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The Journal of Neuroscience, November 11, 2009, 29(45):14185-14198; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1863-09.2009

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Cellular/Molecular
Differential Activity-Dependent Secretion of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor from Axon and Dendrite

Naoto Matsuda,^1,2 Hui Lu,¹ Yuko Fukata,² Jun Noritake,² Hongfeng Gao,¹ Sujay Mukherjee,¹ Tomomi Nemoto,³ Masaki Fukata,² and Mu-ming Poo¹

¹Division of Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, and ²Department of Cell Physiology and ³Supportive Center for Brain Research, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan

Correspondence should be addressed to Mu-ming Poo, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, 221 Life Sciences Addition, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200. Email: mpoo{at}uclink.berkeley.edu

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is essential for neuronal survival and differentiation during development and for synaptic function and plasticity in the mature brain. BDNF-containing vesicles are widely distributed and bidirectionally transported in neurons, and secreted BDNF can act on both presynaptic and postsynaptic cells. Activity-dependent BDNF secretion from neuronal cultures has been reported, but it remains unknown where the primary site of BDNF secretion is and whether neuronal activity can trigger BDNF secretion from axons and dendrites with equal efficacy. Using BDNF fused with pH-sensitive green fluorescent protein to visualize BDNF secretion, we found that BDNF-containing vesicles exhibited markedly different properties of activity-dependent exocytic fusion at the axon and dendrite of cultured hippocampal neurons. Brief spiking activity triggered a transient fusion pore opening, followed by immediate retrieval of vesicles without dilation of the fusion pore, resulting in very little BDNF secretion at the axon. On the contrary, the same brief spiking activity induced "full-collapse" vesicle fusion and substantial BDNF secretion at the dendrite. However, full vesicular fusion with BDNF secretion could occur at the axon when the neuron was stimulated by prolonged high-frequency activity, a condition neurons may encounter during epileptic discharge. Thus, activity-dependent axonal secretion of BDNF is highly restricted as a result of incomplete fusion of BDNF-containing vesicles, and normal neural activity induces BDNF secretion from dendrites, consistent with the BDNF function as a retrograde factor. Our study also revealed a novel mechanism by which differential exocytosis of BDNF-containing vesicles may regulate BDNF–TrkB signaling between connected neurons.

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Received April 20, 2009; revised Sept. 18, 2009; accepted Sept. 22, 2009.

Correspondence should be addressed to Mu-ming Poo, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, 221 Life Sciences Addition, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200. Email: mpoo{at}uclink.berkeley.edu

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