| First Author | Castillo PE | Year | 1997 |
| Journal | Nature | Volume | 388 |
| Issue | 6642 | Pages | 590-3 |
| PubMed ID | 9252190 | Mgi Jnum | J:42242 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1095427 | Doi | 10.1038/41574 |
| Citation | Castillo PE, et al. (1997) Rab3A is essential for mossy fibre long-term potentiation in the hippocampus. Nature 388(6642):590-3 |
| abstractText | Repetitive activation of excitatory synapses in the central nervous system results in a long-lasting increase in synaptic transmission called long-term potentiation (LTP). It is generally believed that this synaptic plasticity may underlie certain forms of learning and memory. LTP at most synapses involves the activation of the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) subtype of glutamate receptor, but LTP at hippocampal mossy fibre synapses is independent of NMDA receptors and has a component that is induced and expressed presynaptically. It appears to be triggered by a rise in presynaptic Ca2+, and requires the activation of protein kinase A, which leads to an increased release of glutamate. A great deal is known about the biochemical steps involved in the vesicular release of transmitter, but none of these steps has been directly implicated in long-term synaptic plasticity. Here we show that, although a variety of short-term plasticities are normal, LTP at mossy fibre synapses is abolished in mice lacking the synaptic vesicle protein Rab3A. |
