Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 6, 2026
09:09
Electrophysiological Investigations of Retinogeniculate and Corticogeniculate Synapse Function
Published on: August 7, 2019
6.5K
Molecular Dissection of Neurobeachin Function at Excitatory Synapses
Daniele Repetto1, Johannes Brockhaus1, Hong J Rhee2
1Institute of Anatomy and Molecular Neurobiology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany.
Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience
|August 31, 2018
Summary
Neurobeachin protein domains regulate dendritic spine formation and function. Specific domains are crucial for spine density, receptor targeting, and filopodia development, offering insights into neuropsychiatric disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Synaptic Plasticity
Background:
- Dendritic spines are crucial for excitatory synapses and synaptic plasticity.
- Neurobeachin is a protein involved in spine formation and receptor trafficking, but its domain-specific functions are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific roles of individual Neurobeachin domains in regulating dendritic spine morphology and function.
- To understand the contribution of Neurobeachin to synaptic plasticity and its relevance to neuropsychiatric disorders.
Main Methods:
- Live cell imaging and patch-clamp electrophysiology in primary hippocampal neurons.
- Rescue experiments using recombinant full-length and domain-specific Neurobeachin in knockout neurons.
- Monitoring spine density, morphology, and postsynaptic receptor function.
Main Results:
- Full-length Neurobeachin restored mushroom spine density and excitatory postsynaptic currents in deficient neurons.
- The PH-BEACH domain complex localized to spine heads and rescued spine density and AMPA receptor targeting.
- The Armadillo domain promoted filopodia formation, while the PKA-binding site inhibited it.
Conclusions:
- Individual Neurobeachin domains have distinct, critical roles in regulating spinous synapse structure and function.
- Understanding these domain functions can elucidate pathomechanisms in neuropsychiatric disorders linked to spine impairments.
Related Concept Videos
02:47The Synapse
133.5K
Neurons communicate with one another by passing on their electrical signals to other neurons. A synapse is the location where two neurons meet to exchange signals. At the synapse, the neuron that sends the signal is called the presynaptic cell, while the neuron that receives the message is called the postsynaptic cell. Note that most neurons can be both presynaptic and postsynaptic, as they both transmit and receive information.
133.5K
01:28Electrical Synapses
10.9K
Electrical synapses found in all nervous systems play important and unique roles. In these synapses, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes are very close together (3.5 nm) and are actually physically connected by channel proteins forming gap junctions.
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...
10.9K
01:26Chemical Synapses
11.8K
Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
11.8K
01:26Chemical Synapses
4.6K
Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
4.6K
01:29Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters
13.0K
When an action potential reaches the presynaptic axon terminal, it releases neurotransmitters from the neuron into the synaptic cleft at a chemical synapse. The released neurotransmitter can be excitatory or inhibitory. The critical criteria commonly used to determine whether a molecule is a neurotransmitter at a chemical synapse are the molecule's presence in the presynaptic neuron. Second, its release is in response to strong presynaptic depolarization. And lastly, the presence of...
13.0K
01:25Overview of Synapses
5.4K
A synapse is a specialized structure where two neurons connect, allowing them to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron. It is the point of communication between neurons. The term "synapse" is derived from the Greek word "synapsis," which means "conjunction." The entire process of neural communication revolves around the synapse. When activated, a neuron releases chemicals known as neurotransmitters into the synapse. These neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind to...
5.4K