The Journal of Neuroscience, December 10, 2008, 28(50):13435-13447; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3235-08.2008
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Cellular/Molecular
RIM1
and RIM1β Are Synthesized from Distinct Promoters of the RIM1 Gene to Mediate Differential But Overlapping Synaptic Functions
Pascal S. Kaeser,1,3,4
Hyung-Bae Kwon,6
Chiayu Q. Chiu,6
Lunbin Deng,1,3,4
Pablo E. Castillo,6 and
Thomas C. Südhof1,2,3,4,5
Departments of 1Neuroscience and 2Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9111, 3Institutes of Medicine and 4Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5543, 5Howard Hughes Medical Institute and 6Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461
Correspondence should be addressed to either of the following: Pascal S. Kaeser or Thomas C. Südhof, Institutes of Medicine and Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, 1050 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-5543, Email: pkaeser{at}stanford.edu or Email: tcs1{at}stanford.edu
At a synapse, presynaptic terminals form a specialized area of the plasma membrane called the active zone that mediates neurotransmitter release. RIM1
is a multidomain protein that constitutes a central component of the active zone by binding to other active zone proteins such as Munc13 s,
-liprins, and ELKS, and to synaptic vesicle proteins such as Rab3 and synaptotagmin-1. In mice, knockout of RIM1
significantly impairs synaptic vesicle priming and presynaptic long-term plasticity, but is not lethal. We now find that the RIM1 gene encodes a second, previously unknown RIM1 isoform called RIM1β that is upregulated in RIM1
knock-out mice. RIM1β is identical to RIM1
except for the N terminus where RIM1β lacks the N-terminal Rab3-binding sequence of RIM1
. Using newly generated knock-out mice lacking both RIM1
and RIM1β, we demonstrate that different from the deletion of only RIM1
, deletion of both RIM1
and RIM1β severely impairs mouse survival. Electrophysiological analyses show that the RIM1
β deletion abolishes long-term presynaptic plasticity, as does RIM1
deletion alone. In contrast, the impairment in synaptic strength and short-term synaptic plasticity that is caused by the RIM1
deletion is aggravated by the deletion of both RIM1
and RIM1β. Thus, our data indicate that the RIM1 gene encodes two different isoforms that perform overlapping but distinct functions in neurotransmitter release.
Key words: RIM; Rab3; Munc13; active zone; synaptic plasticity; neurotransmitter release
Received July 11, 2008;
revised Oct. 15, 2008;
accepted Oct. 27, 2008.
Correspondence should be addressed to either of the following: Pascal S. Kaeser or Thomas C. Südhof, Institutes of Medicine and Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, 1050 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-5543, Email: pkaeser{at}stanford.edu or Email: tcs1{at}stanford.edu
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