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The Journal of Neuroscience, January 10, 2007, 27(2):331-340; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4466-06.2007

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Cellular/Molecular
Direct Astrocytic Contacts Regulate Local Maturation of Dendritic Spines

Hideko Nishida^1,2 and Shigeo Okabe^1,2,3,4

¹Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, and ²COE Program for Brain Integration and its Disorders, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan, ³Solution Oriented Research for Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi 332-0012, Japan, and ⁴Molecular Neurophysiology Group, Neuroscience Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Shigeo Okabe, Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan. Email: okabe.cbio{at}tmd.ac.jp

Astrocytes contribute on both development and function of synapses, but it remains unclear whether direct astrocytic contacts regulate development of individual synapses. Two-photon time-lapse imaging of astrocytic and dendritic protrusive activity revealed the correlation of astrocytic contacts with both lifetime and morphological maturation of dendritic protrusions. Astrocytic motility was essential in maturation of spines, because its suppression by manipulating Rac1-dependent signaling in astrocytes resulted in induction of longer, filopodia-like dendritic protrusions. Manipulation of ephrin/Eph-dependent neuron–astrocyte signaling suggested involvement of this signaling pathway in astrocyte-dependent stabilization of newly generated dendritic protrusions. Our data support a model in which astrocytic protrusive activity in development acts as a key local regulator for stabilization of individual dendritic protrusions and subsequent maturation into spines.

Key words: dendritic spine; astrocyte; organotypic slice; two-photon microscopy; motility; synapse

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Received Oct. 13, 2006; revised Dec. 2, 2006; accepted Dec. 4, 2006.

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Shigeo Okabe, Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan. Email: okabe.cbio{at}tmd.ac.jp

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