Presynaptically silent synapses are modulated by the density of surrounding astrocytes

Kohei Oyabu; Kotomi Takeda; Hiroyuki Kawano; Kaori Kubota; Takuya Watanabe; N. Charles Harata; Shutaro Katsurabayashi; Katsunori Iwasaki

doi:10.1016/j.jphs.2020.07.009

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Presynaptically silent synapses are modulated by the density of surrounding astrocytes

Journal article

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Presynaptically silent synapses are modulated by the density of surrounding astrocytes

Kohei Oyabu, Kotomi Takeda, Hiroyuki Kawano, Kaori Kubota, Takuya Watanabe, N. Charles Harata, Shutaro Katsurabayashi and Katsunori Iwasaki

Journal of pharmacological sciences, Vol.144(2), pp.76-82

10/2020

DOI: 10.1016/j.jphs.2020.07.009

PMID: 32736867

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Abstract

Astrocytes, comprising the primary glial-cell type, are involved in the formation and maturation of synapses, and thus contribute to sustainable synaptic transmission between neurons. Given that the animals in higher phylogenetic tree have brains with a higher density of glial cells with respect to neurons, there is a possibility that the relative astrocytic density directly influences synaptic transmission. However, the notion has not been tested thoroughly. Here we addressed it, by using a primary culture preparation where single hippocampal neurons are surrounded by a variable but a countable number of cortical astrocytes in dot-patterned microislands, and recording synaptic transmission by patch-clamp electrophysiology. Neurons with a higher astrocytic density showed a higher amplitude of the evoked excitatory postsynaptic current than that of neurons with a lower astrocytic density. The size of the readily releasable pool of synaptic vesicles per neuron was significantly larger. The frequency of spontaneous synaptic transmission was higher, but the amplitude was unchanged. The number of morphologically identified glutamatergic synapses was comparable, but the percentage of functional ones was increased, indicating a lower ratio of presynaptically silent synapses. Taken together, the higher astrocytic density enhanced excitatory synaptic transmission by increasing the fraction of functional synapses through presynaptic un-silencing.

Astrocyte

Excitatory synaptic transmission

Neurotransmitter release

Silent synapse

Details

Title: Subtitle: Presynaptically silent synapses are modulated by the density of surrounding astrocytes
Creators: Kohei Oyabu - Fukuoka University
Kotomi Takeda - Fukuoka University
Hiroyuki Kawano - University of Iowa
Kaori Kubota - Department of Neuropharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan
Takuya Watanabe - Fukuoka University
N. Charles Harata - University of Iowa
Shutaro Katsurabayashi - Fukuoka University
Katsunori Iwasaki - Fukuoka University
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of pharmacological sciences, Vol.144(2), pp.76-82
DOI: 10.1016/j.jphs.2020.07.009
PMID: 32736867
NLM abbreviation: J Pharmacol Sci
ISSN: 1347-8613
eISSN: 1347-8648
Publisher: Elsevier B.V
Grant note: DOI: 10.13039/501100001691, name: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Language: English
Date published: 10/2020
Academic Unit: Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Record Identifier: 9984297606102771

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