Biomaterial Database

Increase in proportion of hippocampal spine synapses expressing neural cell adhesion molecule NCAM180 following long-term potentiation. 1998

T Schuster, and M Krug, and H Hassan, and M Schachner

Zentrum für Molekulare Neurobiologie, Universität Hamburg, Germany.

Neural recognition molecules such as the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) have been implicated in synaptic plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP), sensitization, and learning and memory. The major isoform of NCAM carrying the longest cytoplasmic domain of all NCAM isoforms (NCAM180) is predominantly localized in postsynaptic membranes and postsynaptic densities of hippocampal neurons, with only a proportion of synapses carrying detectable levels of NCAM180. To investigate whether this differential expression of NCAM180 may correlate with distinct states of synaptic activity, LTP was induced by high-frequency stimulation of the perforant path and the percentage of NCAM180 immunopositive spine synapses determined in the outer third of the dentate molecular layer of the dentate gyrus by immunoelectron microscopy. Twenty-four hours following induction of LTP by high-frequency stimulation, the percentage of spine synapses expressing NCAM180 increases from 37% (passive control) to 70%. This increase was inhibited by the noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist MK801. Following repeated LTP induction at 10 consecutive days with one tetanization each day, 60% of all spine synapses were NCAM180 immunoreactive. Compared to passive control animals, the percentage of NCAM180 expressing synapses in low-frequency stimulated animals decreased from 37% to 28%. Spine synapses in the inner part of the dentate molecular layer not contacted by the afferents of the perforant path did not change the percentage of NCAM180-expressing synapses. The results obtained by the postembedding immunogold staining technique confirmed the difference in NCAM180 expression of spine synapses between passive control and potentiated animals. These observations suggest a role for NCAM180 in synaptic remodeling accompanying LTP.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D006624	Hippocampus	A curved elevation of GRAY MATTER extending the entire length of the floor of the TEMPORAL HORN of the LATERAL VENTRICLE (see also TEMPORAL LOBE). The hippocampus proper, subiculum, and DENTATE GYRUS constitute the hippocampal formation. Sometimes authors include the ENTORHINAL CORTEX in the hippocampal formation.	Ammon Horn,Cornu Ammonis,Hippocampal Formation,Subiculum,Ammon's Horn,Hippocampus Proper,Ammons Horn,Formation, Hippocampal,Formations, Hippocampal,Hippocampal Formations,Hippocampus Propers,Horn, Ammon,Horn, Ammon's,Proper, Hippocampus,Propers, Hippocampus,Subiculums
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013569	Synapses	Specialized junctions at which a neuron communicates with a target cell. At classical synapses, a neuron's presynaptic terminal releases a chemical transmitter stored in synaptic vesicles which diffuses across a narrow synaptic cleft and activates receptors on the postsynaptic membrane of the target cell. The target may be a dendrite, cell body, or axon of another neuron, or a specialized region of a muscle or secretory cell. Neurons may also communicate via direct electrical coupling with ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES. Several other non-synaptic chemical or electric signal transmitting processes occur via extracellular mediated interactions.	Synapse
D016253	Microscopy, Immunoelectron	Microscopy in which the samples are first stained immunocytochemically and then examined using an electron microscope. Immunoelectron microscopy is used extensively in diagnostic virology as part of very sensitive immunoassays.	Immunoelectron Microscopy,Microscopy, Immuno-Electron,Immuno-Electron Microscopies,Immuno-Electron Microscopy,Immunoelectron Microscopies,Microscopies, Immuno-Electron,Microscopies, Immunoelectron,Microscopy, Immuno Electron
D017208	Rats, Wistar	A strain of albino rat developed at the Wistar Institute that has spread widely at other institutions. This has markedly diluted the original strain.	Wistar Rat,Rat, Wistar,Wistar Rats
D017774	Long-Term Potentiation	A persistent increase in synaptic efficacy, usually induced by appropriate activation of the same synapses. The phenomenological properties of long-term potentiation suggest that it may be a cellular mechanism of learning and memory.	Long Term Potentiation,Long-Term Potentiations,Potentiation, Long-Term,Potentiations, Long-Term
D051381	Rats	The common name for the genus Rattus.	Rattus,Rats, Laboratory,Rats, Norway,Rattus norvegicus,Laboratory Rat,Laboratory Rats,Norway Rat,Norway Rats,Rat,Rat, Laboratory,Rat, Norway,norvegicus, Rattus
D019006	Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules	Cell adhesion molecule involved in a diverse range of contact-mediated interactions among neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and myotubes. It is widely but transiently expressed in many tissues early in embryogenesis. Four main isoforms exist, including CD56; (CD56 ANTIGEN); but there are many other variants resulting from alternative splicing and post-translational modifications. (From Pigott & Power, The Adhesion Molecule FactsBook, 1993, pp115-119)	Cell Adhesion Molecule, Neural,NCAM,Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule,Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neural
D020033	Protein Isoforms	Different forms of a protein that may be produced from different GENES, or from the same gene by ALTERNATIVE SPLICING.	Isoform,Isoforms,Protein Isoform,Protein Splice Variant,Splice Variants, Protein,Protein Splice Variants,Isoform, Protein,Isoforms, Protein,Splice Variant, Protein,Variant, Protein Splice,Variants, Protein Splice