Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
J Neurosci. 2011 Apr 6;31(14):5235-43. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5252-10.2011.
R-type calcium channels in postsynaptic spines signal through functional calcium microdomains to regulate a calcium/calmodulin-sensitive potassium channel that in turn regulates postsynaptic hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). Here, we ask whether R-type calcium channels in presynaptic terminals also signal through calcium microdomains to control presynaptic LTP. We focus on presynaptic LTP at parallel fiber to Purkinje cell synapses in the cerebellum (PF-LTP), which is mediated by calcium/calmodulin-stimulated adenylyl cyclases. Although most presynaptic calcium influx is through N-type and P/Q-type calcium channels, blocking these channels does not disrupt PF-LTP, but blocking R-type calcium channels does. Moreover, global calcium signaling cannot account for the calcium dependence of PF-LTP because R-type channels contribute modestly to overall calcium entry. These findings indicate that, within presynaptic terminals, R-type calcium channels produce calcium microdomains that evoke presynaptic LTP at moderate frequencies that do not greatly increase global calcium levels.
R 型钙通道在后突触棘中通过功能性钙微区传递信号,调节钙/钙调蛋白敏感的钾通道,进而调节海马长时程增强(LTP)。在这里,我们想知道突触前末梢中的 R 型钙通道是否也通过钙微区传递信号来控制突触前 LTP。我们专注于小脑浦肯野细胞突触的平行纤维到浦肯野细胞突触的突触前 LTP(PF-LTP),它由钙/钙调蛋白刺激的腺苷酸环化酶介导。尽管大多数突触前钙内流是通过 N 型和 P/Q 型钙通道进行的,但阻断这些通道不会破坏 PF-LTP,但阻断 R 型钙通道会破坏 PF-LTP。此外,全局钙信号不能解释 PF-LTP 的钙依赖性,因为 R 型通道对整体钙内流的贡献不大。这些发现表明,在突触前末梢内,R 型钙通道产生钙微区,在不大大增加全局钙水平的情况下,以中等频率引发突触前 LTP。