Biomedical subjects

Alan Y W Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Alan Y W Lee.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

The cell recognition molecule L1 and cognition.

Cell adhesion molecules were classically known to be key players in a whole array of biological functions during development through cell-cell and cell-substratum adhesion. Accumulating evidence suggests, however, that the functional significance of adhesion molecules may extend well beyond embryonic development into adult stage. The aim of this article is to review our current knowledge on the implications of adhesion molecules in various cognitive processes. Particular emphasis was placed on the immunoglobulin superfamily of adhesion molecules, which are found to be involved in activity-dependent plasticity of the nervous system, and hence promising candidates in modulating cognitive functions.

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PubMed2004

Conditional ablation of the neural cell adhesion molecule reduces precision of spatial learning, long-term potentiation, and depression in the CA1 subfield of mouse hippocampus.

NCAM, a neural cell adhesion molecule of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is involved in neuronal migration and differentiation, axon outgrowth and fasciculation, and synaptic plasticity. To dissociate the functional roles of NCAM in the adult brain from developmental abnormalities, we generated a mutant in which the NCAM gene is inactivated by cre-recombinase under the control of the calcium-calmodulin-dependent kinase II promoter, resulting in reduction of NCAM expression predominantly in the hippocampus. This mutant (NCAMff+) did not show the overt morphological and behavioral abnormalities previously observed in constitutive NCAM-deficient (NCAM-/-) mice. However, similar to the NCAM-/- mouse, a reduction in long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 region of the hippocampus was revealed. Long-term depression was also abolished in NCAMff+ mice. The deficit in LTP could be rescued by elevation of extracellular Ca2+ concentrations from 1.5 or 2.0 to 2.5 mm, suggesting an involvement of NCAM in regulation of Ca2+-dependent signaling during LTP. Contrary to the NCAM-/- mouse, LTP in the CA3 region was normal, consistent with normal mossy fiber lamination in NCAMff+ as opposed to abnormal lamination in NCAM-/- mice. NCAMff+ mutants did not show general deficits in short- and long-term memory in global landmark navigation in the water maze but were delayed in the acquisition of precise spatial orientation, a deficit that could be overcome by training. Thus, mice conditionally deficient in hippocampal NCAM expression in the adult share certain abnormalities characteristic of NCAM-/- mice, highlighting the role of NCAM in the regulation of synaptic plasticity in the CA1 region.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Decreased anxiety, altered place learning, and increased CA1 basal excitatory synaptic transmission in mice with conditional ablation of the neural cell adhesion molecule L1.

L1, a neural cell adhesion molecule of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is involved in neuronal migration and differentiation and axon outgrowth and guidance. Mutations in the human and mouse L1 gene result in similarly severe neurological abnormalities. To dissociate the functional roles of L1 in the adult brain from developmental abnormalities, we have generated a mutant in which the L1 gene is inactivated by cre-recombinase under the control of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II promoter. This mutant (L1fy+) did not show the overt morphological and behavioral abnormalities observed previously in constitutive L1-deficient (L1-/-) mice; however, there was an increase in basal excitatory synaptic transmission that was not apparent in L1-/- mice. Similar to L1-/- mice, no defects in short- and long-term potentiation in the CA1 region of the hippocampus were observed. Interestingly, L1fy+ mice showed decreased anxiety in the open field and elevated plus-maze, contrary to L1-/- mice, and altered place learning in the water maze, similar to L1-/- mice. Thus, mice conditionally deficient in L1 expression in the adult brain share some abnormalities, but also display different ones, as compared with L1-/- mice, highlighting the role of L1 in the regulation of synaptic transmission and behavior in adulthood.

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