School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
Neuroreport. 2019 Oct 16;30(15):1008-1015. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0000000000001315.
Dendritic spines are divided into four subtypes, namely, Mushroom, Stubby, Thin, and Branched. The mushroom-shaped spines are related to learning and memory. Previous studies have shown that the dendritic cell factor 1 (Dcf1, a transmembrane protein) affects the memory process and regulates the development of dendritic spines by inhibiting the expression of lipocalin 2 (Lcn2, a member of the family containing over 20 small secreted proteins). However, the exact subtype of dendritic spines that are specifically affected by Dcf1 remains unknown. Here, we identified that deletion of Dcf1 leads to developmental defects in mushroom-shaped spines. We provide evidence for memory defects caused by Dcf1-knockout in mice. We discovered and report for the first time that Dcf1 affects the development of mushroom-shaped spines by inhibiting the expression of Lcn2. Further, we demonstrated that environmental enrichment can effectively stimulate Dcf1-knockout mice and rescue development defects in mushroom-shaped spines caused by Dcf1 deletion. Our results provide a novel direction for further studies on dendritic spine development and mechanisms associated with learning and memory.
树突棘分为四种亚型，即蘑菇形、短胖形、细长形和分支形。蘑菇形的树突棘与学习和记忆有关。先前的研究表明，树突细胞因子 1（Dcf1，一种跨膜蛋白）通过抑制脂钙蛋白 2（Lcn2，一种包含 20 多种小分泌蛋白的家族成员）的表达来影响记忆过程并调节树突棘的发育。然而，具体哪种树突棘亚型受 Dcf1 影响仍不清楚。在这里，我们确定 Dcf1 的缺失会导致蘑菇形树突棘的发育缺陷。我们为 Dcf1 敲除小鼠的记忆缺陷提供了证据。我们首次发现 Dcf1 通过抑制 Lcn2 的表达来影响蘑菇形树突棘的发育。此外，我们还证明了环境富集可以有效地刺激 Dcf1 敲除小鼠，并挽救 Dcf1 缺失引起的蘑菇形树突棘发育缺陷。我们的研究结果为进一步研究树突棘发育以及与学习和记忆相关的机制提供了新的方向。
