Synaptic adhesion molecules are thought to play a critical role in the formation, function and plasticity of neuronal networks. Neuroligins (NL1-4) are a family of presumptive postsynaptic cell adhesion molecules. NL1 and NL2 isoforms are concentrated at glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses, respectively, but the cellular expression and synaptic localization of the endogenous NL3 and NL4 isoforms are unknown. We generated a panel of NL isoform-specific antibodies and examined the expression, developmental regulation and synaptic specificity of NL3. We found that NL3 was enriched in brain, where NL3 protein levels increased during postnatal development, coinciding with the peak of synaptogenesis. Subcellular fractionation revealed a concentration of NL3 in synaptic plasma membranes and postsynaptic densities. In cultured hippocampal neurons, endogenous NL3 was highly expressed and was localized at both glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. Clustering of NL3 in hippocampal neurons by neurexin-expressing cells resulted in coaggregation of NL3 with glutamatergic and GABAergic scaffolding proteins. Finally, individual synapses contained colocalized NL2 and NL3 proteins, and coimmunoprecipitation studies revealed the presence of NL1-NL3 and NL2-NL3 complexes in brain extracts. These findings suggest that rodent NL3 is a synaptic adhesion molecule that is a shared component of glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05842.x | DOI Listing |
Netw Neurosci
December 2024
Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Striatum, the input stage of the basal ganglia, is important for sensory-motor integration, initiation and selection of behavior, as well as reward learning. Striatum receives glutamatergic inputs from mainly cortex and thalamus. In rodents, the striatal projection neurons (SPNs), giving rise to the direct and the indirect pathway (dSPNs and iSPNs, respectively), account for 95% of the neurons, and the remaining 5% are GABAergic and cholinergic interneurons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommun Biol
December 2024
Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
Dexmedetomidine (DexM), a highly selective α-adrenoceptor agonist, significantly reduces postoperative adverse effects, including sleep and circadian rhythm disruptions. Vasoactive intestinal peptide neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) regulate the synchronization of circadian rhythms with the external environment in mammals. We investigate the effects of DexM on sleep and circadian rhythms, as well as the underlying mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Mol Neurosci
December 2024
Laboratory of Veterinary Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
The accumulation of a disease-specific isoform of prion protein (PrP) and histopathological lesions, such as neuronal loss, are unevenly distributed in the brains of humans and animals affected with prion diseases. This distribution varies depending on the diseases and/or the combinations of prion strain and experimental animal. The brain region-dependent distribution of PrP and neuropathological lesions suggests a neuronal cell-type-dependent prion propagation and vulnerability to prion infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Psychiatry
December 2024
Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA; Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA. Electronic address:
Background: Identifying neurobiological targets predictive of the molecular neuropathophysiological signature of human opioid use disorder (OUD) could expedite new treatments. OUD is characterized by dysregulated cognition and goal-directed behavior mediated by the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and next-generation sequencing could provide insights regarding novel targets.
Methods: Here, we used machine learning to evaluate human post-mortem OFC RNA-sequencing datasets from heroin-users and controls to identify transcripts predictive of heroin use.
Hippocampus
January 2025
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychology, Neuroscience & Physiology, and Psychiatry and the Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA.
For many years, the hilus of the dentate gyrus (DG) was a mystery because anatomical data suggested a bewildering array of cells without clear organization. Moreover, some of the anatomical information led to more questions than answers. For example, it had been identified that one of the major cell types in the hilus, the mossy cell, innervates granule cells (GCs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!