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Forte N, Nicois A, Marfella B, Mavaro I, D'Angelo L, Piscitelli F, Scandurra A, De Girolamo P, Baldelli P, Benfenati F, Di Marzo V, Cristino L. Early endocannabinoid-mediated depolarization-induced suppression of excitation delays the appearance of the epileptic phenotype in synapsin II knockout mice. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:37. [PMID: 38214769 PMCID: PMC11072294 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-05029-7] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
The mechanism underlying the transition from the pre-symptomatic to the symptomatic state is a crucial aspect of epileptogenesis. SYN2 is a member of a multigene family of synaptic vesicle phosphoproteins playing a fundamental role in controlling neurotransmitter release. Human SYN2 gene mutations are associated with epilepsy and autism spectrum disorder. Mice knocked out for synapsin II (SynII KO) are prone to epileptic seizures that appear after 2 months of age. However, the involvement of the endocannabinoid system, known to regulate seizure development and propagation, in the modulation of the excitatory/inhibitory balance in the epileptic hippocampal network of SynII KO mice has not been explored. In this study, we investigated the impact of endocannabinoids on glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses at hippocampal dentate gyrus granule cells in young pre-symptomatic (1-2 months old) and adult symptomatic (5-8 months old) SynII KO mice. We observed an increase in endocannabinoid-mediated depolarization-induced suppression of excitation in young SynII KO mice, compared to age-matched wild-type controls. In contrast, the endocannabinoid-mediated depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition remained unchanged in SynII KO mice at both ages. This selective alteration of excitatory synaptic transmission was accompanied by changes in hippocampal endocannabinoid levels and cannabinoid receptor type 1 distribution among glutamatergic and GABAergic synaptic terminals contacting the granule cells of the dentate gyrus. Finally, inhibition of type-1 cannabinoid receptors in young pre-symptomatic SynII KO mice induced seizures during a tail suspension test. Our results suggest that endocannabinoids contribute to maintaining network stability in a genetic mouse model of human epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Forte
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy
| | - Alessandro Nicois
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy
| | - Brenda Marfella
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy
| | - Isabella Mavaro
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy
| | - Livia D'Angelo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Fabiana Piscitelli
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy
| | - Anna Scandurra
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Paolo De Girolamo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Pietro Baldelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Fabio Benfenati
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Di Marzo
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy.
- Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Canada Excellence Research Chair on the Microbiome-Endocannabinoidome Axis in Metabolic Health, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
- Heart and Lung Research Institute of Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
- Institute for Nutrition and Functional Foods, Centre NUTRISS, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
| | - Luigia Cristino
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy.
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