Aberrant hippocampal spine morphology and impaired memory formation in neuronal platelet-derived growth factor beta-receptor lacking mice

Norifumi Shioda, Shigeki Moriguchi, Takeshi Oya, Yoko Ishii, Jie Shen, Takako Matsushima, Hisao Nishijo, Masakiyo Sasahara, Kohji Fukunaga*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

The physiological role of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in the central nervous system (CNS) synaptic function remains uncharacterized. Here we identify physiological roles of PDGF receptor-β (PDGFR-β) in the CNS by conditional knockout of the gene encoding it. In the hippocampus, PDGFR-β colocalized immunohistochemically with both presynaptic synaptophysin and postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95). In the hippocampal CA1 region, expression levels of postsynaptic proteins, including spinophilin, drebrin, and PSD-95, were significantly decreased in PDGFR-β knockout mice, although presynaptic synaptophysin levels remained comparable to controls. Interestingly, in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, dendritic spine density in PDGFR-β knockout mice was significantly decreased compared with that seen in wild-type mice, although spine length and number of dendritic branches remained unchanged. Consistent with these findings, impairment in hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and in hippocampus-dependent memory formation were seen in PDGFR-β knockout mice. These results suggest PDGFR-β plays critical roles in spine morphology and memory formation in mouse brain.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1371-1378
Number of pages8
JournalHippocampus
Volume22
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012/06

Keywords

  • Conditional knockout mice
  • Dendritic spines
  • Learning and memory
  • Platelet-derived growth factor beta-receptor
  • Synaptic plasticity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Aberrant hippocampal spine morphology and impaired memory formation in neuronal platelet-derived growth factor beta-receptor lacking mice'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this