RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The p75 Neurotrophin Receptor Negatively Modulates Dendrite Complexity and Spine Density in Hippocampal Neurons
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 9989
OP 9999
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2492-05.2005
VO 25
IS 43
A1 Marta Zagrebelsky
A1 Andreas Holz
A1 Georg Dechant
A1 Yves-Alain Barde
A1 Tobias Bonhoeffer
A1 Martin Korte
YR 2005
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/25/43/9989.abstract
AB The correlation between functional and structural neuronal plasticity is by now well documented. However, the molecular mechanisms translating patterns of neuronal activity into specific changes in the structure of neurons remain unclear. Neurotrophins can be released in an activity-dependent manner, and they are capable of controlling both neuronal morphology and functional synaptic changes. They are thus attractive molecules to be studied in the context of synaptic plasticity. In the CNS, most of the work so far has focused on the role of BDNF and of its tyrosine kinase B receptor (TrkB), but relatively little is known about the function of the pan-neurotrophin receptor p75NTR. In this study, we show in loss-of-function experiments that postnatal hippocampal pyramidal cells in two mutant lines of p75NTR have a higher spine density and greater dendritic complexity than wild-type (WT) mice. Conversely, in a gain-of-function approach, p75NTR overexpression in WT neurons significantly reduces dendritic complexity, as well as spine density in all dendritic compartments. These results show that p75NTR negatively modulates dendritic morphology in adult hippocampal pyramidal neurons and documents a new case of functional antagonism between Trk and p75NTR signaling.