title: Stability and plasticity of developing synapses in hippocampal neuronal cultures.
abstract: To explore mechanisms governing the formation, stability, and elimination of synapses during neuronal development, we used FM 1-43 fluorescence imaging to track vesicle turnover at >7000 individually identified developing synapses between embryonic rat hippocampal neurons in culture. The majority of presynaptic boutons were stable in efficacy and position over a period of 1.5 hr. Activity, evoked by burst-patterned field stimulation, decreased presynaptic function across the population of boutons, an effect that required NMDA receptor activation. Decreased FM 1-43 staining correlated with low synapsin-I and synaptophysin immunoreactivities, suggesting that decreased presynaptic function was commensurate with synaptic disassembly. These observations provide new information on the stability of developing presynaptic function and suggest that NMDA receptor activation may regulate the stability of developing synapses.
authors.affiliation: Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, Emeryville, California 94608, Abteilung, Germany. woody@egcrc.net
authors.forename: F Woodward
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Hopf
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.forename: Samar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D016704:Synapsins / Q000378:metabolism; D013572:Synaptic Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D016704:Synapsins; D016708:Synaptophysin