No abstract

Nonsynaptic clusters of postsynaptic proteins have been documented; however, their role remains elusive. We monitored the trafficking of several candidate proteins implicated in synaptogenesis, when nonsynaptic clusters of scaffold proteins are most abundant. We find a protein complex consisting of two populations that differ in their content, mobility, and involvement in synapse formation. One subpopulation is mobile and relies on actin transport for delivery to nascent and existing synapses. These mobile clusters contain the scaffolding proteins PSD-95, GKAP, and Shank. A proportion of mobile clusters that exhibits slow movement and travels short distances contains neuroligin-1. The second group consists of stationary nonsynaptic scaffold complexes that mainly contain neuroligin-1, can recruit synaptophysin-containing axonal transport vesicles, and are readily transformed to functional presynaptic contacts that recycle the vital dye FM 4-64. These results postulate a mechanism whereby preformed scaffold protein complexes serve as predetermined postsynaptic hotspots for establishment of new functional excitatory synapses.

Voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels (CaVs) represent the principal source of Ca(2+) ions that trigger evoked neurotransmitter release from presynaptic boutons. Ca(2+) influx is mediated mainly via CaV2.1 (P/Q-type) and CaV2.2 (N-type) channels, which differ in their properties. Their relative contribution to synaptic transmission changes during development and tunes neurotransmission during synaptic plasticity. The mechanism of differential recruitment of CaV2.1 and CaV2.2 to release sites is largely unknown. Here, we show that the presynaptic scaffolding protein Bassoon localizes specifically CaV2.1 to active zones via molecular interaction with the RIM-binding proteins (RBPs). A genetic deletion of Bassoon or an acute interference with Bassoon-RBP interaction reduces synaptic abundance of CaV2.1, weakens P/Q-type Ca(2+) current-driven synaptic transmission, and results in higher relative contribution of neurotransmission dependent on CaV2.2. These data establish Bassoon as a major regulator of the molecular composition of the presynaptic neurotransmitter release sites.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder caused by a combination of events impairing normal neuronal function. Here we found a molecular bridge between key elements of primary and secondary pathogenic events in AD, namely the elements of the amyloid cascade and synaptic dysfunction associated with the glutamatergic system. In fact, we report that synapse-associated protein-97 (SAP97), a protein involved in dynamic trafficking of proteins to the excitatory synapse, is responsible for driving ADAM10 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10, the most accredited candidate for ␣-secretase) to the postsynaptic membrane, by a direct interaction through its Src homology 3 domain. NMDA receptor activation mediates this event and positively modulates ␣-secretase activity. Furthermore, perturbing ADAM10/SAP97 association in vivo by cell-permeable peptides impairs ADAM10 localization in postsynaptic membranes and consequently decreases the physiological amyloid precursor protein (APP) metabolism. Our findings indicate that glutamatergic synapse activation through NMDA receptor promotes the non-amyloidogenic APP cleavage, strengthening the correlation between APP metabolism and synaptic plasticity.

Bassoon and the related protein Piccolo are core components of the presynaptic cytomatrix at the active zone of neurotransmitter release. They are transported on Golgi-derived membranous organelles, called Piccolo-Bassoon transport vesicles (PTVs), from the neuronal soma to distal axonal locations, where they participate in assembling new synapses. Despite their net anterograde transport, PTVs move in both directions within the axon. How PTVs are linked to retrograde motors and the functional significance of their bidirectional transport are unclear. In this study, we report the direct interaction of Bassoon with dynein light chains (DLCs) DLC1 and DLC2, which potentially link PTVs to dynein and myosin V motor complexes. We demonstrate that Bassoon functions as a cargo adapter for retrograde transport and that disruption of the Bassoon–DLC interactions leads to impaired trafficking of Bassoon in neurons and affects the distribution of Bassoon and Piccolo among synapses. These findings reveal a novel function for Bassoon in trafficking and synaptic delivery of active zone material.

No abstract

Following long-term treatment with bicuculline and tetrodotoxin (TTX) aimed at modifying synaptic activity in cultured neurons, we used a proteomic approach to identify the associated changes in protein expression. The neurons were left untreated, or treated with bicuculline or TTX, and fractionated by means of differential detergent extraction, after which the proteins in each fraction were separated by means of two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis, and 57 proteins of interest were identified by mass spectrometry. The proteins that showed altered expression and/or post-translational modifications include proteins or enzymes involved in regulating cell and protein metabolism, the cytoskeleton, or mitochondrial activity. These results suggest that extensive alterations in neuronal protein expression take place as a result of increased or decreased synaptic activity.

Mice mutant for the presynaptic protein Bassoon develop epileptic seizures and an altered pattern of neuronal activity that is accompanied by abnormal enlargement of several brain structures, with the strongest size increase in hippocampus and cortex. Using manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, an abnormal brain enlargement was found, which is first detected in the hippocampus 1 month after birth and amounts to an almost 40% size increase of this structure after 3 months. Stereological quantification of cell numbers revealed that enlargement of the dentate gyrus and the hippocampus proper is associated with larger numbers of principal neurons and of astrocytes. In search for the underlying mechanisms, an approximately 3-fold higher proportion of proliferation and survival of new-born cells in the dentate gyrus was found to go hand in hand with similarly larger numbers of doublecortin-positive cells and reduced numbers of apoptotic cells in the dentate gyrus and the hippocampus proper. Enlargement of the hippocampus and of other forebrain structures was accompanied by increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These data show that hippocampal overgrowth in Bassoon-mutant mice arises from a dysregulation of neurogenesis and apoptosis that might be associated with unbalanced BDNF levels.