title: Synaptophysin regulates activity-dependent synapse formation in cultured hippocampal neurons.
abstract: Synaptophysin is an abundant synaptic vesicle protein without a definite synaptic function. Here, we examined a role for synaptophysin in synapse formation in mixed genotype micro-island cultures of wild-type and synaptophysin-mutant hippocampal neurons. We show that synaptophysin-mutant synapses are poor donors of presynaptic terminals in the presence of competing wild-type inputs. In homogenotypic cultures, however, mutant neurons display no apparent deficits in synapse formation compared with wild-type neurons. The reduced extent of synaptophysin-mutant synapse formation relative to wild-type synapses in mixed genotype cultures is attenuated by blockers of synaptic transmission. Our findings indicate that synaptophysin plays a previously unsuspected role in regulating activity-dependent synapse formation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, University of California at San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0366, USA.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tarsa
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Goda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009154:Mutation; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D016708:Synaptophysin