Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Ras Gene

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a...

Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters

Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters

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...

Long-term Depression

Long-term Depression

Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over...

Chemical Synapses

Chemical Synapses

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A targeted combination therapy achieves effective pancreatic cancer regression and prevents tumor resistance.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

PARP2 deficiency impairs pancreatic cancer progression by promoting genomic instability and antitumor immunity.

Science advances·2026

Same author

Neurogranin Promotes Neuronal Maturation and Network Activity Through Ca<sup>2+</sup>/Calmodulin Signaling.

International journal of molecular sciences·2026

Same author

A disease model resource reveals core principles of tissue-specific cancer evolution.

Nature·2026

Same author

RAF1 as a standalone therapeutic target in KRAS-driven lung adenocarcinoma: No added efficacy from co-targeting ARAF, EGFR, or DDR1.

PloS one·2026

Same author

Treatment resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy in lung and ovarian cancer is driven by a targetable TGFβ senescent secretome.

Nature aging·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2025

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins

Published on: August 15, 2017

Different Ras isoforms regulate synaptic plasticity in opposite directions.

Esperanza López-Merino¹, Alba Fernández-Rodrigo^1,2, Jessie G Jiang¹

¹Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain.

The EMBO Journal

|February 21, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The small GTPase Ras signaling pathway is crucial for memory. Researchers found H-Ras mediates long-term depression, while K-Ras supports long-term potentiation, impacting cognitive function.

Keywords:

Hippocampus Memory RASopathies Spine mGluR

More Related Videos

Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology

Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology

Published on: March 23, 2011

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Published on: January 4, 2010

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 26, 2025

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins

Published on: August 15, 2017

Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology

Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology

Published on: March 23, 2011

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Presynaptically Silent Synapses Studied with Light Microscopy

Published on: January 4, 2010

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Molecular Biology
Genetics

Background:

The Ras GTPase is a key intracellular signaling hub vital for hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and memory formation.
RASopathies, resulting from genetic alterations in Ras signaling, are associated with human cognitive disorders.
The specific roles of different Ras isoforms in neuronal function and synaptic plasticity remain largely undefined.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the distinct functions of H-Ras and K-Ras isoforms in synaptic plasticity and memory.
To investigate the molecular mechanisms by which H-Ras regulates synaptic function and cognitive processes.

Main Methods:

Utilized genetically modified mice to study H-Ras and K-Ras function in vivo.
Investigated synaptic plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP) and metabotropic glutamate receptor-mediated long-term depression (mGluR-LTD).
Analyzed molecular signaling pathways, including c-Src, Erk activation, and de novo protein synthesis, in response to H-Ras activation.

Main Results:

H-Ras, the most abundant brain isoform, was found to mediate mGluR-LTD, not LTP.
H-Ras activation in spines during mGluR-LTD requires c-Src and triggers Erk activation and protein synthesis.
Deletion of H-Ras impaired object recognition, social, and spatial memory.
K-Ras was identified as the isoform specifically required for LTP.
Differential synaptic localization of H-Ras and K-Ras was observed.

Conclusions:

H-Ras and K-Ras exhibit functional specialization in regulating synaptic plasticity, with H-Ras mediating LTD and K-Ras mediating LTP.
These findings highlight the distinct roles of Ras isoforms in neuronal function and have implications for understanding cognitive disorders associated with RASopathies.