft. We move from a structural overview to the broad cellular and synaptic context of neuroligins, intermolecular interactions, and molecular modifications that occur within a synapse. Finally, we examine evidence concerning the physiological functions of neuroligin in a cell and highlight areas requiring further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Bemben
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Seth L Shipman
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Roger A Nicoll
- Departments of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Katherine W Roche
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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40
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Fekete CD, Chiou TT, Miralles CP, Harris RS, Fiondella CG, Loturco JJ, De Blas AL. In vivo clonal overexpression of neuroligin 3 and neuroligin 2 in neurons of the rat cerebral cortex: Differential effects on GABAergic synapses and neuronal migration. J Comp Neurol 2015; 523:1359-78. [PMID: 25565602 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2014] [Revised: 01/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
We studied the effect of clonal overexpression of neuroligin 3 (NL3) or neuroligin 2 (NL2) in the adult rat cerebral cortex following in utero electroporation (IUEP) at embryonic stage E14. Overexpression of NL3 leads to a large increase in vesicular gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter (vGAT) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)65 in the GABAergic contacts that the overexpressing neurons receive. Overexpression of NL2 produced a similar effect but to a lesser extent. In contrast, overexpression of NL3 or NL2 after IUEP does not affect vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (vGlut1) in the glutamatergic contacts that the NL3 or NL2-overexpressing neurons receive. The NL3 or NL2-overexpressing neurons do not show increased innervation by parvalbumin-containing GABAergic terminals or increased parvalbumin in the same terminals that show increased vGAT. These results indicate that the observed increase in vGAT and GAD65 is not due to increased GABAergic innervation but to increased expression of vGAT and GAD65 in the GABAergic contacts that NL3 or NL2-overexpressing neurons receive. The majority of bright vGAT puncta contacting the NL3-overexpressing neurons have no gephyrin juxtaposed to them, indicating that many of these contacts are nonsynaptic. This contrasts with the majority of the NL2-overexpressing neurons, which show plenty of synaptic gephyrin clusters juxtaposed to vGAT. Besides having an effect on GABAergic contacts, overexpression of NL3 interferes with the neuronal radial migration, in the cerebral cortex, of the neurons overexpressing NL3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Fekete
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, 06269
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41
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Bell ME, Bourne JN, Chirillo MA, Mendenhall JM, Kuwajima M, Harris KM. Dynamics of nascent and active zone ultrastructure as synapses enlarge during long-term potentiation in mature hippocampus. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:3861-84. [PMID: 25043676 PMCID: PMC4167938 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Revised: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Nascent zones and active zones are adjacent synaptic regions that share a postsynaptic density, but nascent zones lack the presynaptic vesicles found at active zones. Here dendritic spine synapses were reconstructed through serial section electron microscopy (3DEM) and EM tomography to investigate nascent zone dynamics during long-term potentiation (LTP) in mature rat hippocampus. LTP was induced with theta-burst stimulation, and comparisons were made with control stimulation in the same hippocampal slices at 5 minutes, 30 minutes, and 2 hours post-induction and to perfusion-fixed hippocampus in vivo. Nascent zones were present at the edges of ∼35% of synapses in perfusion-fixed hippocampus and as many as ∼50% of synapses in some hippocampal slice conditions. By 5 minutes, small dense-core vesicles known to transport active zone proteins moved into more presynaptic boutons. By 30 minutes, nascent zone area decreased, without significant change in synapse area, suggesting that presynaptic vesicles were recruited to preexisting nascent zones. By 2 hours, both nascent and active zones were enlarged. Immunogold labeling revealed glutamate receptors in nascent zones; however, average distances from nascent zones to docked presynaptic vesicles ranged from 170 ± 5 nm in perfusion-fixed hippocampus to 251 ± 4 nm at enlarged synapses by 2 hours during LTP. Prior stochastic modeling suggests that decrease in glutamate concentration reduces the probability of glutamate receptor activation from 0.4 at the center of release to 0.1 just 200 nm away. Thus, conversion of nascent zones to functional active zones likely requires the recruitment of presynaptic vesicles during LTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Elizabeth Bell
- Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712
| | - Jennifer N. Bourne
- Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712
| | - Michael A. Chirillo
- Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712
- The University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX 77030
| | - John M. Mendenhall
- Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712
| | - Masaaki Kuwajima
- Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712
| | - Kristen M. Harris
- Center for Learning and Memory, Department of Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712
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42
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Lu Z, Wang Y, Chen F, Tong H, Reddy MVVVS, Luo L, Seshadrinathan S, Zhang L, Holthauzen LMF, Craig AM, Ren G, Rudenko G. Calsyntenin-3 molecular architecture and interaction with neurexin 1α. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:34530-42. [PMID: 25352602 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.606806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Calsyntenin 3 (Cstn3 or Clstn3), a recently identified synaptic organizer, promotes the development of synapses. Cstn3 localizes to the postsynaptic membrane and triggers presynaptic differentiation. Calsyntenin members play an evolutionarily conserved role in memory and learning. Cstn3 was recently shown in cell-based assays to interact with neurexin 1α (n1α), a synaptic organizer that is implicated in neuropsychiatric disease. Interaction would permit Cstn3 and n1α to form a trans-synaptic complex and promote synaptic differentiation. However, it is contentious whether Cstn3 binds n1α directly. To understand the structure and function of Cstn3, we determined its architecture by electron microscopy and delineated the interaction between Cstn3 and n1α biochemically and biophysically. We show that Cstn3 ectodomains form monomers as well as tetramers that are stabilized by disulfide bonds and Ca(2+), and both are probably flexible in solution. We show further that the extracellular domains of Cstn3 and n1α interact directly and that both Cstn3 monomers and tetramers bind n1α with nanomolar affinity. The interaction is promoted by Ca(2+) and requires minimally the LNS domain of Cstn3. Furthermore, Cstn3 uses a fundamentally different mechanism to bind n1α compared with other neurexin partners, such as the synaptic organizer neuroligin 2, because Cstn3 does not strictly require the sixth LNS domain of n1α. Our structural data suggest how Cstn3 as a synaptic organizer on the postsynaptic membrane, particularly in tetrameric form, may assemble radially symmetric trans-synaptic bridges with the presynaptic synaptic organizer n1α to recruit and spatially organize proteins into networks essential for synaptic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoyang Lu
- the Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, the School of Life Science and Technology and Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Yun Wang
- the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Fang Chen
- the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Huimin Tong
- the Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720
| | | | - Lin Luo
- the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 2A1, Canada, and
| | | | - Lei Zhang
- the Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720
| | - Luis Marcelo F Holthauzen
- the Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston Texas 77555
| | - Ann Marie Craig
- the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 2A1, Canada, and
| | - Gang Ren
- the Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720,
| | - Gabby Rudenko
- From the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and the Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston Texas 77555,
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43
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Abstract
The neurotransmitters GABA and glycine mediate fast synaptic inhibition by activating ligand-gated chloride channels--namely, type A GABA (GABA(A)) and glycine receptors. Both types of receptors are anchored postsynaptically by gephyrin, which self-assembles into a scaffold and interacts with the cytoskeleton. Current research indicates that postsynaptic gephyrin clusters are dynamic assemblies that are held together and regulated by multiple protein-protein interactions. Moreover, post-translational modifications of gephyrin regulate the formation and plasticity of GABAergic synapses by altering the clustering properties of postsynaptic scaffolds and thereby the availability and function of receptors and other signalling molecules. Here, we discuss the formation and regulation of the gephyrin scaffold, its role in GABAergic and glycinergic synaptic function and the implications for the pathophysiology of brain disorders caused by abnormal inhibitory neurotransmission.
