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- Title
Aggregate formation and the impairment of long-term synaptic facilitation by ectopic expression of mutant huntingtin in Aplysia neurons.
- Authors
Lee, Jin-A; Lim, Chae-Seok; Lee, Seung-Hee; Kim, Hyoung; Nukina, Nobuyuki; Kaang, Bong-Kiun
- Abstract
Abstract Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by an expansion of a polyglutamine (polyQ) tract within huntingtin (htt) protein. To examine the cytotoxic effects of polyQ-expanded htt, we overexpressed an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged N-terminal fragment of htt with 150 glutamine residues (Nhtt150Q-EGFP) in Aplysia neurons. A combined confocal and electron microscopic study showed that Aplysia neurons expressing Nhtt150Q-EGFP displayed numerous abnormal aggregates (diameter 0.5–5 µm) of filamentous structures, which were formed rapidly (approximately 2 h) but which were sustained for at least 18 days in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, the overexpression of Nhtt150Q-EGFP in sensory cells impaired 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-induced long-term synaptic facilitation in sensori-motor synapses without affecting basal synaptic strength or short-term facilitation. This study demonstrates the stability of polyQ-based aggregates and their specific effects on long-term synaptic plasticity.
- Subjects
NEURAL transmission; APLYSIA; NEURONS
- Publication
Journal of Neurochemistry, 2003, Vol 85, Issue 1, p160
- ISSN
0022-3042
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1046/j.1471-4159.2003.01650.x