title: A role for reactive oxygen/nitrogen species and iron on neuronal synaptic plasticity.
abstract: A great body of experimental evidence collected over many years indicates that calcium has a central role in a variety of neuronal functions. In particular, calcium participates in synaptic plasticity, a neuronal process presumably correlated with cognitive brain functions such as learning and memory. In contrast, only recently, evidence has begun to emerge supporting a physiological role of reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species in synaptic plasticity. This subject will be the central topic of this review. The authors also present recent results showing that, in hippocampal neurons, ROS/RNS, including ROS generated by iron through the Fenton reaction, stimulate ryanodine receptor-mediated calcium release, and how the resulting calcium signals activate the signaling cascades that lead to the transcription of genes known to participate in synaptic plasticity. They discuss the possible participation of ryanodine receptors jointly stimulated by calcium and ROS/RNS in the normal signaling cascades needed for synaptic plasticity, and how too much ROS production may contribute to neurodegeneration via excessive calcium release. In addition, the dual role of iron as a necessary, but potentially toxic, element for normal neuronal function is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centro FONDAP de Estudios Moleculares de la Célula, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. chidalgo@med.uchile.cl
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.forename: M Angélica
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Carrasco
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: Marco T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Núñez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D019837:Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D019837:Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; D007501:Iron; D002118:Calcium