Igor Medina

Ca2+ Oscillations Mediated by the Synergistic Excitatory Actions of GABAA and NMDA Receptors in the Neonatal Hippocampus

We asked whether GABA(A) and NMDA receptors may act in synergy in neonatal hippocampal slices, at a time when GABA exerts a depolarizing action. The GABA(A) receptor agonist isoguvacine reduced the voltage-dependent Mg2+ block of single NMDA channels recorded in cell-attached configuration from P(2-5) CA3 pyramidal neurons and potentiated the Ca2+ influx through NMDA channels. The synaptic response evoked by electrical stimulation of stratum radiatum was mediated by a synergistic interaction between GABA(A) and NMDA receptors. Network-driven Giant Depolarizing Potentials, which are a typical feature of the neonatal hippocampal network, provided coactivation of GABA(A) and NMDA receptors and were associated with spontaneous and synchronous Ca2+ increases in CA3 pyramidal neurons. Thus, at the early stages of development, GABA is a major excitatory transmitter that acts in synergy with NMDA receptors. This provides in neonatal neurons a hebbian stimulation that may be involved in neuronal plasticity and network formation in the developing hippocampus.

The NMDA receptor is coupled to the ERK pathway by a direct interaction between NR2B and RasGRF1.

The NMDA subtype of glutamate receptors (NMDAR) at excitatory neuronal synapses plays a key role in synaptic plasticity. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1,2 or ERK) pathway is an essential component of NMDAR signal transduction controlling the neuroplasticity underlying memory processes, neuronal development, and refinement of synaptic connections. Here we show that NR2B, but not NR2A or NR1 subunits of the NMDAR, interacts in vivo and in vitro with RasGRF1, a Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent Ras-guanine-nucleotide-releasing factor. Specific disruption of this interaction in living neurons abrogates NMDAR-dependent ERK activation. Thus, RasGRF1 serves as NMDAR-dependent regulator of the ERK kinase pathway. The specific association of RasGRF1 with the NR2B subunit and study of ERK activation in neurons with varied content of NR2B suggests that NR2B-containing channels are the dominant activators of the NMDA-dependent ERK pathway.

Opposing role of synaptic and extrasynaptic NMDA receptors in regulation of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinases (ERK) activity in cultured rat hippocampal neurons

The extracellular signal‐regulated kinases (ERK) signalling cascade is a key pathway that mediates the NMDA receptor (NMDAR)‐dependent neuronal plasticity and survival. However, it is not clear yet how NMDARs regulate ERK activity. Stimulation of the NMDARs induces a complex modification of ERK that includes both ERK activation and inactivation and depends on particular experimental conditions. Here we show that there exists a differential restriction in the regulation of ERK activity that depends on the pool of NMDAR that was activated. The synaptic pool of NMDARs activates ERK whereas the extrasynaptic pool does not; on the contrary, it triggers a signalling pathway that results in the inactivation of ERK. As a result, simultaneous activation of both extrasynaptic and synaptic NMDAR using bath application of NMDA or glutamate (a typical protocol explored in the majority of studies) produced ERK activation that depended on the concentration of agonists and was always significantly weaker than those mediated by synaptic NMDARs. Since the activation of the extrasynaptic NMDA is attributed mainly to global release of glutamate occurring at pathological conditions including hypoxic/ischaemic insults, traumas and epileptic brain damage, the reported differential regulation of ERK cascade by NMDARs provides a unique mechanism for an early identification of the physiological and/or pathophysiological consequences of NMDAR activation. The negative regulation of the ERK activity might be one of the first signalling events determining brain injury and constitutes a putative target of new pharmacological applications.

SynGAP-MUPP1-CaMKII Synaptic Complexes Regulate p38 MAP Kinase Activity and NMDA Receptor- Dependent Synaptic AMPA Receptor Potentiation

The synapse contains densely localized and interacting proteins that enable it to adapt to changing inputs. We describe a Ca2+-sensitive protein complex involved in the regulation of AMPA receptor synaptic plasticity. The complex is comprised of MUPPI, a multi-PDZ domain-containing protein; SynGAP, a synaptic GTPase-activating protein; and the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase CaMKII. In synapses of hippocampal neurons, SynGAP and CaMKII are brought together by direct physical interaction with the PDZ domains of MUPP1, and in this complex, SynGAP is phosphorylated. Ca2+CaM binding to CaMKII dissociates it from the MUPP1 complex, and Ca2+ entering via the NMDAR drives the dephosphorylation of SynGAP. Specific peptide-induced SynGAP dissociation from the MUPP1-CaMKII complex results in SynGAP dephosphorylation accompanied by P38 MAPK inactivation, potentiation of synaptic AMPA responses, and an increase in the number of AMPAR-containing clusters in hippocampal neuron synapses. siRNA-mediated SynGAP knockdown confirmed these results. These data implicate SynGAP in NMDAR- and CaMKII-dependent regulation of AMPAR trafficking.

A Novel In Vitro Preparation: the Intact Hippocampal Formation

The intact hippocampal formation (IHF) of neonatal or young rats can be kept alive for an extended period in a fully submerged chamber with excellent morphological preservation. Field or patch-clamp recordings, intracellular Ca2+ measurements, and 3-D reconstruction of biocytin-filled neurons can be performed routinely. The generation and propagation of network-driven activities can be studied within the IHF or between connected intact structures such as the septum and the hippocampus or two hippocampi, and the use of a dual chamber enables the application of drugs separately to each structure. This preparation will be useful to study intact neuronal networks in the developing hippocampus in vitro.

