scholarly journals Autism-linked mutations of CTTNBP2 reduce social interaction and impair dendritic spine formation via diverse mechanisms

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pu-Yun Shih ◽  
Bing-Yuan Hsieh ◽  
Ching-Yen Tsai ◽  
Chiu-An Lo ◽  
Brian E. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Dendritic Spine ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Synaptic Function ◽  
Synaptic Proteins ◽  
Spine Density ◽  
Spine Formation ◽  
Molecular Features

Abstract Abnormal synaptic formation and signaling is one of the key molecular features of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Cortactin binding protein 2 (CTTNBP2), an ASD-linked gene, is known to regulate the subcellular distribution of synaptic proteins, such as cortactin, thereby controlling dendritic spine formation and maintenance. However, it remains unclear how ASD-linked mutations of CTTNBP2 influence its function. Here, using cultured hippocampal neurons and knockin mouse models, we screen seven ASD-linked mutations in the short form of the Cttnbp2 gene and identify that M120I, R533* and D570Y mutations impair CTTNBP2 protein–protein interactions via divergent mechanisms to reduce dendritic spine density in neurons. R533* mutation impairs CTTNBP2 interaction with cortactin due to lack of the C-terminal proline-rich domain. Through an N–C terminal interaction, M120I mutation at the N-terminal region of CTTNBP2 also negatively influences cortactin interaction. D570Y mutation increases the association of CTTNBP2 with microtubule, resulting in a dendritic localization of CTTNBP2, consequently reducing the distribution of CTTNBP2 in dendritic spines and impairing the synaptic function of CTTNBP2. Finally, we generated heterozygous M120I knockin mice to mimic the genetic variation of patients and found they exhibit reduced social interaction. Our study elucidates that different ASD-linked mutations of CTTNBP2 result in diverse molecular deficits, but all have the similar consequence of synaptic impairment.

scholarly journals Rac GEF Dock4 interacts with cortactin to regulate dendritic spine formation

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 1602-1613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuhei Ueda ◽  
Manabu Negishi ◽  
Hironori Katoh
Keyword(s):  
Dendritic Spine ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Neuronal Development ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Spine Density ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Spine Formation ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factor ◽  
Important Interaction

In neuronal development, dendritic spine formation is important for the establishment of excitatory synaptic connectivity and functional neural circuits. Developmental deficiency in spine formation results in multiple neuropsychiatric disorders. Dock4, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Rac, has been reported as a candidate genetic risk factor for autism, dyslexia, and schizophrenia. We previously showed that Dock4 is expressed in hippocampal neurons. However, the functions of Dock4 in hippocampal neurons and the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we show that Dock4 is highly concentrated in dendritic spines and implicated in spine formation via interaction with the actin-binding protein cortactin. In cultured neurons, short hairpin RNA (shRNA)–mediated knockdown of Dock4 reduces dendritic spine density, which is rescued by coexpression of shRNA-resistant wild-type Dock4 but not by a GEF-deficient mutant of Dock4 or a truncated mutant lacking the cortactin-binding region. On the other hand, knockdown of cortactin suppresses Dock4-mediated spine formation. Taken together, the results show a novel and functionally important interaction between Dock4 and cortactin for regulating dendritic spine formation via activation of Rac.

scholarly journals Autism-Associated Chromatin Regulator Brg1/SmarcA4 is Required for Synapse Development and MEF2-mediated Synapse Remodeling

2015 ◽  
pp. MCB.00534-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zilai Zhang ◽  
Mou Cao ◽  
Chia-Wei Chang ◽  
Cindy Wang ◽  
Xuanming Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dendritic Spine ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Synapse Development ◽  
Spine Density ◽  
Synapse Elimination ◽  
Specific Subset

Synapse development requires normal neuronal activities and the precise expression of synapse-related genes. Dysregulation of synaptic genes results in neurological diseases such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Mutations in genes encoding chromatin remodeling factor Brg1/SmarcA4 and its associated proteins are the genetic causes of several developmental diseases with neurological defects and autistic symptoms. Recent large-scale genomic studies predictedBrg1/SmarcA4as one of the key nodes of the ASD gene network. We report thatBrg1deletion in early postnatal hippocampal neurons led to reduced dendritic spine density and maturation and impaired synapse activities. In developing mice, neuronalBrg1deletion caused severe neurological defects. Gene expression analyses indicated that Brg1 regulates a significant number of genes known to be involved in synapse function and implicated in ASD. We found that Brg1 is required for dendritic spine/synapse elimination mediated by the ASD-associated transcription factor MEF2 and that Brg1 regulates the activity-induced expression of a specific subset of genes that overlap significantly with the targets of MEF2. Our analyses showed that Brg1 interacts with MEF2 and that MEF2 is required for Brg1 recruitment to target genes in response to neuron activation. Thus, Brg1 plays important roles both in synapse development/maturation and in MEF2-mediated synapse remodeling. Our study reveals specific functions of the epigenetic regulator Brg1 in synapse development and provides insights into its role in neurological diseases such as ASD.

scholarly journals TheGαoActivator Mastoparan-7 Promotes Dendritic Spine Formation in Hippocampal Neurons

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie T. Ramírez ◽  
Eva Ramos-Fernández ◽  
Nibaldo C. Inestrosa
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Dendritic Spine ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Head Width ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Spine Density ◽  
Dendritic Spine Density

Mastoparan-7 (Mas-7), an analogue of the peptide mastoparan, which is derived from wasp venom, is a direct activator ofPertussis toxin-(PTX-) sensitive G proteins. Mas-7 produces several biological effects in different cell types; however, little is known about how Mas-7 influences mature hippocampal neurons. We examined the specific role of Mas-7 in the development of dendritic spines, the sites of excitatory synaptic contact that are crucial for synaptic plasticity. We report here that exposure of hippocampal neurons to a low dose of Mas-7 increases dendritic spine density and spine head width in a time-dependent manner. Additionally, Mas-7 enhances postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) clustering in neurites and activatesGαosignaling, increasing the intracellular Ca2+concentration. To define the role of signaling intermediates, we measured the levels of phosphorylated protein kinase C (PKC), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and calcium-calmodulin dependent protein kinase IIα(CaMKIIα) after Mas-7 treatment and determined that CaMKII activation is necessary for the Mas-7-dependent increase in dendritic spine density. Our results demonstrate a critical role forGαosubunit signaling in the regulation of synapse formation.

scholarly journals The Polyadenosine RNA Binding Protein ZC3H14 is Required in Mice for Proper Dendritic Spine Density

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie K. Jones ◽  
Jennifer Rha ◽  
Sarah Kim ◽  
Kevin J. Morris ◽  
Omotola F. Omotade ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dendritic Spine ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Rna Binding Protein ◽  
Spine Density ◽  
Dendritic Spine Density

AbstractZC3H14 (Zinc finger CysCysCysHis domain-containing protein 14), an evolutionarily conserved member of a class of tandem zinc finger (CCCH) polyadenosine (polyA) RNA binding proteins, is associated with a form of heritable, nonsyndromic autosomal recessive intellectual disability. Previous studies of a loss of function mouse model, Zc3h14Δex13/Δex13, provide evidence that ZC3H14 is essential for proper brain function, specifically for working memory. To expand on these findings, we analyzed the dendrites and dendritic spines of hippocampal neurons from Zc3h14Δex13/Δex13 mice, both in situ and in vitro. These studies reveal that loss of ZC3H14 is associated with a decrease in total spine density in hippocampal neurons in vitro as well as in the dentate gyrus of 5-month old mice analyzed in situ. This reduction in spine density in vitro results from a decrease in the number of mushroom-shaped spines, which is rescued by exogenous expression of ZC3H14. We next performed biochemical analyses of synaptosomes prepared from whole wild-type and Zc3h14Δex13/Δex13 mouse brains to determine if there are changes in steady state levels of postsynaptic proteins upon loss of ZC3H14. We found that ZC3H14 is present within synaptosomes and that a crucial postsynaptic protein, CaMKIIα, is significantly increased in these synaptosomal fractions upon loss of ZC3H14. Together, these results demonstrate that ZC3H14 is necessary for proper dendritic spine density in cultured hippocampal neurons and in some regions of the mouse brain. These findings provide insight into how a ubiquitously expressed RNA binding protein leads to neuronal-specific defects that result in brain dysfunction.

scholarly journals Light induced synaptic vesicle autophagy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Hoffmann ◽  
Marta Orlando ◽  
Ewa Andrzejak ◽  
Thorsten Trimbuch ◽  
Christian Rosenmund ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Synaptic Function ◽  
Synaptic Proteins ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Local Damage ◽  
Glutamatergic Synapses ◽  
Presynaptic Boutons ◽  
Presynaptic Proteins

AbstractThe regulated turnover of synaptic vesicle (SV) proteins is thought to involve the ubiquitin dependent tagging and degradation through endo-lysosomal and autophagy pathways. Yet, it remains unclear which of these pathways are used, when they become activated and whether SVs are cleared en-mass together with SV proteins or whether both are degraded selectively. Equally puzzling is how quickly these systems can be activated and whether they function in real time to support synaptic health. To address these questions, we have developed an imaging based system that simultaneously tags presynaptic proteins while monitoring autophagy. Moreover, by tagging SV proteins with a light activated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generator, Supernova, it was possible to temporally control the damage to specific SV proteins and assess their consequence to autophagy mediated clearance mechanisms and synaptic function. Our results show that, in mouse hippocampal neurons, presynaptic autophagy can be induced in as little as 5-10 minutes and eliminates primarily the damaged protein rather than the SV en-mass. Importantly, we also find that autophagy is essential for synaptic function, as light-induced damage to e.g. Synaptophysin only compromises synaptic function when autophagy is simultaneously blocked. These data support the concept that presynaptic boutons have a robust highly regulated clearance system to maintain not only synapse integrity, but also synaptic function.Significance StatementThe real-time surveillance and clearance of synaptic proteins is thought to be vital to the health, functionality and integrity of vertebrate synapses and is compromised in neurodegenerative disorders, yet the fundamental mechanisms regulating these systems remain enigmatic. Our analysis reveals that presynaptic autophagy is a critical part of a real-time clearance system at glutamatergic synapses capable of responding to local damage of synaptic vesicle proteins within minutes and to be critical for the ongoing functionality of these synapses. These data indicate that synapse autophagy is not only locally regulated but also crucial for the health and functionality of vertebrate presynaptic boutons.

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