10.3389/fnmol.2018.00103.s002
Elodie De Bruyckere
Elodie
De Bruyckere
Ruth Simon
Ruth
Simon
Sigrun Nestel
Sigrun
Nestel
Bernd Heimrich
Bernd
Heimrich
Dennis Kätzel
Dennis
Kätzel
Alexei V. Egorov
Alexei V.
Egorov
Pentao Liu
Pentao
Liu
Nancy A. Jenkins
Nancy
A. Jenkins
Neal G. Copeland
Neal
G. Copeland
Herbert Schwegler
Herbert
Schwegler
Andreas Draguhn
Andreas
Draguhn
Stefan Britsch
Stefan
Britsch
Image_2.TIF
Frontiers
2018
Bcl11b
transcription factor
hippocampus
mossy fiber boutons
synapses
2018-04-05 04:14:19
Figure
https://frontiersin.figshare.com/articles/figure/Image_2_TIF/6094691
<p>Structural and functional plasticity of synapses are critical neuronal mechanisms underlying learning and memory. While activity-dependent regulation of synaptic strength has been extensively studied, much less is known about the transcriptional control of synapse maintenance and plasticity. Hippocampal mossy fiber (MF) synapses connect dentate granule cells to CA3 pyramidal neurons and are important for spatial memory formation and consolidation. The transcription factor Bcl11b/Ctip2 is expressed in dentate granule cells and required for postnatal hippocampal development. Ablation of Bcl11b/Ctip2 in the adult hippocampus results in impaired adult neurogenesis and spatial memory. The molecular mechanisms underlying the behavioral impairment remained unclear. Here we show that selective deletion of Bcl11b/Ctip2 in the adult mouse hippocampus leads to a rapid loss of excitatory synapses in CA3 as well as reduced ultrastructural complexity of remaining mossy fiber boutons (MFBs). Moreover, a dramatic decline of long-term potentiation (LTP) of the dentate gyrus-CA3 (DG-CA3) projection is caused by adult loss of Bcl11b/Ctip2. Differential transcriptomics revealed the deregulation of genes associated with synaptic transmission in mutants. Together, our data suggest Bcl11b/Ctip2 to regulate maintenance and function of MF synapses in the adult hippocampus.</p>