Reduced ocular dominance plasticity and long-term potentiation in the developing visual cortex of protein kinase A RII alpha mutant mice.
The cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) signalling pathway has been shown to play an important role in long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD), and ocular dominance plasticity in the visual cortex. In order to investigate further the involvement of individual PKA subunits in visual cortical plasticity, LTP and LTD in vitro and ocular dominance plasticity in vivo in the developing visual cortex were examined in mice lacking the RII alpha subunit of PKA. Here we show that LTP in layers II/III was decreased in RII alpha knockout mice, but LTD was almost unaffected, and the ocular dominance shift induced by monocular deprivation was also partially blocked. These data provide evidence that RII alpha is involved in LTP and ocular dominance plasticity, and further suggest that different afferent inputs could selectively activate particular subunits of PKA and thereby direct specific aspects of visual cortical plasticity.
Rao
Yan
Y
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale University School of Medicine, 330 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520-8601 USA. yan.rao@yale.edu
Fischer
Quentin S
QS
Yang
Yupeng
Y
McKnight
G Stanley
GS
LaRue
Adrienne
A
Daw
Nigel W
NW
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D054754:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinase RIIalpha Subunit; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D023882:Dominance, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000379:methods; D005838:Genotype; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009154:Mutation; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values; D012683:Sensory Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects
D054754:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinase RIIalpha Subunit; C517821:Prkar2a protein, mouse; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases