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. 2011 Jul 22;286(29):25495-504.
doi: 10.1074/jbc.M110.210260. Epub 2011 May 19.

Proteomics, ultrastructure, and physiology of hippocampal synapses in a fragile X syndrome mouse model reveal presynaptic phenotype

Affiliations

Proteomics, ultrastructure, and physiology of hippocampal synapses in a fragile X syndrome mouse model reveal presynaptic phenotype

Patricia Klemmer et al. J Biol Chem. .

Abstract

Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common form of hereditary mental retardation, is caused by a loss-of-function mutation of the Fmr1 gene, which encodes fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP affects dendritic protein synthesis, thereby causing synaptic abnormalities. Here, we used a quantitative proteomics approach in an FXS mouse model to reveal changes in levels of hippocampal synapse proteins. Sixteen independent pools of Fmr1 knock-out mice and wild type mice were analyzed using two sets of 8-plex iTRAQ experiments. Of 205 proteins quantified with at least three distinct peptides in both iTRAQ series, the abundance of 23 proteins differed between Fmr1 knock-out and wild type synapses with a false discovery rate (q-value) <5%. Significant differences were confirmed by quantitative immunoblotting. A group of proteins that are known to be involved in cell differentiation and neurite outgrowth was regulated; they included Basp1 and Gap43, known PKC substrates, and Cend1. Basp1 and Gap43 are predominantly expressed in growth cones and presynaptic terminals. In line with this, ultrastructural analysis in developing hippocampal FXS synapses revealed smaller active zones with corresponding postsynaptic densities and smaller pools of clustered vesicles, indicative of immature presynaptic maturation. A second group of proteins involved in synaptic vesicle release was up-regulated in the FXS mouse model. In accordance, paired-pulse and short-term facilitation were significantly affected in these hippocampal synapses. Together, the altered regulation of presynaptically expressed proteins, immature synaptic ultrastructure, and compromised short-term plasticity points to presynaptic changes underlying glutamatergic transmission in FXS at this stage of development.

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Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Setup of the iTRAQ experiments. The hippocampi from two mice were pooled together to obtain enough material as a single sample for proteomics analysis. Together, synaptic membrane fractions were isolated from 32 animals representing 16 independent pools of samples of Fmr1 KO mice and WT mice, respectively. Tryptic digests of synaptic membranes from these 16 samples were tagged with two sets of 8-plex iTRAQ reagents. Peptides from each set of iTRAQ experiments were pooled together, fractionated by two-dimensional liquid chromatography, and subjected to tandem mass spectrometric analysis. Protein identification and quantification were performed as detailed under “Results”.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Immunoblot analysis of selected synaptic proteins from Fmr1 KO and WT mice. a, the gene names of the proteins and the corresponding immunoreactive bands on the Western blots made from the WT and KO mice synaptic membrane samples are shown. b, the average intensity of the immunoreactive bands for each protein measured in the Fmr1 KO (gray bars) is normalized to that of the WT group (black bar; set to 100%, control). c, the Student's t test p value of the immunoblot analysis (n = 5) and corresponding q-values measured by iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics are shown. p values below 0.005 are indicated as 0.00.
FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 3.
Ultrastructural analysis of CA3 to CA1 synapses in the stratum radiatum. a–e, Fmr1 KO (a and b) as compared with WT (c and d) animals revealed a smaller length of the AZ (e). f and g, no significant differences were observed for the ratio of PSD to AZ length (f; p = 0.154), and the number of docked vesicles per AZ length (g; p = 0.375). h and i, Fmr1 KO mice showed fewer vesicles per cluster surface (h) and an increase of the ratio of docked to total number of vesicles (i) indicative for their immature phenotype. Data are mean ± S.E. The analysis consisted of n = 86–87 Fmr1 KO and n = 68–71 WT synapses from three animals per genotype. **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001 using a Newman-Keuls test. Norm. PSD, normalized PSD.
FIGURE 4.
FIGURE 4.
No significant differences in mEPSCs between CA1 pyramidal neurons of 2-week-old WT and Fmr1 KO mice. a, averaged traces of mEPSCs held at −70 mV from Fmr1 KO (black) and WT neurons (gray). b–f, no significant differences were observed between mean amplitude (Amp), area, frequency, rise time, or decay time of events recorded for WT (n = 15) and Fmr1 KO (n = 14) mice. Mean ± S.E. is shown with individual data points to the right.
FIGURE 5.
FIGURE 5.
Paired-pulse ratio is affected in Fmr1 KO mice. a, schematic showing the short-term plasticity protocol. Schaffer collateral fibers were stimulated (Stim) using a 10-pulse variable frequency, and the stimulation train and EPSCs were recorded (Rec) in CA1 pyramidal cells. b, example of single experiments (50-ms interpulse interval) showing paired-pulse facilitation in response to the first two stimuli in the train (arrowheads). EPSCs are averaged responses from 20 sweeps (stimulus artifacts truncated). c, paired-pulse facilitation in WT and Fmr1 KO pyramidal cells (interpulse interval; 50 ms). Each pair of points (connected by gray lines) shows the average first and second EPSCs from individual experiments (mean of 20 stimulus trains). Points connected by a thick black line show group averages. d, effect of interstimulus interval on paired-pulse facilitation. PPR is plotted against the interpulse interval (each point shows the mean ± S.E., *, p < 0.05, **, p < 0.01).
FIGURE 6.
FIGURE 6.
Hippocampal short-term synaptic plasticity is affected in Fmr1 KO mice. a, example single experiments (100-ms interpulse interval) showing short-term synaptic plasticity in response to a 10-pulse stimulus train (arrowheads). EPSC trains are the averaged responses from 20 sweeps (stimulus artifacts truncated). b, averaged synaptic facilitation during the stimulus train. Each point represents the averaged EPSC amplitude from all 10 pulses, normalized to the amplitude of the first EPSC in the train (bars show average (Train avg) S.E.). c–e, facilitation is reduced in Fmr1 KO mice, with low frequency synaptic input. Interpulse intervals are as follows: 100 (c), 70 (d), and 50 (e) ms. Each point shows the EPSC amplitudes, averaged from 20 sweeps, normalized to the amplitude (Amp (Norm)) of the first EPSC (*, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; bars show S.E.).

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