Pre- and postsynaptic MEF2C promote experience-dependent, input-specific development of Layer 4 to Layer 2/3 excitatory synapses
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PROVIDER: PRJNA1066371 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
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Project description:Experience and activity-dependent transcription is a candidate mechanism to mediate development and refinement of specific cortical circuits. Here we provide evidence that the activity-dependent transcription factor Myocyte-Enhancer Factor 2C (MEF2C) is required in both presynaptic layer 4 (L4) and postsynaptic L2/3 somatosensory (S1) cortical neurons for development of their synaptic connection. In contrast, synaptic inputs from local L2/3, contralateral S1, or ipsilateral frontal/motor cortex are unaffected by postsynaptic Mef2c deletion in L2/3 neurons. Postsynaptic MEF2C is required for L4 to L2/3 synapse function during, but not after, an early postnatal, experience-dependent period. Furthermore, homozygous and heterozygous Mef2c deletion in presynaptic L4 neurons weakens L4 to L2/3 excitatory synaptic inputs by decreasing presynaptic release probability. Our results suggested that experience or activity-dependent transcriptional activation of MEF2C promotes development of L4→L2/3 synapses. In support of this idea, expression of transcriptionally active MEF2C (MEF2C-VP16) rescued weak L4 to L2/3 synaptic strength in sensory deprived mice. Consistent with a presynaptic function for MEF2C, we find that MEF2C regulates the activity-dependent expression of many presynaptic assembly genes, including transsynaptic cell adhesion proteins and regulators of neurotransmitter release. This work provides mechanistic insight into the experience-dependent development of specific cortical circuits.
2025-01-17 | GSE253629 | GEO
Project description:Numerous genetic variants associated with MEF2C are linked to autism, intellectual disability (ID) and schizophrenia (SCZ) – a heterogeneous collection of neurodevelopmental disorders with unclear pathophysiology. MEF2C is highly expressed in developing cortical excitatory neurons, but its role in their development remains unclear. We show here that conditional embryonic deletion of Mef2c in cortical and hippocampal excitatory neurons (Emx1-lineage) produces a dramatic reduction in cortical network activity in vivo, due in part to a dramatic increase in inhibitory and a decrease in excitatory synaptic transmission. In addition, we find that MEF2C regulates E/I synapse density predominantly as a cell-autonomous, transcriptional repressor. Analysis of differential gene expression in Mef2c mutant cortex identified a significant overlap with numerous synapse- and autism-linked genes, and the Mef2c mutant mice displayed numerous behaviors reminiscent of autism, ID and SCZ, suggesting that perturbing MEF2C function in neocortex can produce autistic- and ID-like behaviors in mice.
2016-09-23 | GSE87202 | GEO
Project description:Excitatory synapses occur mainly on dendritic spines, and spine density is usually correlated with the strength of excitatory synaptic transmission. We report that Nr4a1, an activity-inducible gene encoding a nuclear receptor, regulates the density and distribution of dendritic spines in CA1 pyramidal neurons. Nr4a1 overexpression resulted in elimination of the majority of spines; however, postsynaptic densities were preserved on dendritic shafts, and the strength of excitatory synaptic transmission was unaffected, showing that excitatory synapses can be dissociated from spines. mRNA expression profiling studies suggest that Nr4a1-mediated transcriptional regulation of the actin cytoskeleton contributes to this effect. Under conditions of chronically elevated activity, when Nr4a1 was induced, Nr4a1 knockdown increased the density of spines and PSDs specifically at the distal ends of dendrites. Thus, Nr4a1 is a key component of an activity-induced transcriptional program that regulates the density and distribution of spines and synapses. After 10 days in culture, dissociated mouse hippocampal neurons in 6-well plates were infected with lentivirus expressing either Flag-Nr4a1 or GFP and incubated for 6 days to allow for transgene expression. Total RNA was then isolated using RNeasy Plus kit (QIAGEN). Samples passing an mRNA quality check proceeded to quantitative analysis on Agilent-026655 4x44 Mouse Microarrays.
2016-01-13 | E-GEOD-76805 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Excitatory synapses occur mainly on dendritic spines, and spine density is usually correlated with the strength of excitatory synaptic transmission. We report that Nr4a1, an activity-inducible gene encoding a nuclear receptor, regulates the density and distribution of dendritic spines in CA1 pyramidal neurons. Nr4a1 overexpression resulted in elimination of the majority of spines; however, postsynaptic densities were preserved on dendritic shafts, and the strength of excitatory synaptic transmission was unaffected, showing that excitatory synapses can be dissociated from spines. mRNA expression profiling studies suggest that Nr4a1-mediated transcriptional regulation of the actin cytoskeleton contributes to this effect. Under conditions of chronically elevated activity, when Nr4a1 was induced, Nr4a1 knockdown increased the density of spines and PSDs specifically at the distal ends of dendrites. Thus, Nr4a1 is a key component of an activity-induced transcriptional program that regulates the density and distribution of spines and synapses.
2016-01-13 | GSE76805 | GEO
Project description:Development of proper cortical circuits requires an interaction of sensory experience and genetic programs. Little is known of how experience and specific transcription factors interact to determine the development of specific neocortical circuits. Here, we demonstrate that the activity-dependent transcription factor, Myocyte enhancer factor-2C (Mef2c), differentially regulates development of local versus long-range excitatory synaptic inputs onto layer 2/3 neurons in the somatosensory neocortex in vivo. Postnatal, postsynaptic deletion of Mef2c in a sparse population of L2/3 neurons suppressed development of excitatory synaptic connections from all local input pathways tested. In the same cell population, Mef2c deletion promoted the strength of excitatory inputs originating from contralateral neocortex. Both the synapse promoting and synapse suppressing effects of Mef2c deletion required normal whisking experience. These results reveal a role of Mef2c in experience-dependent development of specific sensory neocortical circuits.
