title: Synaptopodin-deficient mice lack a spine apparatus and show deficits in synaptic plasticity.
abstract: The spine apparatus is a cellular organelle that is present in many dendritic spines of excitatory neurons in the mammalian forebrain. Despite its discovery >40 years ago, the function of the spine apparatus is still unknown although calcium buffering functions as well as roles in synaptic plasticity have been proposed. We have recently shown that the 100-kDa protein synaptopodin is associated with the spine apparatus. Here, we now report that mice homozygous for a targeted deletion of the synaptopodin gene completely lack spine apparatuses. Interestingly, this absence of the spine apparatus is accompanied by a reduction in hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 region of the hippocampus and by an impairment of spatial learning in the radial arm maze test. This genetic analysis points to a role of the spine apparatus in synaptic plasticity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, University of Freiburg, P.O. Box 111, D-79001 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deller
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korte
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chabanis
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drakew
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schwegler
authors.forename: Giulia Good
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Stefani
authors.forename: Aimee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zuniga
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bonhoeffer
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zeller
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frotscher
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mundel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003712:Dendrites / Q000473:pathology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000209:etiology; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D008840:Microfilament Proteins; C503968:Synpo protein, mouse