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44
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Czöndör K, Garcia M, Argento A, Constals A, Breillat C, Tessier B, Thoumine O. Micropatterned substrates coated with neuronal adhesion molecules for high-content study of synapse formation. Nat Commun 2014; 4:2252. [PMID: 23934334 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2013] [Accepted: 07/05/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying the roles of different proteins and the mechanisms involved in synaptogenesis is hindered by the complexity and heterogeneity of synapse types, and by the spatial and temporal unpredictability of spontaneous synapse formation. Here we demonstrate a robust and high-content method to induce selectively presynaptic or postsynaptic structures at controlled locations. Neurons are cultured on micropatterned substrates comprising arrays of micron-scale dots coated with various synaptogenic adhesion molecules. When plated on neurexin-1β-coated micropatterns, neurons expressing neuroligin-1 exhibit specific dendritic organization and selective recruitment of the postsynaptic scaffolding molecule PSD-95. Furthermore, functional AMPA receptors are trapped at neurexin-1β dots, as revealed by live-imaging experiments. In contrast, neurons plated on SynCAM1-coated substrates exhibit strongly patterned axons and selectively assemble functional presynapses. N-cadherin coating, however, is not able to elicit synapses, indicating the specificity of our system. This method opens the way to both fundamental and therapeutic studies of various synaptic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katalin Czöndör
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
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45
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Fritschy JM, Panzanelli P. GABAAreceptors and plasticity of inhibitory neurotransmission in the central nervous system. Eur J Neurosci 2014; 39:1845-65. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2014] [Revised: 01/29/2014] [Accepted: 01/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marc Fritschy
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology; University of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich; University of Zurich and ETH; Zurich Switzerland
| | - Patrizia Panzanelli
- Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi Montalcini; University of Turin; Turin Italy
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46
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Liu L, Lei J, Sanders SJ, Willsey AJ, Kou Y, Cicek AE, Klei L, Lu C, He X, Li M, Muhle RA, Ma’ayan A, Noonan JP, Šestan N, McFadden KA, State MW, Buxbaum JD, Devlin B, Roeder K. DAWN: a framework to identify autism genes and subnetworks using gene expression and genetics. Mol Autism 2014; 5:22. [PMID: 24602502 PMCID: PMC4016412 DOI: 10.1186/2040-2392-5-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2013] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND De novo loss-of-function (dnLoF) mutations are found twofold more often in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) probands than their unaffected siblings. Multiple independent dnLoF mutations in the same gene implicate the gene in risk and hence provide a systematic, albeit arduous, path forward for ASD genetics. It is likely that using additional non-genetic data will enhance the ability to identify ASD genes. METHODS To accelerate the search for ASD genes, we developed a novel algorithm, DAWN, to model two kinds of data: rare variations from exome sequencing and gene co-expression in the mid-fetal prefrontal and motor-somatosensory neocortex, a critical nexus for risk. The algorithm casts the ensemble data as a hidden Markov random field in which the graph structure is determined by gene co-expression and it combines these interrelationships with node-specific observations, namely gene identity, expression, genetic data and the estimated effect on risk. RESULTS Using currently available genetic data and a specific developmental time period for gene co-expression, DAWN identified 127 genes that plausibly affect risk, and a set of likely ASD subnetworks. Validation experiments making use of published targeted resequencing results demonstrate its efficacy in reliably predicting ASD genes. DAWN also successfully predicts known ASD genes, not included in the genetic data used to create the model. CONCLUSIONS Validation studies demonstrate that DAWN is effective in predicting ASD genes and subnetworks by leveraging genetic and gene expression data. The findings reported here implicate neurite extension and neuronal arborization as risks for ASD. Using DAWN on emerging ASD sequence data and gene expression data from other brain regions and tissues would likely identify novel ASD genes. DAWN can also be used for other complex disorders to identify genes and subnetworks in those disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Liu
- Department of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jing Lei
- Department of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Stephan J Sanders
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Arthur Jeremy Willsey
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Yan Kou
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics and Systems Biology Center New York, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Abdullah Ercument Cicek
- Ray and Stephanie Lane Center for Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lambertus Klei
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Cong Lu
- Department of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Xin He
- Ray and Stephanie Lane Center for Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mingfeng Li
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rebecca A Muhle
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Avi Ma’ayan
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics and Systems Biology Center New York, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - James P Noonan
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nenad Šestan
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kathryn A McFadden
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Matthew W State
