title: Effects of extracellular matrix-degrading proteases matrix metalloproteinases 3 and 9 on spatial learning and synaptic plasticity.
abstract: Rats learning the Morris water maze exhibit hippocampal changes in synaptic morphology and physiology that manifest as altered synaptic efficacy. Learning requires structural changes in the synapse, and multiple cell adhesion molecules appear to participate. The activity of these cell adhesion molecules is, in large part, dependent on their interaction with the extracellular matrix (ECM). Given that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are responsible for transient alterations in the ECM, we predicted that MMP function is critical for hippocampal-dependent learning. In support of this, it was observed that hippocampal MMP-3 and -9 increased transiently during water maze acquisition as assessed by western blotting and mRNA analysis. The ability of the NMDA receptor channel blocker MK801 to attenuate these changes indicated that the transient MMP changes were in large part dependent upon NMDA receptor activation. Furthermore, inhibition of MMP activity with MMP-3 and -9 antisense oligonucleotides and/or MMP inhibitor FN-439 altered long-term potentiation and prevented acquisition in the Morris water maze. The learning-dependent MMP alterations were shown to modify the stability of the actin-binding protein cortactin, which plays an essential role in regulating the dendritic cytoskeleton and synaptic efficiency. Together these results indicate that changes in MMP function are critical to synaptic plasticity and hippocampal-dependent learning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA. seshunter@msn.com
authors.forename: Starla E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Meighan
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Meighan
authors.forename: Papiya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Choudhury
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Mikel L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Zornes
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Joseph W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Harding
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D051356:Cortactin / Q000378:metabolism; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000494:pharmacology; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D020319:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: C095170:4-aminobenzoyl-glycyl-prolyl-leucyl-alanine hydroxamic acid; D051356:Cortactin; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids; D020319:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides, Antisense; D009842:Oligopeptides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9