Labelling and optical erasure of synaptic memory traces in the motor cortex.
Dendritic spines are the major loci of synaptic plasticity and are considered as possible structural correlates of memory. Nonetheless, systematic manipulation of specific subsets of spines in the cortex has been unattainable, and thus, the link between spines and memory has been correlational. We developed a novel synaptic optoprobe, AS-PaRac1 (activated synapse targeting photoactivatable Rac1), that can label recently potentiated spines specifically, and induce the selective shrinkage of AS-PaRac1-containing spines. In vivo imaging of AS-PaRac1 revealed that a motor learning task induced substantial synaptic remodelling in a small subset of neurons. The acquired motor learning was disrupted by the optical shrinkage of the potentiated spines, whereas it was not affected by the identical manipulation of spines evoked by a distinct motor task in the same cortical region. Taken together, our results demonstrate that a newly acquired motor skill depends on the formation of a task-specific dense synaptic ensemble.
Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033.|PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.
Akiko
A
Hayashi-Takagi
Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033.|CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.
Sho
S
Yagishita
Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033.
Mayumi
M
Nakamura
Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033.
Fukutoshi
F
Shirai
Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06032, USA.
Yi I
YI
Wu
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.|Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
Amanda L
AL
Loshbaugh
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.|Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
Brian
B
Kuhlman
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.|Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
Klaus M
KM
Hahn
Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033.|CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.
Haruo
H
Kasai
D000818:Animals; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008027:Light; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D051379:Mice; D015335:Molecular Probes; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D045442:Rotarod Performance Test; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*
D015335:Molecular Probes