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A propagating ERKII switch forms zones of elevated dendritic activation correlated with plasticity.

ABSTRACT: Strong inputs to neurons trigger complex biochemical events leading to synaptic plasticity. These biochemical events occur at many spatial scales, ranging from submicron dendritic spines to signals that propagate hundreds of microns from dendrites to the nucleus. ERKII is an important signaling molecule that is involved in many aspects of plasticity, including local excitability, communication with the nucleus, and control of local protein synthesis. We observed that ERKII activation spreads long distances in apical dendrites of stimulated hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. We combined experiments and models to show that this >100 mum spread was too large to be explained by biochemical reaction-diffusion effects. We show that two modes of calcium entry along the dendrite contribute to the extensive activation of ERKII. We predict the occurrence of feedback between biophysical events resulting in calcium entry, and biochemical events resulting in ERKII activation. This feedback causes a switch-like propagation of ERKII activation, coupled with enhanced electrical excitability, along the apical dendrite. We propose that this propagating switch forms zones on dendrites in which plasticity is facilitated.

SUBMITTER: Ajay SM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2645554 | biostudies-literature | 2007 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A propagating ERKII switch forms zones of elevated dendritic activation correlated with plasticity.

Ajay Sriram M SM Bhalla Upinder S US

HFSP journal 20070418 1

Strong inputs to neurons trigger complex biochemical events leading to synaptic plasticity. These biochemical events occur at many spatial scales, ranging from submicron dendritic spines to signals that propagate hundreds of microns from dendrites to the nucleus. ERKII is an important signaling molecule that is involved in many aspects of plasticity, including local excitability, communication with the nucleus, and control of local protein synthesis. We observed that ERKII activation spreads lon ...[more]

PMID: 19404460

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Genes present in only certain strains of a bacterial species can strongly affect cellular phenotypes and evolutionary potentials. One segment that seemed particularly rich in strain-specific genes was found by comparing the first two sequenced Helicobacter pylori genomes (strains 26695 and J99) and was named a "plasticity zone". PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We studied the nature and evolution of plasticity zones by sequencing them in five more Helicobacter strains, determining their locations in additional strains, and identifying them in recently released genome sequences. They occurred as discrete units, inserted at numerous chromosomal sites, and were usually flanked by direct repeats of 5'AAGAATG, a sequence generally also present in one copy at unoccupied sites in other strains. This showed that plasticity zones are transposable elements, to be called TnPZs. Each full length TnPZ contained a cluster of type IV protein secretion genes (tfs3), a tyrosine recombinase family gene ("xerT"), and a large (>or=2800 codon) orf encoding a protein with helicase and DNA methylase domains, plus additional orfs with no homology to genes of known function. Several TnPZ types were found that differed in gene arrangement or DNA sequence. Our analysis also indicated that the first-identified plasticity zones (in strains 26695 and J99) are complex mosaics of TnPZ remnants, formed by multiple TnPZ insertions, and spontaneous and transposable element mediated deletions. Tests using laboratory-generated deletions showed that TnPZs are not essential for viability, but identified one TnPZ that contributed quantitatively to bacterial growth during mouse infection and another that affected synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines in cell culture. CONCLUSIONS:We propose that plasticity zone genes are contained in conjugative transposons (TnPZs) or remnants of them, that TnPZ insertion is mediated by XerT recombinase, and that some TnPZ genes affect bacterial phenotypes and fitness.

Dataset Information

A propagating ERKII switch forms zones of elevated dendritic activation correlated with plasticity.

Publications

A propagating ERKII switch forms zones of elevated dendritic activation correlated with plasticity.

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