Biomedical subjects

Ayse Dosemeci

Publications and source records attributed to Ayse Dosemeci.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Preparation of postsynaptic density fraction from hippocampal slices and proteomic analysis.

Hippocampal slices offer an excellent experimental system for the study of activity-induced changes in the postsynaptic density (PSD). While studies have documented electrophysiological and structural changes at synapses in response to precise manipulations of hippocampal slices, parallel biochemical and proteomic analyses were hampered by the lack of subcellular fractionation techniques applicable to starting tissue about three orders of magnitude smaller than that used in conventional protocols. Here, we describe a simple and convenient method for the preparation of PSD fractions from hippocampal slices and the identification of its components by proteomic techniques. The "micro PSD fraction" obtained following two consecutive extractions of a synaptosomal fraction with Triton X-100 shows a significant enrichment in the marker protein PSD-95. Thin section electron microscopy shows PSDs similar to those observed in situ. However, other particulate material, especially myelin, and membrane vesicles are also present. The composition of the PSD fraction from hippocampal slices was analyzed by 2D LC/MS/MS. The proteomic approach which utilizes as little as 10microg total protein allowed the identification of >100 proteins. Many of the proteins detected in the fraction are the same as those identified in conventional PSD preparations including specialized PSD-scaffolding proteins, signaling molecules, cytoskeletal elements as well as certain contaminants. The results show the feasibility of the preparation of a PSD fraction from hippocampal slices of reasonable purity and of sufficient yield for proteomic analyses. In addition, we show that further purification of PSDs is possible using magnetic beads coated with a PSD-95 antibody.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Persistent accumulation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in dendritic spines after induction of NMDA receptor-dependent chemical long-term potentiation.

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is a leading candidate for a synaptic memory molecule because it is persistently activated after long-term potentiation (LTP) induction and because mutations that block this persistent activity prevent LTP and learning. Previous work showed that synaptic stimulation causes a rapidly reversible translocation of CaMKII to the synaptic region. We have now measured green fluorescent protein (GFP)-CaMKIIalpha translocation into synaptic spines during NMDA receptor-dependent chemical LTP (cLTP) and find that under these conditions, translocation is persistent. Using red fluorescent protein as a cell morphology marker, we found that there are two components of the persistent accumulation. cLTP produces a persistent increase in spine volume, and some of the increase in GFP-CaMKIIalpha is secondary to this volume change. In addition, cLTP results in a dramatic increase in the bound fraction of GFP-CaMKIIalpha in spines. To further study the bound pool, immunogold electron microscopy was used to measure CaMKIIalpha in the postsynaptic density (PSD), an important regulator of synaptic function. cLTP produced a persistent increase in the PSD-associated pool of CaMKIIalpha. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that CaMKIIalpha accumulation at synapses is a memory trace of past synaptic activity.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

PubMed2003

Distribution of postsynaptic density (PSD)-95 and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II at the PSD.

Postsynaptic densities (PSDs) contain proteins that regulate synaptic transmission. We determined the positions of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and PSD-95 within the three-dimensional structure of isolated PSDs using immunogold labeling, rotary shadowing, and electron microscopic tomography. The results show that all PSDs contain a central mesh immediately underlying the postsynaptic membrane. Label for PSD-95 is found on both the cytoplasmic and cleft sides of this mesh, averaging 12 nm from the cleft side. All PSDs label for PSD-95. The properties of CaMKII labeling are quite different. Label is virtually absent on the cleft sides of PSDs, but can be heavy on the cytoplasmic side at a mean distance of 25 nm from the cleft. In tomograms, CaMKII holoenzymes can be visualized directly, appearing as labeled, tower-like structures reflecting the 20 nm diameter of the holoenzyme. These towers protrude from the cytoplasmic side of the central mesh. There appears to be a local organization of CaMKII, as judged by fact that the nearest-neighbor distances are nearly invariant over a wide range of labeling density for CaMKII. The average density of CaMKII holoenzymes is highly variable, ranging from zero to values approaching a tightly packed state. This variability is significantly higher than that for PSD-95 and is consistent with an information storage role for CaMKII.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Affinity purification of PSD-95-containing postsynaptic complexes.

A widely used method for the preparation of postsynaptic density (PSD) fractions consists of treatment of synaptosomal membranes with Triton X-100 and further purification by density gradient centrifugation. In the present study, the purity of this preparation was assessed by electron microscopic analysis. Thin-section and rotary shadow immuno-electron microscopy of the Triton X-100-derived PSD fraction shows many PSD-95-positive structures that resemble in situ PSDs in shape and size. However, the fraction also includes contaminants such as CaMKII clusters, spectrin filaments and neurofilaments. We used magnetic beads coated with an antibody against PSD-95 to further purify PSD-95-containing complexes from the Triton-derived PSD fraction. Biochemical analysis of the affinity-purified material shows a substantial reduction in the astrocytic marker glial fibrillary acidic protein and electron microscopic analysis shows mostly individual PSDs attached to magnetic beads. This preparation was used to assess the association of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA)-type glutamate receptors with the PSD-95-containing complex. AMPA receptors are demonstrated by immunoblotting to be present in the complex, although they do not co-purify exclusively with PSD-95, suggesting the existence of two pools of receptors, one associated with the PSD-95 scaffold and the other not. Of the AMPA receptor-anchoring proteins tested, SAP-97 is present in the affinity-purified preparation whereas GRIP is found only in trace amounts. These results imply that a subpopulation of AMPA receptors is anchored to the PSD-95-containing scaffold through interaction of GluR1 with SAP-97.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Phosphoproteomic analysis of synaptosomes from human cerebral cortex.

Protein phosphorylation is a crucial post-translational modification mechanism in the regulation of synaptic organization and function. Here, we analyzed synaptosome fractions from human cerebral cortex obtained during therapeutic surgery. To minimize changes in the phosphorylation state of proteins, the tissue was homogenized within two minutes of excision. Synaptosomal proteins were digested with trypsin and phosphopeptides were isolated by immobilized metal affinity chromatography and analyzed by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The method allowed the detection of residues on synaptic proteins that were presumably phosphorylated in the intact cell, including synapsin 1, syntaxin 1, and SNIP, PSD-93, NCAM, GABA-B receptor, chaperone molecules, and protein kinases. Some of the residues identified are the same or homologous to sites that had been previously described to be phosphorylated in mammals whereas others appear to be novel sites which, to our knowledge, have not been reported previously. The study shows that new phosphoproteomic strategies can be used to analyze subcellular fractions from small amounts of tissue for the identification of phosphorylated residues for research and potentially for diagnostic purposes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