Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the transcriptional repressor methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) and represents the leading genetic cause for mental retardation in girls. MeCP2-mutant mice have been generated to study the molecular mechanisms of the disease. It was suggested that an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission is responsible for the behavioral abnormalities, although it remained largely unclear which synaptic components are affected and how cellular impairments relate to the time course of the disease. Here, we report that MeCP2 KO mice present an imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory synaptic transmission in the ventrolateral medulla already at postnatal day 7. Focusing on the inhibitory synaptic transmission we show that GABAergic, but not glycinergic, synaptic transmission is strongly depressed in MeCP2 KO mice. These alterations are presumably due to both decreased presynaptic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release with reduced levels of the vesicular inhibitory transmitter transporter and reduced levels of postsynaptic GABA(A)-receptor subunits alpha2 and alpha4. Our data indicate that in the MeCP2 -/y mice specific synaptic molecules and signaling pathways are impaired in the brain stem during early postnatal development. These observations mandate the search for more refined diagnostic tools and may provide a rationale for the timing of future therapeutic interventions in Rett patients.

Transplantation of GABAergic interneurons (INs) can provide long-term functional benefits in animal models of epilepsy and other neurological disorders. Whereas GABAergic INs can be differentiated from embryonic stem cells, alternative sources of GABAergic INs may be more tractable for disease modeling and transplantation. We identified five factors (Foxg1, Sox2, Ascl1, Dlx5, and Lhx6) that convert mouse fibroblasts into induced GABAergic INs (iGABA-INs) possessing molecular signatures of telencephalic INs. Factor overexpression activates transcriptional networks required for GABAergic fate specification. iGABA-INs display progressively maturing firing patterns comparable to cortical INs, form functional synapses, and release GABA. Importantly, iGABA-INs survive and mature upon being grafted into mouse hippocampus. Optogenetic stimulation demonstrated functional integration of grafted iGABA-INs into host circuitry, triggering inhibition of host granule neuron activity. These five factors also converted human cells into functional GABAergic INs. These properties suggest that iGABA-INs have potential for disease modeling and cell-based therapeutic approaches to neurological disorders.

The common neurotransmitter serotonin controls different aspects of early neuronal differentiation, although the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we report that activation of the serotonin 5-HT 7 receptor promotes synaptogenesis and enhances synaptic activity in hippocampal neurons at early postnatal stages. An analysis of G␣ 12 -deficient mice reveals a critical role of G 12 -protein for 5-HT 7 receptor-mediated effects in neurons. In organotypic preparations from the hippocampus of juvenile mice, stimulation of 5-HT 7 R/G 12 signaling potentiates formation of dendritic spines, increases neuronal excitability, and modulates synaptic plasticity. In contrast, in older neuronal preparations, morphogenetic and synaptogenic effects of 5-HT 7 /G 12 signaling are abolished. Moreover, inhibition of 5-HT 7 receptor had no effect on synaptic plasticity in hippocampus of adult animals. Expression analysis reveals that the production of 5-HT 7 and G␣ 12 -proteins in the hippocampus undergoes strong regulation with a pronounced transient increase during early postnatal stages. Thus, regulated expression of 5-HT 7 receptor and G␣ 12 -protein may represent a molecular mechanism by which serotonin specifically modulates formation of initial neuronal networks during early postnatal development.

BackgroundErythropoietin (EPO) improves cognition of human subjects in the clinical setting by as yet unknown mechanisms. We developed a mouse model of robust cognitive improvement by EPO to obtain the first clues of how EPO influences cognition, and how it may act on hippocampal neurons to modulate plasticity.ResultsWe show here that a 3-week treatment of young mice with EPO enhances long-term potentiation (LTP), a cellular correlate of learning processes in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. This treatment concomitantly alters short-term synaptic plasticity and synaptic transmission, shifting the balance of excitatory and inhibitory activity. These effects are accompanied by an improvement of hippocampus dependent memory, persisting for 3 weeks after termination of EPO injections, and are independent of changes in hematocrit. Networks of EPO-treated primary hippocampal neurons develop lower overall spiking activity but enhanced bursting in discrete neuronal assemblies. At the level of developing single neurons, EPO treatment reduces the typical increase in excitatory synaptic transmission without changing the number of synaptic boutons, consistent with prolonged functional silencing of synapses.ConclusionWe conclude that EPO improves hippocampus dependent memory by modulating plasticity, synaptic connectivity and activity of memory-related neuronal networks. These mechanisms of action of EPO have to be further exploited for treating neuropsychiatric diseases.

