Cell Reports
Volume 13, Issue 5, 3 November 2015, Pages 933-943
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Positioning of AMPA Receptor-Containing Endosomes Regulates Synapse Architecture

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2015.09.062Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Visualization of AMPA receptors trafficking in recycling endosomes in dendrites

  • Trafficking of Rab11 endosomes depends on both microtubule and actin cytoskeleton

  • Effective temporal control of endosomal trafficking in dendritic spines

  • Induced removal of recycling endosomes from spines affects synapse architecture

Summary

Lateral diffusion in the membrane and endosomal trafficking both contribute to the addition and removal of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) at postsynaptic sites. However, the spatial coordination between these mechanisms has remained unclear, because little is known about the dynamics of AMPAR-containing endosomes. In addition, how the positioning of AMPAR-containing endosomes affects synapse organization and functioning has never been directly explored. Here, we used live-cell imaging in hippocampal neuron cultures to show that intracellular AMPARs are transported in Rab11-positive recycling endosomes, which frequently enter dendritic spines and depend on the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton. By using chemically induced dimerization systems to recruit kinesin (KIF1C) or myosin (MyosinV/VI) motors to Rab11-positive recycling endosomes, we controlled their trafficking and found that induced removal of recycling endosomes from spines decreases surface AMPAR expression and PSD-95 clusters at synapses. Our data suggest a mechanistic link between endosome positioning and postsynaptic structure and composition.

Keywords

synaptic plasticity
intracellular transport
AMPA receptors
dendritic spine
cytoskeleton
microtubule
actin
myosin
kinesin
KIF1C
myosinV
myosinVI

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This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).