title: Postsynaptic target specificity of neurotrophin-induced presynaptic potentiation.
abstract: The role of the target cell in neurotrophin-induced modifications of glutamatergic synaptic transmission was examined in cultured hippocampal neurons. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) induced rapid and persistent potentiation of evoked glutamate release when the postsynaptic neuron was glutamatergic, or excitatory (E-->E), but not when it was GABAergic, or inhibitory (E-->1). This target-specific action of BDNF was also found at divergent outputs of a single presynaptic neuron innervating both glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons, suggesting that individual terminals can be independently modified. Surprisingly, BDNF increased the frequency of miniature postsynaptic currents at both E-->E and E-->I, although it had no effect on evoked currents at E-->I. Finally, potentiation by neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) was also target specific. The selective effect at E-->E suggests that retrograde signaling by the postsynaptic target cell endows a localized presynaptic action of neurotrophins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, USA.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Schinder
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berninger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Poo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D020933:Neurotrophin 3 / Q000494:pharmacology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000502:physiology; D013570:Synaptic Membranes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D020933:Neurotrophin 3; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid