Biology subjects

Perez-Alvarez, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Perez-Alvarez, A..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

Freeze-frame imaging of dendritic calcium signals with TubuTag

The extensive dendritic arbor of neurons is thought to be actively involved in the processing of information. Dendrites contain a rich diversity of ligand- and voltage-activated ion channels as well as metabotropic receptors. In addition, they are capable of releasing calcium from intracellular stores. Under specific conditions, large neurons produce calcium spikes that are locally restricted to a dendritic section. To investigate calcium signaling in dendrites, we introduce TubuTag, a genetically encoded calcium sensor anchored to the cytoskeleton. TubuTag integrates cytoplasmic calcium signals by irreversible photoconversion from green to red fluorescence when illuminated with violet light. To image the mm-long dendritic tree of pyramidal neurons at subcellular resolution, we used a custom two-photon microscope with a large field of view. As the read-out of fluorescence can be performed several hours after photoconversion, TubuTag will help investigating dendritic signal integration and calcium homeostasis in large populations of neurons.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Endoplasmic reticulum visits highly active spines and prevents runaway potentiation of synapses

In hippocampal pyramidal cells, a small subset of dendritic spines contain endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In large spines, ER frequently forms a spine apparatus, while smaller spines contain just a single tubule of smooth ER. Here we show that the ER visits dendritic spines in a non-random manner, targeting spines during periods of high synaptic activity. When we blocked ER motility using a dominant negative approach against myosin V, spine synapses became stronger compared to controls. We were not able to further potentiate these maxed-out synapses, but LTD was readily induced by low-frequency stimulation. We conclude that the brief ER visits to active spines have the important function of preventing runaway potentiation of individual spine synapses, keeping most of them at an intermediate strength level from which both LTP and LTD are possible.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Freeze-frame imaging of synaptic activity using SynTagMA

Information within the brain travels from neuron to neuron across synapses. At any given moment, only a few synapses within billions will be active and are thought to transmit key information about the environment, a behavior being executed or memory being recalled. Here we present SynTagMA, which marks active synapses within a ~2 s time window. Upon violet illumination, the genetically expressed tag converts from green to red fluorescence if bound to calcium. Targeted to presynaptic terminals, preSynTagMA allows discrimination between active and silent axons. Targeted to excitatory postsynapses, postSynTagMA creates a snapshot of synapses active just before photoconversion. To analyze large datasets, we developed an analysis program that automatically identifies and tracks the fluorescence of thousands of individual synapses in tissue. Together, these tools provide a high throughput method for repeatedly mapping active synapses in vitro and in vivo.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Characterization of neuronal synaptopodin reveals a myosin V-dependent mechanism of synaptopodin clustering at the post-synaptic sites

The spine apparatus (SA) is an endoplasmic reticulum-related organelle which is present in a subset of dendritic spines in cortical and pyramidal neurons. The synaptopodin protein localizes between the stacks of the spine apparatus and is essential for the formation of this unique organelle. Although several studies have demonstrated the significance of the SA and synaptopodin in calcium homeostasis and plasticity of dendritic spines, it is still unclear what factors contribute to its stability at the synapse and whether the SA is locally formed or it is actively delivered to the spines. In this study we show that synaptopodin clusters are stable at their locations. We found no evidence of active microtubule-based transport for synaptopodin. Instead new clusters were emerging in the spines, which we interpret as the SA being assembled on-site. Furthermore, using super-resolution microscopy we show a tight association of synaptopodin with actin filaments. We identify the actin-based motor proteins myosin V and VI as novel interaction partners of synaptopodin and demonstrate that myosin V is important for the formation and/or maintenance of the SA.

neuroscience↗