Project Details
Projekt
Deciphering the functions of excitatory shaft synapses in pyramidal neurons
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Marina Mikhaylova
Subject Area
Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
Term
from 2015 to 2023
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 278170285
Synaptic function critically depends on the neuronal cytoskeleton, which provides stability and plasticity of synapses and dendrites as well as mediates active transport and delivery of plasticity-related products. In the first funding period we discovered that glutamatergic shaft synapses might play an important role in regulation of dendritic trafficking. Therefore, in the second period we would like to follow up on this observation and ask i) How are excitatory shaft synapses involved in the regulation of organelle and membrane protein trafficking in dendrites? ii) Are glutamatergic shaft synapses plastic? Particular attention will be given to the actin cytoskeleton. We hypothesize that F-actin surrounding the PSD of shaft synapse will act as a traffic regulator. We will explore the “stopped by myosins” idea and will address the contribution of the F-actin mesh as an “organelle trap”. We will test if the F-actin rich environment of the shaft synapses contributes to the immobilization and confinement of receptors and ion channels that could become quickly available to the neighbouring dendritic spines following synaptic potentiation. Finally, we will compare the structural plasticity of glutamatergic shaft synapses with spine synapses.
DFG Programme
Research Units
