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Biomedical subjects

Daniel Choquet

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel Choquet.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

NMDA receptor surface mobility depends on NR2A-2B subunits.

The NR2 subunit composition of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) varies during development, and this change is important in NMDAR-dependent signaling. In particular, synaptic NMDAR switch from containing mostly NR2B subunit to a mixture of NR2B and NR2A subunits. The pathways by which neurons differentially traffic NR2A- and NR2B-containing NMDARs are poorly understood. Using single-particle and -molecule approaches and specific antibodies directed against NR2A and NR2B extracellular epitopes, we investigated the surface mobility of native NR2A and NR2B subunits at the surface of cultured neurons. The surface mobility of NMDARs depends on the NR2 subunit subtype, with NR2A-containing NMDARs being more stable than NR2B-containing ones, and NR2A subunit overexpression stabilizes surface NR2B-containing NMDARs. The developmental change in the synaptic surface content of NR2A and NR2B subunits was correlated with a developmental change in the time spent by the subunits within synapses. This suggests that the switch in synaptic NMDAR subtypes depends on the regulation of the receptor surface trafficking.

Animals↗

Single nanoparticle photothermal tracking (SNaPT) of 5-nm gold beads in live cells.

Tracking individual nano-objects in live cells during arbitrary long times is a ubiquitous need in modern biology. We present here a method for tracking individual 5-nm gold nanoparticles on live cells. It relies on the photothermal effect and the detection of the Laser Induced Scattering around a NanoAbsorber (LISNA). The key point for recording trajectories at video rate is the use of a triangulation procedure. The effectiveness of the method is tested against single fluorescent molecule tracking in live COS7 cells on subsecond timescales. We further demonstrate recordings for several minutes of AMPA receptors trajectories on the plasma membrane of live neurons. Single Nanoparticle Photothermal Tracking has the unique potential to record arbitrary long trajectory of membrane proteins using nonfluorescent nanometer-sized labels.

Animals↗

AMPA and NMDA glutamate receptor trafficking: multiple roads for reaching and leaving the synapse.

Glutamate receptor trafficking in and out of synapses is one of the core mechanisms for rapid changes in the number of functional receptors during synaptic plasticity. Recent data have shown that the fast gain and loss of receptors from synaptic sites are accounted for by endocytic/exocytic processes and by their lateral diffusion in the plane of the membrane. These events are interdependent and regulated by neuronal activity and interactions with scaffolding proteins. We review here the main cellular steps for AMPA and NMDA receptor synthesis, traffic within intracellular organelles, membrane exocytosis/endocytosis and surface trafficking. We focus on new findings that shed light on the regulation of receptor cycling events and surface trafficking and the way that this might reshape our thinking about the specific regulation of receptor accumulation at synapses.

Animals↗

Multiple routes for glutamate receptor trafficking: surface diffusion and membrane traffic cooperate to bring receptors to synapses.

Trafficking of glutamate receptors into and out of synapses is critically involved in the plasticity of excitatory synaptic transmission. Endocytosis and exocytosis of receptors have initially been thought to account alone for this trafficking. However, membrane proteins also traffic through surface lateral diffusion in the plasma membrane. We describe developments in electrophysiological and optical approaches that have allowed for the real-time measurement of glutamate receptor surface trafficking in live neurons. These include (i) specific imaging of surface receptors using a pH-sensitive fluorescent protein; (ii) design of a photoactivable drug to locally inactivate surface receptors and monitor electrophysiologically their recovery; and (iii) application of single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to directly track the movement of individual surface receptors with nanometer resolution inside and outside synapses. Together, these approaches have demonstrated that glutamate receptors diffuse at high rates in the neuronal membrane and suggest a key role for surface diffusion in the regulation of receptor numbers at synapses.

Animals↗

Regulation of N-cadherin dynamics at neuronal contacts by ligand binding and cytoskeletal coupling.

N-cadherin plays a key role in axonal outgrowth and synaptogenesis, but how neurons initiate and remodel N-cadherin-based adhesions remains unclear. We addressed this issue with a semiartificial system consisting of N-cadherin coated microspheres adhering to cultured neurons transfected for N-cadherin-GFP. Using optical tweezers, we show that growth cones are particularly reactive to N-cadherin coated microspheres, which they capture in a few seconds and drag rearward. Such strong coupling requires an intact connection between N-cadherin receptors and catenins. As they move to the basis of growth cones, microspheres slow down while gradually accumulating N-cadherin-GFP, demonstrating a clear delay between bead coupling to the actin flow and receptor recruitment. Using FRAP and photoactivation, N-cadherin receptors at bead-to-cell contacts were found to continuously recycle, consistently with a model of ligand-receptor reaction not limited by membrane diffusion. The use of N-cadherin-GFP receptors truncated or mutated in specific cytoplasmic regions show that N-cadherin turnover is exquisitely regulated by catenin partners. Turnover rates are considerably lower than those obtained previously in single molecule studies, demonstrating an active regulation of cadherin bond kinetics in intact cells. Finally, spontaneous neuronal contacts enriched in N-cadherin exhibited similar turnover rates, suggesting that such dynamics of N-cadherin may represent an intrinsic mechanism underlying the plasticity of neuronal adhesions.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

Weak effect of membrane diffusion on the rate of receptor accumulation at adhesive contacts.

