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The Gαo Activator Mastoparan-7 Promotes Dendritic Spine Formation in Hippocampal Neurons

The Gαo Activator Mastoparan-7 Promotes Dendritic Spine Formation in Hippocampal Neurons

Valerie T Ramírez, Eva Ramos-Fernández, Nibaldo C Inestrosa

Neural Plast. 2016;2016:4258171.

PMID: 26881110

Abstract:

Mastoparan-7 (Mas-7), an analogue of the peptide mastoparan, which is derived from wasp venom, is a direct activator of Pertussis toxin- (PTX-) sensitive G proteins. Mas-7 produces several biological effects in different cell types; however, little is known about how Mas-7 influences mature hippocampal neurons. We examined the specific role of Mas-7 in the development of dendritic spines, the sites of excitatory synaptic contact that are crucial for synaptic plasticity. We report here that exposure of hippocampal neurons to a low dose of Mas-7 increases dendritic spine density and spine head width in a time-dependent manner. Additionally, Mas-7 enhances postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) clustering in neurites and activates Gα(o) signaling, increasing the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. To define the role of signaling intermediates, we measured the levels of phosphorylated protein kinase C (PKC), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and calcium-calmodulin dependent protein kinase IIα (CaMKIIα) after Mas-7 treatment and determined that CaMKII activation is necessary for the Mas-7-dependent increase in dendritic spine density. Our results demonstrate a critical role for Gα(o) subunit signaling in the regulation of synapse formation.

Chemicals Related in the Paper:

Catalog Number	Product Name	Structure	CAS Number	Price
AP145854597	Mastoparan-7		145854-59-7	Price

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