title: Postfusional regulation of cleft glutamate concentration during LTP at 'silent synapses'.
abstract: 'Silent synapses' show responses from high-affinity NMDA receptors (NMDARs) but not low-affinity AMPA receptors (AMPARs), but gain AMPAR responses upon long-term potentiation (LTP). Using the rapidly reversible NMDAR antagonist l-AP5 to assess cleft glutamate concentration ([glu]cleft), we found that it peaked at <<170 microM at silent neonatal synapses, but greatly increased after potentiation. Cyclothiazide (CTZ), a potentiator of AMPAR, revealed slowly rising AMPA EPSCs at silent synapses; LTP shortened their rise times. Thus, LTP at silent synapses increased rate-of-rise and peak amplitude of [glu]cleft. Release probability reported by NMDARs remained unchanged during LTP, implying that [glu]cleft increases arose from immediately presynaptic terminals. Our data suggest that changes in the dynamics of fusion-pore opening contribute to LTP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cellular Physiology, Beckman Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5345, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klingauf
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Tsien
mesh_terms: D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate / Q000494:pharmacology; D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001581:Benzothiadiazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D001581:Benzothiadiazines; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione; D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; C004639:cyclothiazide