Early expression of KCC2 in rat hippocampal cultures augments expression of functional GABA synapses

The development of GABAergic synapses is associated with an excitatory to inhibitory shift of the actions of GABA because of a reduction of [Cl−]i. This is due to a delayed postnatal expression of the K+–Cl− cotransporter KCC2, which has low levels at birth and peaks during the first few postnatal weeks. Whether the expression of the cotransporter and the excitatory to inhibitory shift have other consequences on the operation of GABAA receptors and synapses is not yet known. We have now expressed KCC2 in immature neurones at an early developmental stage and determined the consequences on the formation of GABA and glutamate synapses. We report that early expression of the cotransporter selectively enhances GABAergic synapses: there is a significant increase of the density of GABAA receptors and synapses and an increase of the frequency of GABAergic miniature postsynaptic currents. The density of glutamate synapses and frequency of AMPA miniature postsynaptic currents are not affected. We conclude that the expression of KCC2 and the reduction of [Cl−]i play a critical role in the construction of GABAergic networks that extends beyond the excitatory to inhibitory shift of the actions of GABA.

Activity-Dependent Dendritic Release of BDNF and Biological Consequences

Network construction and reorganization is modulated by the level and pattern of synaptic activity generated in the nervous system. During the past decades, neurotrophins, and in particular brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), have emerged as attractive candidates for linking synaptic activity and brain plasticity. Thus, neurotrophin expression and secretion are under the control of activity-dependent mechanisms and, besides their classical role in supporting neuronal survival neurotrophins, modulate nearly all key steps of network construction from neuronal migration to experience-dependent refinement of local connections. In this paper, we provide an overview of recent findings showing that BDNF can serve as a target-derived messenger for activity-dependent synaptic plasticity and development at the single cell level.

Backpropagating Action Potentials Trigger Dendritic Release of BDNF during Spontaneous Network Activity

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a major regulator of activity-dependent synapse development and plasticity. Because BDNF is a secreted protein, it has been proposed that BDNF is released from target neurons in an activity-dependent manner. However, direct evidence for postsynaptic release of BDNF triggered by ongoing network activity is still lacking. Here we transfected cultures of dissociated hippocampal neurons with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged BDNF and combined whole-cell recording, time-lapse fluorescent imaging, and immunostaining to monitor activity-dependent dendritic release of BDNF. We found that spontaneous backpropagating action potentials, but not synaptic activity alone, led to a Ca2+-dependent dendritic release of BDNF-GFP. Moreover, we provide evidence that endogenous BDNF released from a single neuron can phosphorylate CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein) in neighboring neurons, an important step of immediate early gene activation. Therefore, together, our results support the hypothesis that BDNF might act as a target-derived messenger of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity and development.

Current view on the functional regulation of the neuronal K + -Cl − cotransporter KCC2

In the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), the inhibitory strength of chloride (Cl−)-permeable GABAA and glycine receptors (GABAAR and GlyR) depends on the intracellular Cl− concentration ([Cl−]i). Lowering [Cl−]i enhances inhibition, whereas raising [Cl−]i facilitates neuronal activity. A neurons basal level of [Cl−]i, as well as its Cl− extrusion capacity, is critically dependent on the activity of the electroneutral K+-Cl− cotransporter KCC2, a member of the SLC12 cation-Cl− cotransporter (CCC) family. KCC2 deficiency compromises neuronal migration, formation and the maturation of GABAergic and glutamatergic synaptic connections, and results in network hyperexcitability and seizure activity. Several neurological disorders including multiple epilepsy subtypes, neuropathic pain, and schizophrenia, as well as various insults such as trauma and ischemia, are associated with significant decreases in the Cl− extrusion capacity of KCC2 that result in increases of [Cl−]i and the subsequent hyperexcitability of neuronal networks. Accordingly, identifying the key upstream molecular mediators governing the functional regulation of KCC2, and modifying these signaling pathways with small molecules, might constitute a novel neurotherapeutic strategy for multiple diseases. Here, we discuss recent advances in the understanding of the mechanisms regulating KCC2 activity, and of the role these mechanisms play in neuronal Cl− homeostasis and GABAergic neurotransmission. As KCC2 mediates electroneutral transport, the experimental recording of its activity constitutes an important research challenge; we therefore also, provide an overview of the different methodological approaches utilized to monitor function of KCC2 in both physiological and pathological conditions.

Calcium-dependent inactivation of heteromeric NMDA receptor-channels expressed in human embryonic kidney cells.

1. Whole‐cell current through heteromeric NR1‐NR2A and NR1‐NR2B subunit combinations of NMDA channels transiently expressed in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK 293) were studied using the patch‐clamp technique. 2. With 4 mM Mg‐ATP in the internal pipette solution, the responses of cells expressing NR1‐NR2A channels to glutamate application gradually decreased, reaching 50% of control during the first 20 min of recording. This process was accompanied by acceleration of desensitization. 3. Conditioning (5‐15 s) applications of glutamate (100 microM) induced a transient inactivation of NR1‐NR2A and NR1‐NR2B channels (20‐40%) with a slow time course of recovery (tau r = 10‐60 s). Both the degree of inactivation and the time constant of recovery increased with the duration of conditioning applications of glutamate, and with an elevation of Ca2+ in the external solution. 4. These results show that both NR1‐NR2A and NR1‐NR2B recombinant NMDA receptor‐channels expressed in HEK 293 cells can be transiently inhibited by Ca2+ ions in a similar way to that described for hippocampal neurones.