Insufficient glutamine synthetase activity during synaptogenesis causes spatial memory impairment in adult mice

Sci Rep. 2019 Jan 22;9(1):252. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-36619-2.

Abstract

Glutamatergic synapses constitute a major excitatory neurotransmission system and are regulated by glutamate/glutamine (Gln) cycling between neurons and astrocytes. Gln synthetase (GS) produced by astrocytes plays an important role in maintaining the cycle. However, the significance of GS during synaptogenesis has not been clarified. GS activity and expression significantly increase from postnatal day (PD) 7 to 21, and GS is expressed prior to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and is more abundant than GFAP throughout synaptogenesis. These observations suggest that GS plays an important role in synaptogenesis. We investigated this by inhibiting GS activity in neonatal mice and assessed the consequences in adult animals. Lower expression levels of GS and GFAP were found in the CA3 region of the hippocampus but not in the CA1 region. Moreover, synaptic puncta and glutamatergic neurotransmission were also decreased in CA3. Behaviorally, mice with inhibited GS during synaptogenesis showed spatial memory-related impairment as adults. These results suggest that postnatal GS activity is important for glutamatergic synapse development in CA3.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Astrocytes / metabolism
  • Behavior Observation Techniques
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology
  • CA3 Region, Hippocampal / growth & development
  • CA3 Region, Hippocampal / metabolism
  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / metabolism
  • Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / metabolism*
  • Glutamic Acid / metabolism
  • Glutamine / metabolism
  • Male
  • Methionine Sulfoximine / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Models, Animal
  • Neurogenesis / drug effects
  • Neurogenesis / physiology*
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Spatial Memory / drug effects
  • Spatial Memory / physiology*
  • Synaptic Transmission / drug effects
  • Synaptic Transmission / physiology*

Substances

  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein
  • glial fibrillary astrocytic protein, mouse
  • Glutamine
  • Methionine Sulfoximine
  • Glutamic Acid
  • Glul protein, mouse
  • Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase