Deletion of LRRTM1 and LRRTM2 in adult mice impairs basal AMPA receptor transmission and LTP in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons.

Leucine-rich repeat transmembrane (LRRTM) proteins are synaptic cell adhesion molecules that influence synapse formation and function. They are genetically associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, and via their synaptic actions likely regulate the establishment and function of neural circuits in the mammalian brain. Here, we take advantage of the generation of a LRRTM1 and LRRTM2 double conditional knockout mouse (LRRTM1,2 cKO) to examine the role of LRRTM1,2 at mature excitatory synapses in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. Genetic deletion of LRRTM1,2 in vivo in CA1 neurons using Cre recombinase-expressing lentiviruses dramatically impaired long-term potentiation (LTP), an impairment that was rescued by simultaneous expression of LRRTM2, but not LRRTM4. Mutation or deletion of the intracellular tail of LRRTM2 did not affect its ability to rescue LTP, while point mutations designed to impair its binding to presynaptic neurexins prevented rescue of LTP. In contrast to previous work using shRNA-mediated knockdown of LRRTM1,2, KO of these proteins at mature synapses also caused a decrease in AMPA receptor-mediated, but not NMDA receptor-mediated, synaptic transmission and had no detectable effect on presynaptic function. Imaging of recombinant photoactivatable AMPA receptor subunit GluA1 in the dendritic spines of cultured neurons revealed that it was less stable in the absence of LRRTM1,2. These results illustrate the advantages of conditional genetic deletion experiments for elucidating the function of endogenous synaptic proteins and suggest that LRRTM1,2 proteins help stabilize synaptic AMPA receptors at mature spines during basal synaptic transmission and LTP.

mGlu1 receptor-induced LTD of NMDA receptor transmission selectively at Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses mediates metaplasticity.

Hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons receive inputs from entorhinal cortex directly via the temporoammonic (TA) pathway and indirectly via the Schaffer collateral (SC) pathway from CA3. NMDARs at synapses of both pathways are critical for the induction of synaptic plasticity, information processing, and learning and memory. We now demonstrate that, in the rat hippocampus, activity-dependent mGlu1 receptor-mediated LTD (mGlu1-LTD) of NMDAR-mediated transmission (EPSC(NMDA)) at the SC-CA1 input prevents subsequent LTP of AMPAR-mediated transmission. In contrast, there was no activity-dependent mGlu1-LTD of EPSC(NMDA) at the TA-CA1 pathway, or effects on subsequent plasticity of AMPAR-mediated transmission. Therefore, the two major pathways delivering information to CA1 pyramidal neurons are subject to very different plasticity rules.

Vangl2 in the Dentate Network Modulates Pattern Separation and Pattern Completion.

The organization of spatial information, including pattern completion and pattern separation processes, relies on the hippocampal circuits, yet the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying these two processes are elusive. Here, we find that loss of Vangl2, a core PCP gene, results in opposite effects on pattern completion and pattern separation processes. Mechanistically, we show that Vangl2 loss maintains young postmitotic granule cells in an immature state, providing increased cellular input for pattern separation. The genetic ablation of Vangl2 disrupts granule cell morpho-functional maturation and further prevents CaMKII and GluA1 phosphorylation, disrupting the stabilization of AMPA receptors. As a functional consequence, LTP at lateral perforant path-GC synapses is impaired, leading to defects in pattern completion behavior. In conclusion, we show that Vangl2 exerts a bimodal regulation on young and mature GCs, and its disruption leads to an imbalance in hippocampus-dependent pattern completion and separation processes.