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Updated: May 18, 2026

Investigation of Synaptic Tagging/Capture and Cross-capture using Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rodents
Published on: September 4, 2015
Activity-dependent protein dynamics define interconnected cores of co-regulated postsynaptic proteins
Jonathan C Trinidad1, Agnes Thalhammer, Alma L Burlingame
1Mass Spectrometry Facility, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158-2517, USA.
Synapses dynamically alter their protein composition in response to neural activity. This study reveals widespread changes in the synaptic proteome, highlighting a co-regulated core of proteins crucial for synaptic plasticity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Synapses are critical for neuronal communication and exhibit activity-dependent plasticity.
- Previous research focused on individual protein trafficking, leaving global proteomic changes unaddressed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate global, activity-dependent changes in the synaptic proteome using an unbiased approach.
- To explore the feasibility of large-scale proteomic analysis in response to central nervous system stimulation.
Main Methods:
- Induced mass stimulation of the central nervous system using pilocarpine.
- Analyzed alterations in the molecular composition of synaptic spines.
- Utilized large-scale proteomic analysis to identify changes in protein abundance.
Main Results:
- Observed widespread changes in the relative abundances of synaptic proteins, indicating tight regulation of the postsynaptic density.
- Discovered coordinate regulation within gene families, even for non-interacting proteins.
- Identified a co-regulated cluster of glutamate receptors and adaptors, functionally linked to synaptic strength and size.
Conclusions:
- Unbiased, large-scale proteomic analysis provides valuable insights into synaptic plasticity.
- The postsynaptic density proteome is extensively remodeled by neural activity.
- A core cluster of synaptic proteins is tightly regulated and plays a key role in modulating synaptic function.
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