Transsynaptic Expression of a Presynaptic Glutamate Receptor During Hippocampal Long-Term Potentiation

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 262; no. 5132; pp. 433 - 436
• Main Authors: Smirnova, Tania, Laroche, Serge, Errington, Michael L., Hicks, Andrew A., Timothy V. P. Bliss, Mallet, Jacques
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 15.10.1993; American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Subjects: 2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; 2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate - pharmacology; Aminoacid receptors (glycine, glutamate, gaba); Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cell receptors; Cell structures and functions; Cognitive Sciences; Dentate gyrus; Electric Stimulation; Evoked Potentials; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression; Glutamate; Glutamate receptors; Hippocampus; Hippocampus - metabolism; Hippocampus - physiology; In Situ Hybridization; Life Sciences; Long term potentiation; Male; Messenger RNA; Molecular and cellular biology; N methyl D aspartate receptors; Neurobiology; Neurons; Neurons and Cognition; Neuroplasticity; Perforant pathway; Psychology and behavior; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, Glutamate; Receptors, Glutamate - biosynthesis; Receptors, Glutamate - genetics; Receptors, Presynaptic; Receptors, Presynaptic - biosynthesis; Receptors, Presynaptic - genetics; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Shock tests; Synapses; Synapses - metabolism; Potentiation; Vertebrata; Dentate gyrus; Mammalia; Messenger RNA; Rat; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Glutamate receptor; Gene expression; Hippocampus
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.8105538

Repetitive activation of excitatory synapses in the hippocampus produces a persistent enhancement of synaptic efficiency known as long-term potentiation (LTP). In anesthetized and in freely moving rats, the induction of LTP in the perforant path led to a transient increase in the amount of messenger RNA (mRNA) coding for a presynaptic glutamate receptor (GR33) in dentate granule cells. The amount of GR33 mRNA was increased for at least 5 hours after the induction of LTP but was indistinguishable from control values 1 day after induction. The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist 2-aminophosphonovalerate prevented the induction of both LTP and the increase in GR33 mRNA. The amount of GR33 protein was increased in the mossy fiber terminal zone of dentate granule cells 5 hours after the induction of LTP. These results suggest that the induction of LTP in synapses at one stage in a neural network may lead to modification in synaptic function at the next stage in the network.