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Project description:The precise contribution of the cadherin-beta-catenin synapse adhesion complex in the functional and structural changes associated with the pre- and postsynaptic terminals remains unclear. Here we report a requirement for endogenous beta-catenin in regulating synaptic strength and dendritic spine morphology in cultured hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Ablating beta-catenin after the initiation of synaptogenesis in the postsynaptic neuron reduces the amplitude of spontaneous excitatory synaptic responses without a concurrent change in their frequency and synapse density. The normal glutamatergic synaptic response is maintained by postsynaptic beta-catenin in a cadherin-dependent manner and requires the C-terminal PDZ-binding motif of beta-catenin but not the link to the actin cytoskeleton. In addition, ablating beta-catenin in postsynaptic neurons accompanies a block of bidirectional quantal scaling of glutamatergic responses induced by chronic activity manipulation. In older cultures at a time when neurons have abundant dendritic spines, neurons ablated for beta-catenin show thin, elongated spines and reduced proportion of mushroom spines without a change in spine density. Collectively, these findings suggest that the cadherin-beta-catenin complex is an integral component of synaptic strength regulation and plays a basic role in coupling synapse function and spine morphology.
| S-EPMC1948936 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Numerous genetic variants associated with MEF2C are linked to autism, intellectual disability (ID) and schizophrenia (SCZ) - a heterogeneous collection of neurodevelopmental disorders with unclear pathophysiology. MEF2C is highly expressed in developing cortical excitatory neurons, but its role in their development remains unclear. We show here that conditional embryonic deletion of Mef2c in cortical and hippocampal excitatory neurons (Emx1-lineage) produces a dramatic reduction in cortical network activity in vivo, due in part to a dramatic increase in inhibitory and a decrease in excitatory synaptic transmission. In addition, we find that MEF2C regulates E/I synapse density predominantly as a cell-autonomous, transcriptional repressor. Analysis of differential gene expression in Mef2c mutant cortex identified a significant overlap with numerous synapse- and autism-linked genes, and the Mef2c mutant mice displayed numerous behaviors reminiscent of autism, ID and SCZ, suggesting that perturbing MEF2C function in neocortex can produce autistic- and ID-like behaviors in mice.
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Project description:Refinement of synaptic connections during development requires both the elimination of some inputs and the strengthening of others. It is well accepted that this competitive process takes place throughout the nervous system and relies on synaptic activity. However, the mechanisms that link activity to refinement remain largely unresolved. Here we demonstrate that refinement of preganglionic axons in sympathetic ganglia, a process that depends unequivocally on synaptic activity, involves eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein (4E-BP), a protein that regulates cap-dependent translation. In mice lacking the 3 nicotinic receptor subunit, silent synapses between preganglionic axons and postsynaptic nicotinic neurons do not refine unless synaptic activity is restored, or surprisingly, when 4E-BP is absent. Our findings demonstrate that synapses can refine in the absence of synaptic activity during development and identify 4E-BP as a critical player in this process.
2017-07-26 | MSV000081386 | MassIVE
Project description:Gephyrin (GPHN) regulates the clustering of postsynaptic components at inhibitory synapses and is involved in pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we uncover an extensive diversity of GPHN transcripts that are tightly controlled by splicing during mouse and human brain development. Proteomic analysis reveals at least a hundred isoforms of GPHN incorporated at inhibitory Glycine and gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptors containing synapses. They exhibit different localization and postsynaptic clustering properties, and altering the expression level of one isoform is sufficient to affect the number, size, and density of inhibitory synapses in cerebellar Purkinje cells. Furthermore, we discovered that splicing defectsreported in neuropsychiatric disorders are carried by multiple alternative GPHN transcripts, demonstrating the need for a thorough analysis of the GPHN transcriptome in patients. Overall, we show that alternative splicing of GPHN is an important genetic variation to consider in neurological diseases and a determinant of the diversity of postsynaptic inhibitory synapses.
2022-06-28 | PXD033751 | Pride
Project description:Homeostatic scaling is a global form of synaptic plasticity used by neurons to adjust overall synaptic weight and maintain neuronal firing rates while protecting information coding. While homeostatic scaling has been demonstrated in vitro, a clear physiological function of this plasticity type has not been defined. Sleep is an essential process that modifies synapses to support cognitive functions such as learning and memory. Evidence suggests that information coding during wake drives synapse strengthening which is offset by weakening of synapses during sleep .Here we use biochemical fractionation, proteomics and in vivo two-photon imaging to characterize wide-spread changes in synapse composition in mice through the wake/sleep cycle. We find that during the sleep phase, synapses are weakened through dephosphorylation and removal of synaptic AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) driven by the immediate early gene Homer1a and signaling from group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1/5), consistent with known mechanisms of homeostatic scaling-down in vitro. Further, we find that these changes are important in the consolidation of contextual memories. While Homer1a gene expression is driven by neuronal activity during wake, Homer1a protein targeting to synapses serves as an integrator of arousal and sleep need through signaling by the wake-promoting neuromodulator noradrenaline (NA) and sleep-promoting modulator adenosine. During sleep or periods of increased sleep need Homer1a enters synapses where it remodels mGluR1/5 signaling complexes to promote AMPAR removal. Thus, we have characterized widespread changes occurring at synapses through the wake/sleep cycle and demonstrated that known mechanisms of homeostatic scaling-down previously demonstrated only in vitro are active in the brain during sleep to remodel synapses, contributing to memory consolidation.
2017-02-13 | PXD004537 | Pride