title: Control of synaptic function by endocannabinoid-mediated retrograde signaling.
abstract: Since the first reports in 2001, great advances have been made towards the understanding of endocannabinoid-mediated synaptic modulation. Electrophysiological studies have revealed that one of the two major endocannabinoids, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), is produced from membrane lipids upon postsynaptic Ca(2+) elevation and/or activation of Gq/11-coupled receptors, and released from postsynaptic neurons. The released 2-AG then acts retrogradely onto presynaptic cannabinoid CB1 receptors and induces suppression of neurotransmitter release either transiently or persistently. These forms of 2-AG-mediated retrograde synaptic modulation are functional throughout the brain. The other major endocannabinoid, anandamide, mediates a certain form of endocannabinoid-mediated long-term depression (LTD). Anandamide also functions as an agonist for transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor type 1 (TRPV1) and mediates endocannabinoid-independent and TRPV1-dependent forms of LTD. It has also been demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system itself is plastic, which can be either up- or down-regulated by experimental or environmental conditions. In this review, I will make an overview of the mechanisms underlying endocannabinoid-mediated synaptic modulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo.
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology*; D063388:Endocannabinoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D043802:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11 / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D036881:Long-Term Synaptic Depression / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000378:metabolism; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D063388:Endocannabinoids; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; C494482:TRPV1 protein, human; D043802:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11