Identification of Proteins that associate with CPG2 at the excitatory Synapse

• Antragsteller: Dr. Sven Löbrich
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Molekulare Biologie und Physiologie von Nerven- und Gliazellen
• Förderung: Förderung von 2006 bis 2008
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 30491096

Neurons represent the functional entities of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Within neuronal networks, they communicate with each other predominantly via chemical synapses. The strength of synaptic contacts can be modulated and synaptic plasticity is seen throughout the development of the CNS and in processes such as learning and memory consolidation. Synaptic plasticity is also a prerequisite for the reorganization of sensory maps in the brain. Glutamate receptor-mediated activity is critical for the regulation of synaptic strength. A methodic screen using kainate-induced activity has identified genes that potentially influence synaptic plasticity, among them cpg2 (candidate plasticity gene 2), encoding a brain and synapse specific protein that regulates endocytosis of AMPA-type glutamate receptors.The aim of the proposed project is to identify new protein interaction partners of CPG2 with different approaches and to characterize the interactions in order to build a deeper understanding about the regulation of CPG2 in synaptic plasticity processes. CPG2 contains multiple protein-interaction domains, including spectrin repeats. Hence, it is a prime candidate for linking transmembrane proteins to the actin cytoskeleton and/or the endocytotic machinery. Unraveling CPG2¿s functional interactions with components of the well-characterized glutamatergic synsapse will help understand the molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in greater detail. Their elucidation is expected to enrich our current knowledge about synaptic plasticity in general and will give new insights into the regulation of surface glutamate receptors in particular.

• DFG-Verfahren: Forschungsstipendien
• Internationaler Bezug: USA
• Gastgeberin: Professorin Elly Nedivi, Ph.D.