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The Journal of Neuroscience, March 15, 2002, 22(6):2206-2214
Neuregulin Expression at Neuromuscular Synapses Is Modulated by
Synaptic Activity and Neurotrophic Factors
Jeffrey A.
Loeb1,
Abdelkrim
Hmadcha1,
Gerald
D.
Fischbach3,
Susan J.
Land2, and
Vaagn L.
Zakarian1
1 Department of Neurology and Center for Molecular
Medicine and Genetics and 2 Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit,
Michigan 48201, and 3 Columbia University, College of
Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York 10032
The proper formation of neuromuscular synapses requires ongoing
synaptic activity that is translated into complex structural changes to
produce functional synapses. One mechanism by which activity could be
converted into these structural changes is through the regulated
expression of specific synaptic regulatory factors. Here we demonstrate
that blocking synaptic activity with curare reduces synaptic neuregulin
expression in a dose-dependent manner yet has little effect on synaptic
agrin or a muscle-derived heparan sulfate proteoglycan. These changes
are associated with a fourfold increase in number and a twofold
reduction in average size of synaptic acetylcholine receptor clusters
that appears to be caused by excessive axonal sprouting with the
formation of new, smaller acetylcholine receptor clusters. Activity
blockade also leads to threefold reductions in brain-derived
neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin 3 expression in muscle without
appreciably changing the expression of these same factors in spinal
cord. Adding back these or other neurotrophic factors restores synaptic
neuregulin expression and maintains normal end plate band architecture
in the presence of activity blockade. The expression of neuregulin protein at synapses is independent of spinal cord and muscle neuregulin mRNA levels, suggesting that neuregulin accumulation at synapses is
independent of transcription. These findings suggest a local, positive
feedback loop between synaptic regulatory factors that translates
activity into structural changes at neuromuscular synapses.
Key words:
neuregulin; neuromuscular; synapse; neurotrophin; BDNF; activity; GDNF; NT-3
Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/02/2262206-09$05.00/0
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