Ryanodine Receptor Activation Induces Long-Term Plasticity of Spine Calcium Dynamics

PLoS Biol. 2015 Jun 22;13(6):e1002181. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002181. eCollection 2015 Jun.

Abstract

A key feature of signalling in dendritic spines is the synapse-specific transduction of short electrical signals into biochemical responses. Ca2+ is a major upstream effector in this transduction cascade, serving both as a depolarising electrical charge carrier at the membrane and an intracellular second messenger. Upon action potential firing, the majority of spines are subject to global back-propagating action potential (bAP) Ca2+ transients. These transients translate neuronal suprathreshold activation into intracellular biochemical events. Using a combination of electrophysiology, two-photon Ca2+ imaging, and modelling, we demonstrate that bAPs are electrochemically coupled to Ca2+ release from intracellular stores via ryanodine receptors (RyRs). We describe a new function mediated by spine RyRs: the activity-dependent long-term enhancement of the bAP-Ca2+ transient. Spines regulate bAP Ca2+ influx independent of each other, as bAP-Ca2+ transient enhancement is compartmentalized and independent of the dendritic Ca2+ transient. Furthermore, this functional state change depends exclusively on bAPs travelling antidromically into dendrites and spines. Induction, but not expression, of bAP-Ca2+ transient enhancement is a spine-specific function of the RyR. We demonstrate that RyRs can form specific Ca2+ signalling nanodomains within single spines. Functionally, RyR mediated Ca2+ release in these nanodomains induces a new form of Ca2+ transient plasticity that constitutes a spine specific storage mechanism of neuronal suprathreshold activity patterns.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials*
  • Animals
  • CA1 Region, Hippocampal / metabolism
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Dendritic Spines / metabolism*
  • Entorhinal Cortex / metabolism
  • Neuronal Plasticity
  • Patch-Clamp Techniques
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel / metabolism*

Substances

  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel
  • Calcium

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the German Research Foundation (DFG, http://www.dfg.de) (grant number JO1079/1-1 to FWJ, RU 1660 and IRTG 1740 to SR, Exc 257, SFB 665 and SFB 958 to DS) and a grant from the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH, https://www.bihealth.org). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.