title: Developmental AMPA receptor subunit specificity during experience-driven synaptic plasticity in the rat barrel cortex.
abstract: During early postnatal brain development, experience-driven delivery of AMPA receptors to synapses participates in the initial organization of cortical function. By combining virus-mediated in vivo gene delivery with in vitro whole cell recordings, we identified a subunit-specific developmental program of experience-driven AMPA receptor delivery to synapses in rat barrel cortex. We expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged AMPA receptors (GFP-GluR1, or GFP-GluR4) into layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons at two distinct developmental periods, postnatal day (P)8-P10 and P12-P14. Two days after viral infection, acute brain slices were prepared, and synaptic transmission from layer 4 to layer 2/3 was analyzed by whole cell recordings. We found that whisker experience drives GluR4 but not GluR1 into these synapses early in postnatal development (P8-P10). However, at P12-14, GluR1 but not GluR4 is delivered into synapses by whisker experience. This precise developmental plan suggests unique plasticity properties endowed in different AMPA receptor subunits which shape the initial experience-driven organization of cortical function.
authors.affiliation: Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Physiology, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Misako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kunii
authors.forename: Hirobumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.forename: Akane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuroiwa
authors.forename: Takahisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malinow
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000235:genetics; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012683:Sensory Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000294:innervation*
chemical_list: D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; C104724:glutamate receptor ionotropic, AMPA 4; C104722:glutamate receptor ionotropic, AMPA 2