Glutamate receptor subunit GluA1 is necessary for long-term potentiation and synapse unsilencing, but not long-term depression in mouse hippocampus.

Receptor subunit composition is believed to play a major role in the synaptic trafficking of AMPA receptors (AMPARs), and thus in activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. To isolate a physiological role of GluA1-containing AMPARs in area CA3 of the hippocampus, pair recordings were performed in organotypic hippocampal slices taken from genetically modified mice lacking the GluA1 subunit. We report here that long-term potentiation (LTP) is impaired not only at active but also at silent synapses when the GluA1 subunit is absent. The GluA1 knockout mice also exhibited reduced AMPAR-mediated evoked currents between pairs of CA3 pyramidal neurons under baseline conditions suggesting a significant role for GluA1-containing AMPARs in regulating basal synaptic transmission. In two independent measures, however, long-term depression (LTD) was unaffected in tissue from these mice. These data provide a further demonstration of the fundamental role that GluA1-containing AMPARs play in activity-dependent increases in synaptic strength but do not support a GluA1-dependent mechanism for reductions in synaptic strength.

Dynamin-dependent NMDAR endocytosis during LTD and its dependence on synaptic state.

BACKGROUND: The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptor expressed at excitatory glutamatergic synapses is required for learning and memory and is critical for normal brain function. At a cellular level, this receptor plays a pivotal role in triggering and controlling synaptic plasticity. While it has been long recognized that this receptor plays a regulatory role, it was considered by many to be itself immune to synaptic activity-induced plasticity. More recently, we and others have shown that NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic responses can be subject to activity-dependent depression. RESULTS: Here we show that depression of synaptic transmission mediated by NMDA receptors displays a state-dependence in its plasticity; NMDA receptors are resistant to activity-induced changes at silent and recently-silent synapses. Once synapses transition to the active state however, NMDA receptors become fully 'plastic'. This state-dependence is identical to that shown by the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptor. Furthermore, the down-regulation of NMDAR-mediated responses during synaptic depression is prevented by disruption of dynamin-dependent endocytosis. CONCLUSION: NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic responses are plastic in a state-dependent manner. Depending on the plasticity state in which a synapse currently resides, NMDA receptors will either be available or unavailable for down-regulation. The mechanism underlying the down-regulation of NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic responses is endocytosis of the NMDA receptor. Other potential mechanisms, such as receptor diffusion along the plane of the membrane, or changes in the activity of the channel are not supported. The mechanisms of AMPA receptor and NMDA receptor endocytosis appear to be tightly coupled, as both are either available or unavailable for endocytosis in the same synaptic states. Endocytosis of NMDA receptors would serve as a potent mechanism for metaplasticity. Such state-dependent regulation of NMDAR endocytosis will provide fundamental control over downstream NMDA receptor-dependent plasticity of neuronal circuitry.

A role for ERK MAP kinase in physiologic temporal integration in hippocampal area CA1.

Recent studies demonstrate a requirement for the Extracellular signal Regulated Kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade in both the induction of long-lasting forms of hippocampal synaptic plasticity and in hippocampus-dependent associative and spatial learning. In the present studies, we investigated mechanisms by which ERK might contribute to synaptic plasticity at Schaffer collateral synapses in hippocampal slices. We found that long-term potentiation (LTP) induced with a pair of 100-Hz tetani does not require ERK activation in mice whereas it does in rats. However, in mice, inhibition of ERK activation blocked LTP induced by two LTP induction paradigms that mimicked the endogenous theta rhythm. In an additional series of studies, we found that mice specifically deficient in the ERK1 isoform of MAPK showed no impairments in tests of hippocampal physiology. To investigate ERK-dependent mechanisms operating during LTP-inducing stimulation paradigms, we monitored spike production in the cell body layer of the hippocampus during the period of theta-like LTP-inducing stimulation. Theta-burst stimulation (TBS) produced a significant amount of postsynaptic spiking, and the likelihood of spike production increased progressively over the course of the three trains of TBS independent of any apparent increase in Excitatory Post-Synaptic Potential (EPSP) magnitude. Inhibition of ERK activation dampened this TBS-associated increase in spiking. These data indicate that, for specific patterns of stimulation, ERK may function in the regulation of neuronal excitability in hippocampal area CA1. Overall, our data indicate that the progressive increase in spiking observed during TBS represents a form of physiologic temporal integration that is dependent on ERK MAPK activity.

Protein kinase signal transduction cascades in mammalian associative conditioning.

One of the most intriguing and intensely studied questions facing contemporary neuroscientists involves the elucidation of the physiological mechanisms that underlie learning and memory. Recent advances have given us a much more detailed understanding of the signal transduction mechanisms subserving learning in the intact animal. One fact that has become clear is that activation of protein kinases and phosphorylation of their downstream effectors play a critical role. Four protein kinase cascades have garnered considerable attention in the study of information storage at both the synaptic and behavioral levels: Ca++/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (PKC), Ca++/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). This review will concentrate on studies of two behavioral tasks, conditioned fear and conditioned taste aversion, that provide evidence for the involvement of these kinase systems in associative learning. The authors will also examine a number of potential kinase substrates and how each could participate in the formation of long-term memories.

Long-term potentiation and contextual fear conditioning increase neuronal glutamate uptake.

Induction and expression of long-term potentiation (LTP) in area CA1 of the hippocampus require the coordinated regulation of several cellular processes. We found that LTP in area CA1 was associated with an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent increase in glutamate uptake. The increase in glutamate uptake was inhibited by either removal of Na+ or addition of D,L-threo-beta-hydroxyaspartate. Dihydrokainate (DHK), a specific inhibitor of the glial glutamate transporter GLT-1, did not block the increase in glutamate uptake. LTP was also associated with a translocation of the EAAC1 glutamate transporter from the cytosol to the plasma membrane. Contextual fear conditioning increased the maximum rate (Vmax) of glutamate uptake and membrane expression of EAAC1 in area CA1. These results indicate that regulation of glutamate uptake may be important for maintaining the level of synaptic strength during long-term changes in synaptic efficacy.