title: Neuroligin-1 is required for normal expression of LTP and associative fear memory in the amygdala of adult animals.
abstract: Neuroligin-1 is a potent trigger for the de novo formation of synaptic connections, and it has recently been suggested that it is required for the maturation of functionally competent excitatory synapses. Despite evidence for the role of neuroligin-1 in specifying excitatory synapses, the underlying molecular mechanisms and physiological consequences that neuroligin-1 may have at mature synapses of normal adult animals remain unknown. By silencing endogenous neuroligin-1 acutely in the amygdala of live behaving animals, we have found that neuroligin-1 is required for the storage of associative fear memory. Subsequent cellular physiological studies showed that suppression of neuroligin-1 reduces NMDA receptor-mediated currents and prevents the expression of long-term potentiation without affecting basal synaptic connectivity at the thalamo-amygdala pathway. These results indicate that persistent expression of neuroligin-1 is required for the maintenance of NMDAR-mediated synaptic transmission, which enables normal development of synaptic plasticity and long-term memory in the amygdala of adult animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyungbuk 790-784, Korea.
authors.forename: Juhyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang-Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Yeon Kyung
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sangki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: June-Seek
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: C Justin
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hye-Sun
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yun-Beom
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scheiffele
authors.forename: Craig H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: Eric R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Kandel
authors.forename: Joung-Hun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism; D009435:Synaptic Transmission; D013788:Thalamus / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; C093438:neuroligin 1