Variable timing of synaptic transmission in cerebellar unipolar brush cells.

The cerebellum ensures the smooth execution of movements, a task that requires accurate neural signaling on multiple time scales. Computational models of cerebellar timing mechanisms have suggested that temporal information in cerebellum-dependent behavioral tasks is in part computed locally in the cerebellar cortex. These models rely on the local generation of delayed signals spanning hundreds of milliseconds, yet the underlying neural mechanism remains elusive. Here we show that a granular layer interneuron, called the unipolar brush cell, is well suited to represent time intervals in a robust way in the cerebellar cortex. Unipolar brush cells exhibited delayed increases in excitatory synaptic input in response to presynaptic stimulation in mouse cerebellar slices. Depending on the frequency of stimulation, delays extended from zero up to hundreds of milliseconds. Such controllable protraction of delayed currents was the result of an unusual mode of synaptic integration, which was well described by a model of steady-state AMPA receptor activation. This functionality extends the capabilities of the cerebellum for adaptive control of behavior by facilitating appropriate output in a broad temporal window.

Forward signaling by unipolar brush cells in the mouse cerebellum.

Unipolar brush cells (UBCs) are glutamatergic interneurons prominently present in the granular layer of the vestibulocerebellum. UBCs engage in extensive synaptic contact with a single presynaptic mossy fiber and signal to downstream granule cells through an elaborate network of mossy fiber-like axons. Ultrastructural examinations and electrophysiological recordings in organotypic slice cultures have indicated that UBCs target not only granule cells but also other UBCs, thus forming chains of two or perhaps more interconnected UBCs. In this report, we show recordings of spontaneous and evoked (di)synaptic events in granule cells and UBCs in fresh cerebellar slices from juvenile mice (5-7 weeks). The patterns of arrival of synaptic events were consistent with the presence of a presynaptic UBC, and recordings from UBCs displayed spontaneous protracted synaptic events characteristic of UBC excitatory synaptic transmission. These results highlight that chains of UBCs could further extend the temporal range of delayed and protracted signaling in the cerebellar cortical network.

Cerebellar ataxia by enhanced Ca(V)2.1 currents is alleviated by Ca2+-dependent K+-channel activators in Cacna1a(S218L) mutant mice.

Mutations in the CACNA1A gene are associated with neurological disorders, such as ataxia, hemiplegic migraine, and epilepsy. These mutations affect the pore-forming α(1A)-subunit of Ca(V)2.1 channels and thereby either decrease or increase neuronal Ca(2+) influx. A decreased Ca(V)2.1-mediated Ca(2+) influx has been shown to reduce the regularity of cerebellar Purkinje cell activity and to induce episodic cerebellar ataxia. However, little is known about how ataxia can be caused by CACNA1A mutations that increase the Ca(2+) influx, such as the S218L missense mutation. Here, we demonstrate that the S218L mutation causes a negative shift of voltage dependence of Ca(V)2.1 channels of mouse Purkinje cells and results in lowered thresholds for somatic action potentials and dendritic Ca(2+) spikes and in disrupted firing patterns. The hyperexcitability of Cacna1a(S218L) Purkinje cells was counteracted by application of the activators of Ca(2+)-dependent K(+) channels, 1-EBIO and chlorzoxazone (CHZ). Moreover, 1-EBIO also alleviated the irregularity of Purkinje cell firing both in vitro and in vivo, while CHZ improved the irregularity of Purkinje cell firing in vitro as well as the motor performance of Cacna1a(S218L) mutant mice. The current data suggest that abnormalities in Purkinje cell firing contributes to cerebellar ataxia induced by the S218L mutation and they advocate a general therapeutic approach in that targeting Ca(2+)-dependent K(+) channels may be beneficial for treating ataxia not only in patients suffering from a decreased Ca(2+) influx, but also in those suffering from an increased Ca(2+) influx in their Purkinje cells.

Tether forces in DNA electrophoresis.