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The development of neuronal networks in the brain requires the differentiation of functional synapses. Neurobeachin (Nbea) was identified as a putative regulator of membrane protein trafficking associated with tubulovesicular endomembranes and postsynaptic plasma membranes. Nbea is essential for evoked transmission at neuromuscular junctions, but its role in the central nervous system has not been characterized. Here, we have studied central synapses of a newly generated gene-trap knockout (KO) mouse line at embryonic day 18, because null-mutant mice are paralysed and die perinatally. Although the overall brain architecture was normal, we identified major abnormalities of synaptic function in mutant animals. In acute slices from the brainstem, both spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents were clearly reduced and failure rates of evoked inhibitory responses were markedly increased. In addition, the frequency of miniature excitatory and both the frequency and amplitudes of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents were severely diminished in KO mice, indicating a perturbation of both action potential-dependent and -independent transmitter release. Moreover, Nbea appears to be important for the formation and composition of central synapses because the area density of mature asymmetric contacts in the fetal brainstem was reduced to 30% of wild-type levels, and the expression levels of a subset of synaptic marker proteins were smaller than in littermate controls. Our data demonstrate for the first time a function of Nbea at central synapses that may be based on its presumed role in targeting membrane proteins to synaptic contacts, and are consistent with the 'excitatory-inhibitory imbalance' model of autism where Nbea gene rearrangements have been detected in some patients.

Direct lineage reprogramming through genetic-based strategies enables the conversion of differentiated somatic cells into functional neurons and distinct neuronal subtypes. Induced dopaminergic (iDA) neurons can be generated by direct conversion of skin fibroblasts; however, their in vivo phenotypic and functional properties remain incompletely understood, leaving their impact on Parkinson's disease (PD) cell therapy and modeling uncertain. Here, we determined that iDA neurons retain a transgene-independent stable phenotype in culture and in animal models. Furthermore, transplanted iDA neurons functionally integrated into host neuronal tissue, exhibiting electrically excitable membranes, synaptic currents, dopamine release, and substantial reduction of motor symptoms in a PD animal model. Neuronal cell replacement approaches will benefit from a system that allows the activity of transplanted neurons to be controlled remotely and enables modulation depending on the physiological needs of the recipient; therefore, we adapted a DREADD (designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug) technology for remote and real-time control of grafted iDA neuronal activity in living animals. Remote DREADD-dependent iDA neuron activation markedly enhanced the beneficial effects in transplanted PD animals. These data suggest that iDA neurons have therapeutic potential as a cell replacement approach for PD and highlight the applicability of pharmacogenetics for enhancing cellular signaling in reprogrammed cell-based approaches.

In the central nervous system, most synapses show a fast mode of neurotransmitter release known as synchronous release followed by a phase of asynchronous release, which extends over tens of milliseconds to seconds. Synapsin II (SYN2) is a member of the multigene synapsin family (SYN1/2/3) of synaptic vesicle phosphoproteins that modulate synaptic transmission and plasticity, and are mutated in epileptic patients. Here we report that inhibitory synapses of the dentate gyrus of Syn II knockout mice display an upregulation of synchronous neurotransmitter release and a concomitant loss of delayed asynchronous release. Syn II promotes γ-aminobutyric acid asynchronous release in a Ca2+-dependent manner by a functional interaction with presynaptic Ca2+ channels, revealing a new role in synaptic transmission for synapsins.