Mapping of protein domains within dendritic spines

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Mapping of protein domains within dendritic spines Bence Racz1* 1 Department of Anatomy and Histology, Szent István University, Hungary Glutamatergic axons in higher centers of the forebrain terminate predominantly onto dendritic spines. Though the exact function of spines remains controversial, there is now general agreement that they permit selective modulation of the incoming synaptic message by restricting biochemical signals. Spine morphology is closely linked to synaptic efficacy: spines with large heads are associated with large PSD’s that express numerous AMPA-type glutamate receptors, whereas spines with small heads are sites of weak or "silent" synaptic connections. The spine head can grow or shrink in response to patterns of presynaptic activity that induce long-term synaptic plasticity. Since the morphology of a spine is determined by its actin cytoskeleton, regulated remodeling of actin filaments must underlie these shape changes. This implies complex signaling pathways between the PSD and the actin-based “spinoskeleton.” Importantly, agents that interfere with actin remodeling also interfere with synaptic plasticity. In view of the pivotal role of spine morphing in brain function, we studied this spinoskeleton in order to understand the architecture that underlies spine morphology. Current research suggests the existence of multiple supramolecular protein "machines," each restricted to specific domains within the spine. These nanomachines appear to mediate a variety of rapid, precisely tuned activity-dependent changes. It seems clear that the function of these domains cannot be fully understood without understanding their spatial organization. Motivated by this perspective, using various high resolution visualization techniques, we studied the "spinoplasmic" scaffold, which we consider crucial for the assembly and maintenance of these specialized functional domains. Supported by OTKA PF60416. Conference: 12th Meeting of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society, Budapest, Hungary, 22 Jan - 24 Jan, 2009. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Research on the cerebral cortex and related structures Citation: Racz B (2009). Mapping of protein domains within dendritic spines. Front. Syst. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: 12th Meeting of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society. doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.01.2009.04.217 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 09 Mar 2009; Published Online: 09 Mar 2009. * Correspondence: Bence Racz, Department of Anatomy and Histology, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary, racz.bence@aotk.szie.hu Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Bence Racz Google Bence Racz Google Scholar Bence Racz PubMed Bence Racz Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.