DIP/WISH deficiency enhances synaptic function and performance in the Barnes maze.
BACKGROUND
DIP (diaphanous interacting protein)/WISH (WASP interacting SH3 protein) is a protein involved in cytoskeletal signaling which regulates actin cytoskeleton dynamics and/or microtubules mainly through the activity of Rho-related proteins. Although it is well established that: 1) spine-head volumes change dynamically and reflect the strength of the synapse accompanying long-term functional plasticity of glutamatergic synaptic transmission and 2) actin organization is critically involved in spine formation, the involvement of DIP/WISH in these processes is unknown.


RESULTS
We found that DIP/WISH-deficient hippocampal CA1 neurons exhibit enhanced long-term potentiation via modulation of both pre- and post-synaptic events. Consistent with these electrophysiological findings, DIP/WISH-deficient mice, particularly at a relatively young age, found the escape hole more rapidly in the Barnes maze test.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that DIP/WISH deletion improves performance in the Barnes maze test in mice probably through increased hippocampal long-term potentiation.
Division of Cell Signaling, Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience (National Institute for Physiological Sciences), Japan.
Suhail
S
Asrar
Keiko
K
Kaneko
Keizo
K
Takao
Jaina
J
Negandhi
Makoto
M
Matsui
Koji
K
Shibasaki
Tsuyoshi
T
Miyakawa
Robert V
RV
Harrison
Zhengping
Z
Jia
Michael W
MW
Salter
Makoto
M
Tominaga
Tomoko
T
Fukumi-Tominaga
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000503:physiopathology; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000502:physiology; D018782:Maze Learning; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D009124:Muscle Proteins; C426229:Nckipsd protein, mouse