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Program on Neurogenetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Joseph D Buxbaum
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Friedman Brain Institute and Mindisch Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bernie Devlin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Kathryn Roeder
- Department of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Ray and Stephanie Lane Center for Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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47
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Bemben MA, Shipman SL, Hirai T, Herring BE, Li Y, Badger JD, Nicoll RA, Diamond JS, Roche KW. CaMKII phosphorylation of neuroligin-1 regulates excitatory synapses. Nat Neurosci 2013; 17:56-64. [PMID: 24336150 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2013] [Accepted: 11/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Neuroligins are postsynaptic cell adhesion molecules that are important for synaptic function through their trans-synaptic interaction with neurexins (NRXNs). The localization and synaptic effects of neuroligin-1 (NL-1, also called NLGN1) are specific to excitatory synapses with the capacity to enhance excitatory synapses dependent on synaptic activity or Ca(2+)/calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII). Here we report that CaMKII robustly phosphorylates the intracellular domain of NL-1. We show that T739 is the dominant CaMKII site on NL-1 and is phosphorylated in response to synaptic activity in cultured rodent neurons and sensory experience in vivo. Furthermore, a phosphodeficient mutant (NL-1 T739A) reduces the basal and activity-driven surface expression of NL-1, leading to a reduction in neuroligin-mediated excitatory synaptic potentiation. To the best of our knowledge, our results are the first to demonstrate a direct functional interaction between CaMKII and NL-1, two primary components of excitatory synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Bemben
- 1] Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. [2] Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Seth L Shipman
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Takaaki Hirai
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Bruce E Herring
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Yan Li
- Protein/Peptide Sequencing Facility, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - John D Badger
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Roger A Nicoll
- 1] Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA. [2] Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Katherine W Roche
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Gokce O, Südhof TC. Membrane-tethered monomeric neurexin LNS-domain triggers synapse formation. J Neurosci 2013; 33:14617-28. [PMID: 24005312 PMCID: PMC3761060 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1232-13.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Revised: 07/10/2013] [Accepted: 08/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurexins are presynaptic cell-adhesion molecules that bind to postsynaptic cell-adhesion molecules such as neuroligins and leucine-rich repeat transmembrane proteins (LRRTMs). When neuroligins or LRRTMs are expressed in a nonneuronal cell, cocultured neurons avidly form heterologous synapses onto that cell. Here we show that knockdown of all neurexins in cultured hippocampal mouse neurons did not impair synapse formation between neurons, but blocked heterologous synapse formation induced by neuroligin-1 or LRRTM2. Rescue experiments demonstrated that all neurexins tested restored heterologous synapse formation in neurexin-deficient neurons. Neurexin-deficient neurons exhibited a decrease in the levels of the PDZ-domain protein CASK (a calcium/calmodulin-activated serine/threonine kinase), which binds to neurexins, and mutation of the PDZ-domain binding sequence of neurexin-3β blocked its transport to the neuronal surface and impaired heterologous synapse formation. However, replacement of the C-terminal neurexin sequence with an unrelated PDZ-domain binding sequence that does not bind to CASK fully restored surface transport and heterologous synapse formation in neurexin-deficient neurons, suggesting that no particular PDZ-domain protein is essential for neurexin surface transport or heterologous synapse formation. Further mutagenesis revealed, moreover, that the entire neurexin cytoplasmic tail was dispensable for heterologous synapse formation in neurexin-deficient neurons, as long as the neurexin protein was transported to the neuronal cell surface. Furthermore, the single LNS-domain (for laminin/neurexin/sex hormone-binding globulin-domain) of neurexin-1β or neurexin-3β, when tethered to the presynaptic plasma membrane by a glycosylinositolphosphate anchor, was sufficient for rescuing heterologous synapse formation in neurexin-deficient neurons. Our data suggest that neurexins mediate heterologous synapse formation via an extracellular interaction with presynaptic and postsynaptic ligands without the need for signal transduction by the neurexin cytoplasmic tail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozgun Gokce
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, California 94305-5453
| | - Thomas C. Südhof
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, California 94305-5453
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Bringas M, Carvajal-Flores F, López-Ramírez T, Atzori M, Flores G. Rearrangement of the dendritic morphology in limbic regions and altered exploratory behavior in a rat model of autism spectrum disorder. Neuroscience 2013; 241:170-87. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2012] [Revised: 02/25/2013] [Accepted: 03/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Bang ML, Owczarek S. A Matter of Balance: Role of Neurexin and Neuroligin at the Synapse. Neurochem Res 2013; 38:1174-89. [DOI: 10.1007/s11064-013-1029-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2012] [Revised: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 03/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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