Topic: synaptic proteins

Establishing, maintaining and dynamically modifying synaptic connections is a key principle of neuronal computations. The underlying molecular resource of these processes is synaptic proteins. Tight control of protein levels across neurons is crucial to ensure synaptic function. Changes in the synaptic proteome have been associated with compromised synaptic function and in severe cases various diseases. Among the major factors in regulating protein levels are thought to be protein synthesis, trafficking and degradation. While there is substantial literature on protein synthesis, both trafficki

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in social behavior and communication. Traditional research on the biology of ASDs has focused on the central nervous system (CNS), aiming to identify brain regions, molecular mechanisms, and genetic mutations associated with ASDs. However, an increasingly holistic approach to ASDs demonstrated that there is comorbidity with immune and gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunctions. It is now accepted that there is a bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain, with the microbiota play

Neurons communicate through the formation of specialised junctions termed synapses, established by formation of extended protein networks. Our aim is to gain insights about the protein environment of the synapse by identification of novel proteins through employment of unbiased quantitative proteomic approaches. Here, we show results from a proteomic analysis of synaptic CAH10 protein complexes, which were affinity isolated from mouse brain. CAH10 was recently described as a pan-neurexin ligand. The interactome of CAH10 consists of presynaptic, secreted and post-synaptic proteins. Among them,

Torpor is a controlled and reversible state characterized by lowered metabolic rate and body temperature. In ground squirrels, torpor induces dendritic spine retraction and re-localization of synaptic proteins, which restore upon arousal (von der Ohe et al., 2007). The emergence from torpor is followed by increased sleep slow-wave activity (SWA), a well-established marker of sleep pressure. Our study aims to elucidate the structural and molecular effects of torpor and subsequent sleep in Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus), a species exhibiting daily torpor in response to a shortened photo

One crucial component for synaptic functionality is the proteome within the spines, which is fueled by local mRNA translation and the influx of proteins from the dendrite. A neuron could recruit proteins from the dendritic pool or increase local synthesis to increase the protein number at the synapses. However, since only about 10-20% of proteins have local mRNAs in the dendrites, the question arises; how do the other 80-90% of dendritic and synaptic proteins dynamically control their copy numbers without having the ability to increase the synthesis rate of the protein of interest locally. We

Neuroinflammation is considered to play a crucial role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) nowadays, placing glial cells on the front page. Although several evidences point to the decline of microglial defensive functions, the contribution of these cells in AD progression is still unknown. In recent years, microglial depletion approaches in mouse models have provided new insights into the role of these cells in physiological and pathological conditions (doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.308078). In this regard, our group has generated a genetic depletion AD model that allows the targeting of microglia in a cell-

Despite an increasing number of studies describing changes in dopamine brain regions and autism symptoms, the specific alterations in midbrain dopamine neurons projecting to the striatum remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the structural and morphological properties of primary dopaminergic neuronal cell cultures isolated from Shank3-deficient transgenic mouse, known for exhibiting autism-like symptomatology. Additionally, we evaluated the expression of selected synaptic proteins in the brain areas relevant for social behavior in wild type (WT) and Shank3-defi

Studying synaptic proteins, which are regulating synaptic transmission and organization, is a challenging task as traditional localization and staining methods face limitations in mapping proteins in living cells. For example, traditional antibodies are too large to freely diffuse into the extracellular protein-enriched synaptic cleft and the use of detergents for improving cell penetration cannot be applied in living cells and damages synaptic membrane integrity. We are particularly interested in understanding the mechanism of calcium-regulated neurotransmitter release and synapse formation b