Optogenetic Control of Synaptic Composition and Function.
Neuron
; 93(3): 646-660.e5, 2017 Feb 08.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28132827
ABSTRACT
The molecular composition of the postsynaptic membrane is sculpted by synaptic activity. During synaptic plasticity at excitatory synapses, numerous structural, signaling, and receptor molecules concentrate at the postsynaptic density (PSD) to regulate synaptic strength. We developed an approach that uses light to tune the abundance of specific molecules in the PSD. We used this approach to investigate the relationship between the number of AMPA-type glutamate receptors in the PSD and synaptic strength. Surprisingly, adding more AMPA receptors to excitatory contacts had little effect on synaptic strength. Instead, we observed increased excitatory input through the apparent addition of new functional sites. Our data support a model where adding AMPA receptors is sufficient to activate synapses that had few receptors to begin with, but that additional remodeling events are required to strengthen established synapses. More broadly, this approach introduces the precise spatiotemporal control of optogenetics to the molecular control of synaptic function.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Synapses
/
Synaptic Membranes
/
Receptors, AMPA
/
Post-Synaptic Density
/
Optogenetics
/
Neuronal Plasticity
/
Neurons
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Neuron
Journal subject:
NEUROLOGIA
Year:
2017
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States