QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online February 4, 2009

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?

Drebrin A – actin' up at synapses

Most of the excitatory synaptic transmissions in the CNS are received by dendritic spines. These specialised neuronal protrusions change shape through reorganisation of the F-actin cytoskeleton – this appears to modulate synaptic transmission, but the mechanism is not well understood. Now, Lotfi Ferhat and colleagues (p. 524) investigate the role of drebrin A (DA), a neuron-specific F-actin-binding protein, in regulating spine morphology and synaptic transmission. Using high-density cultures of mature hippocampal neurons, the authors first show that overexpression of GFP-tagged DA increases the length and density of dendritic spines, and that this is mediated by the actin-binding domain of DA. Notably, overexpression of DA augments transmission at glutamatergic (excitatory) synapses, probably by increasing their density, but does not affect the efficacy of inhibitory (GABAergic) synaptic transmission. By contrast, downregulation of DA causes a decrease in the activity of both GABAergic and glutamatergic synapses. Thus, modification of the actin cytoskeleton by DA might, the authors suggest, alter synaptic transmission. Their data highlight the intimate relationship between form and function in CNS neurons.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

Related articles in JCS:

Drebrin A regulates dendritic spine plasticity and synaptic function in mature cultured hippocampal neurons

Anton Ivanov, Monique Esclapez, Christophe Pellegrino, Tomoaki Shirao, and Lotfi Ferhat
JCS 2009 122: 524-534. [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?