title: PSD-95-like membrane associated guanylate kinases (PSD-MAGUKs) and synaptic plasticity.
abstract: Activity-dependent modification of excitatory synaptic transmission is a fundamental mechanism for developmental plasticity of the neural circuits and experience-dependent plasticity. Synaptic glutamatergic receptors including AMPA receptors and NMDA receptors (AMPARs and NMDARs) are embedded in the postsynaptic density, a highly organized protein network. Overwhelming data have shown that PSD-95-like membrane associated guanylate kinases (PSD-MAGUKs), a major family of scaffold proteins at glutamatergic synapses, regulate basal synaptic AMPAR function and trafficking. It is now clear that PSD-MAGUKs have multifaceted functions in regulating both basal synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. Here we discuss recent advancements in understanding the roles of PSD-95 and other family members of PSD-MAGUKs in synaptic plasticity, both as an anchoring protein for synaptic AMPARs and as a signaling scaffold for mediating the interaction of the signaling complex and NMDARs.
authors: Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02319, United States. weifeng@mit.edu
authors: Weifeng
authors: W
authors: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000378:metabolism; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism; D000074407:SAP90-PSD95 Associated Proteins; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D000074407:SAP90-PSD95 Associated Proteins