title: Activation of Group I and Group II Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors Causes LTD and LTP of Electrical Synapses in the Rat Thalamic Reticular Nucleus.
abstract: Compared with the extensive characterization of chemical synaptic plasticity, electrical synaptic plasticity remains poorly understood. Electrical synapses are strong and prevalent among the GABAergic neurons of the rodent thalamic reticular nucleus. Using paired whole-cell recordings, we show that activation of Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) induces long-term depression of electrical synapses. Conversely, activation of the Group II mGluR, mGluR3, induces long-term potentiation of electrical synapses. By testing downstream targets, we show that modifications induced by both mGluR groups converge on the same signaling cascade--adenylyl cyclase to cAMP to protein kinase A--but with opposing effects. Furthermore, the magnitude of modification is inversely correlated to baseline coupling strength. Thus, electrical synapses, like their chemical counterparts, undergo both strengthening and weakening forms of plasticity, which should play a significant role in thalamocortical function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.
authors.forename: Zemin
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8784-8105
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Neely
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 carole.landisman@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carole E
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1973-6582
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Landisman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D054351:Electrical Synapses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018683:Excitatory Amino Acid Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D036881:Long-Term Synaptic Depression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / Q000378:metabolism*; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D018683:Excitatory Amino Acid Agents; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; C108822:metabotropic glutamate receptor 2; C104077:metabotropic glutamate receptor type 1
keywords: electrical synapses; gap junctions; mGluRs; synaptic plasticity