Assembly of synapses: biomimetic assays to control neurexin/neuroligin interactions at the neuronal surface.
Current Protocols in Neuroscience. 2013-07-01; 64(1):
DOI: 10.1002/0471142301.ns0219s64
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1. Curr Protoc Neurosci. 2013 Jul;Chapter 2:Unit 2.19. doi:
10.1002/0471142301.ns0219s64.
Assembly of synapses: biomimetic assays to control neurexin/neuroligin
interactions at the neuronal surface.
Mondin M(1), Tessier B, Thoumine O.
Author information:
(1)Université Bordeaux, Bordeaux Imaging Center, Bordeaux, France.
The role of adhesion molecules in the assembly of synapses in the nervous system
is an important issue. To characterize the role of neurexin/neuroligin adhesion
complexes in synapse differentiation, various imaging assays can be performed in
primary hippocampal cultures. First, to temporally control contact formation,
biomimetic assays can be performed using microspheres coated with purified
neurexin or with antibody clusters that aggregate neurexin. These models are
combined with live fluorescence imaging to study the dynamics of accumulation of
post-synaptic components, including scaffolding molecules and glutamate
receptors. To demonstrate that AMPA receptors can be recruited to nascent
neurexin/neuroligin contacts through lateral diffusion, the mobility of AMPA
receptors in the neuronal membrane is monitored by tracking individual quantum
dots (QDs) conjugated to antibodies against AMPA receptors. Experiments
monitoring the attachment and detachment of Nrx-coated QDs to measure the rates
of neurexin/neuroligin interaction can also be performed. Each of these assays is
detailed in this unit.
2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
DOI: 10.1002/0471142301.ns0219s64
PMID: 23853109 [Indexed for MEDLINE]