The distribution of synapse-relevant proteins along dendrite

The functioning of a synapse depends on its accessibility to proteins and, thus, on the localization of protein sources along the dendrite (Westenbroek 2009, Vacher et al. 2008). Therefore, the behaviour of the synapse highly depends on the availability of proteins and ion channels and any perturbation in the localization and availability of these components would lead to a dysfunction of the synapse. Hence, understanding the localization and distribution of ion channels and proteins in the dendrite in relation to the synapse is crucial.
Using super-resolution microscopy, Helm et al., 2021 derived the protein composition within spines. Based on this data set, in this work, we are analyzing the distribution of diverse proteins involved in different synaptic and dendritic mechanisms. For instance, we are investigating plasticity related proteins that are involved in functional plasticity (such as Calcineurin, Calmodulin, and CaMKII) and structural plasticity (like BDNF and Actin), but also the distribution of voltage-dependent channels (Kv1.1 and Na v1.1) along the dendrite as these can modulate synaptic signals before reaching the soma.

This large-scale data analysis reveals the surrounding area of a spine, which influences its function as well as its link to dendritic computation, providing the basis for future computational studies.