Central nervous system synapses undergo activity-dependent alterations to support learning and memory. Long-term depression (LTD) reflects a sustained reduction of the synaptic AMPA receptor content based on targeted clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Here we report a current-independent form of AMPA receptor signaling, fundamental for LTD. We found that AMPA receptors directly interact via the GluA2 subunit with the synaptic protein BRAG2, which functions as a guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for the coat-recruitment GTPase Arf6. BRAG2-mediated catalysis, controlled by ligand-binding and tyrosine phosphorylation of GluA2, activates Arf6 to internalize synaptic AMPA receptors upon LTD induction. Furthermore, acute blockade of the GluA2-BRAG2 interaction and targeted deletion of BRAG2 in mature hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons prevents LTD in CA3-to-CA1 cell synapses, irrespective of the induction pathway. We conclude that BRAG2-mediated Arf6 activation triggered by AMPA receptors is the convergent step of different forms of LTD, thus providing an essential mechanism for the control of vesicle formation by endocytic cargo.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2010.05.003 | DOI Listing |
PLoS Biol
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Brain Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is recognized as a pivotal cortical region involved in the perception of pain. The retrosplenial cortex (RSC), located posterior to the ACC, is known to play a significant role in navigation and memory processes. Although the projections from the RSC to the ACC have been found, the specifics of the synaptic connections and the functional implications of the RSC-ACC projections remain less understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Physiol
January 2025
Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Saints-Pères Paris Institute for the Neurosciences, Paris, France.
Fañanas cells (FCs) are cerebellar glia of unknown function. First described more than a century ago, they have been almost absent from the scientific literature ever since. Here, we combined whole-cell, patch clamp recordings, near-UV laser photolysis, dye-loading and confocal imaging for a first characterization of FCs in terms of their morphology, electrophysiology and glutamate-evoked currents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBehav Brain Res
January 2025
Laboratorio de Neurobiología, División de Biología Molecular, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (IPICYT), San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Electronic address:
Ketamine hydrochloride serves multiple purposes, including its use as a general anesthetic, treatment for depression, and recreational drug. In studies involving rodents, ketamine is utilized as a model for schizophrenia. However, it is unclear whether age affects the behavioral response induced by repeated ketamine administration and if it modifies the expression levels of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and purinergic receptors (P2X1, P2X4, P2X7).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Mol Neurobiol
January 2025
Laboratory of Neurobiology, Centro de Investigaciones Medico Sanitarias (CIMES), University of Malaga, Calle Marqués de Beccaria, 3, Campus Teatinos s/n, 29010, Malaga, Spain.
Tetrameric AMPA-type ionotropic glutamate receptors are primary transducers of fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system, and their properties and abundance at the synaptic surface are crucial determinants of synaptic efficacy in neuronal communication across the brain. The induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) leads to the insertion of GluA1-containing AMPA receptors at the synaptic surface, whereas during long-term depression (LTD), these receptors are internalized into the cytoplasm of the spine. Disruptions in the trafficking of AMPA receptors to and from the synaptic surface attenuate both forms of synaptic plasticity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Neurosci
January 2025
Department of Mathematics, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
The developing brain undergoes a remarkable process of synapse production and maturation, particularly in glutamatergic synapses. In this study, we focused on the locus coeruleus (LC) nucleus, a brain region crucial for cognitive functions, to investigate the developmental changes in glutamatergic synaptic connections. Using the whole-cell patch clamp method, we recorded evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) from LC neurons in rats at ages 7, 14, and 21 days.
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