This tutorial review introduces the concepts necessary for understanding the generation of forces on charged objects in solution by externally applied electric fields. We focus on simple, idealized cases and conceptual understanding rather than quantitative modeling. We also discuss experiments in which electrophoretic forces on DNA were directly measured. This review is aimed at readers interested in the fundamentals of electrophoresis in general, as well as those with more specific interests in DNA electrophoresis, nanopores and optical tweezers.

Conformational dynamics of auto-inhibition in the ER calcium sensor STIM1.

The dimeric ER Ca2+ sensor STIM1 controls store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) through the regulated binding of its CRAC activation domain (CAD) to Orai channels in the plasma membrane. In resting cells, the STIM1 CC1 domain interacts with CAD to suppress SOCE, but the structural basis of this interaction is unclear. Using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) and protein crosslinking approaches, we show that CC1 interacts dynamically with CAD in a domain-swapped configuration with an orientation predicted to sequester its Orai-binding region adjacent to the ER membrane. Following ER Ca2+ depletion and release from CAD, cysteine crosslinking indicates that the two CC1 domains become closely paired along their entire length in the active Orai-bound state. These findings provide a structural basis for the dual roles of CC1: sequestering CAD to suppress SOCE in resting cells and propelling it toward the plasma membrane to activate Orai and SOCE after store depletion.

Electrophoretic force on a protein-coated DNA molecule in a solid-state nanopore.

Using solid-state nanopores with optical tweezers, we perform force spectroscopy on DNA molecules that are coated with RecA proteins. We observe that the electrophoretic force is 2-4 times larger for RecA-DNA filaments than for uncoated DNA molecules and that this force increases at lower salt concentrations. The data demonstrate the efficacy of solid-state nanopores for locally probing the forces on DNA-bound proteins. Our results are described quantitatively by a model that treats the electrophoretic and hydrodynamic forces. The conductance steps that occur when RecA-DNA enters the nanopore change from conductance decreases at high salt to conductance increases at low salt, which allows the apparent charge of the RecA-DNA filament to be extracted. The combination of conductance measurements with local force spectroscopy increases the potential for future solid-state nanopore screening devices.

Synaptic inhibition of Purkinje cells mediates consolidation of vestibulo-cerebellar motor learning.

Although feedforward inhibition onto Purkinje cells was first documented 40 years ago, we understand little of how inhibitory interneurons contribute to cerebellar function in behaving animals. Using a mouse line (PC-Deltagamma2) in which GABA(A) receptor-mediated synaptic inhibition is selectively removed from Purkinje cells, we examined how feedforward inhibition from molecular layer interneurons regulates adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex. Although impairment of baseline motor performance was relatively mild, the ability to adapt the phase of the vestibulo-ocular reflex and to consolidate gain adaptations was strongly compromised. Purkinje cells showed abnormal patterns of simple spikes, both during and in the absence of evoked compensatory eye movements. On the basis of modeling our experimental data, we propose that feedforward inhibition, by controlling the fine-scale patterns of Purkinje cell activity, enables the induction of plasticity in neurons of the cerebellar and vestibular nuclei.

Role of olivary electrical coupling in cerebellar motor learning.

The level of electrotonic coupling in the inferior olive is extremely high, but its functional role in cerebellar motor control remains elusive. Here, we subjected mice that lack olivary coupling to paradigms that require learning-dependent timing. Cx36-deficient mice showed impaired timing of both locomotion and eye-blink responses that were conditioned to a tone. The latencies of their olivary spike activities in response to the unconditioned stimulus were significantly more variable than those in wild-types. Whole-cell recordings of olivary neurons in vivo showed that these differences in spike timing result at least in part from altered interactions with their subthreshold oscillations. These results, combined with analyses of olivary activities in computer simulations at both the cellular and systems level, suggest that electrotonic coupling among olivary neurons by gap junctions is essential for proper timing of their action potentials and thereby for learning-dependent timing in cerebellar motor control.