Topic: mouse cerebellum

The coupling of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) and vesicular calcium sensors for neurotransmitter release is crucial for fast and efficient synaptic transmission. At parallel fiber (PF)-Purkinje cell (PC) synapses in mouse cerebellum, the coupling tightens during synaptic maturation in parallel with switching of splicing isoforms of the P/Q-type VGCC (Cav2.1) EF-hand from EFb to EFa. The Cav2.1[EFa] isoform has been reported to have a tighter Ca2+ influx-sensor coupling distance than the Cav2.1[EFb] isoform in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Thus, the shift in the splicing Cav2.1-EF han

We developed an optogenetic tool InLOV that allows for specific activation of the insulin receptor signaling pathway. Light-activation of InLOV drives insulin induced neuronal plasticity in the mouse cerebellum and improves cerebellar driven self-motion behavior. Thus, InLOV opens the opportunity to modulate the insulin signaling pathway by optogenetic stimulation throughout the whole body and to develop new therapeutic strategies for pathologic insulin signaling.