Impairment of neocortical long-term potentiation in mice deficient of endothelial nitric oxide synthase.
The role of the possible retrograde messenger nitric oxide (NO) in the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) was studied in supragranular layers of somatosensory cortical slices obtained from adult mice. High-frequency stimulation produced a slowly rising, long-lasting (50 min) and significant (P < 0.001) increase in the extracellular synaptic response by 23%. The induction of LTP was independent from activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, but prevented by bath application of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), indicating that one or several of the different NO synthases (NOS) produced NO within the postsynaptic neuron. No LTP could be induced in knockout mice lacking the endothelial NOS (eNOS) isoform. These data suggest that eNOS is involved in an NMDA receptor-independent form of LTP in the rodent cerebral cortex.
Institute of Neurophysiology, University of Düsseldorf, D-40001 Dusseldorf, Germany.
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S
Haul
A
A
Gödecke
J
J
Schrader
H L
HL
Haas
H J
HJ
Luhmann
D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D019579:Neocortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology
D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496315:Nos3 protein, mouse; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester