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First published online November 18, 2003

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Remodel chromatin for neuronal responses

Many neurotransmitters and neuromodulators induce gene expression changes in neurons. Transcription factors clearly play a part in this, but chromatin remodelling may also be important. Paolo Sassone-Corsi and colleagues have therefore looked for signs of chromatin remodelling in the transcriptional response of hippocampal neurons to multiple stimuli (see p. 4905). Post-transcriptional modifications of conserved residues in the N-terminal tails of histones cause conformational changes in chromatin, which in turn activate or silence genes. When the researchers treated mice systemically with agonists for dopaminergic, acetylcholine or kainate glutamate receptors, histone H3 was rapidly and transiently phosphorylated at Ser10 in different subfields of the hippocampus. Concurrently, the mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling pathway was activated in the same areas and transcription of immediate-early response genes was induced. A causal link between these three events remains to be proven but, say the researchers, the plasticity of chromatin modifications may be an ideal way to facilitate neuronal responses to a range of stimuli.

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Related articles in JCS:

Chromatin remodeling and neuronal response: multiple signaling pathways induce specific histone H3 modifications and early gene expression in hippocampal neurons

Claudia Crosio, Estelle Heitz, C. David Allis, Emiliana Borrelli, and Paolo Sassone-Corsi
JCS 2003 116: 4905-4914. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in JCS Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?