To assess if membrane diffusion could affect the kinetics of receptor recruitment at adhesive contacts, we transfected neurons with green fluorescent protein-tagged immunoglobin cell adhesion molecules of varying length (25-180 kD), and measured the lateral mobility of single quantum dots bound to those receptors at the cell surface. The diffusion coefficient varied within a physiological range (0.1-0.5 microm(2)/s), and was inversely proportional to the size of the receptor. We then triggered adhesive contact formation by placing anti-green fluorescent protein-coated microspheres on growth cones using optical tweezers, and measured surface receptor recruitment around microspheres by time-lapse fluorescence imaging. The accumulation rate was rather insensitive to the type of receptor, suggesting that the long-range membrane diffusion of immunoglobin cell adhesion molecules is not a limiting step in the initiation of neuronal contacts.

Animals↗

Surface trafficking of receptors between synaptic and extrasynaptic membranes: and yet they do move!

Concentration of neurotransmitter receptors at synapses is thought to result from stable binding to subsynaptic scaffold proteins. Recent data on synaptic plasticity have shown that changes in synaptic strength derive partly from modification of postsynaptic receptor numbers. This has led to the notion of receptor trafficking into and out of synapses. The proposed underlying mechanisms have under-evaluated the role of extrasynaptic receptors. Recent technological advances have allowed imaging of receptor movements at the single-molecule level, and these experiments demonstrate that receptors switch at unexpected rates between extrasynaptic and synaptic localizations by lateral diffusion. Variation in receptor numbers at postsynaptic sites is therefore likely to depend on regulation of diffusion by modification of the structure of the membrane and/or by transient interactions with scaffolding proteins. This review is part of the TINS Synaptic Connectivity series.

Animals↗

NrCAM coupling to the cytoskeleton depends on multiple protein domains and partitioning into lipid rafts.

NrCAM is a cell adhesion molecule of the L1 family that is implicated in the control of axonal growth. Adhesive contacts may promote advance of the growth cone by triggering the coupling of membrane receptors with the F-actin retrograde flow. We sought to understand the mechanisms leading to clutching the F-actin at the site of ligand-mediated clustering of NrCAM. Using optical tweezers and single particle tracking of beads coated with the ligand TAG-1, we analyzed the mobility of NrCAM-deletion mutants transfected in a neuroblastoma cell line. Deletion of the cytoplasmic tail did not prevent the coupling of NrCAM to the actin flow. An additional deletion of the FNIII domains to remove cis-interactions, was necessary to abolish the rearward movement of TAG-1 beads, which instead switched to a stationary behavior. Next, we showed that the actin-dependent retrograde movement of NrCAM required partitioning into lipid rafts as indicated by cholesterol depletion experiments using methyl-beta-cyclodextrin. Recruitment of the raft component caveolin-1 was induced at the adhesive contact between the cell surface and TAG-1 beads, indicating that enlarged rafts were generated. Photobleaching experiments showed that the lateral mobility of NrCAM increased with raft dispersion in these contact areas, further suggesting that TAG-1-coated beads induced the coalescence of lipid rafts. In conclusion, we propose that anchoring of NrCAM with the retrograde actin flow can be triggered by adhesive contacts via cooperative processes including interactions with the cytoplasmic tail, formation of cis-complex via the FNIII repeats, and lipid raft aggregation.

Actins↗

Differential activity-dependent regulation of the lateral mobilities of AMPA and NMDA receptors.

The basis for differences in activity-dependent trafficking of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) and NMDA receptors (NMDARs) remains unclear. Using single-molecule tracking, we found different lateral mobilities for AMPARs and NMDARs: changes in neuronal activity modified AMPAR but not NMDAR mobility, whereas protein kinase C activation modified both. Differences in mobility were mainly detected for extrasynaptic AMPARs, suggesting that receptor diffusion between synaptic and extrasynaptic domains is involved in plasticity processes.

Animals↗

Active surface transport of metabotropic glutamate receptors through binding to microtubules and actin flow.

Receptors for neurotransmitters are concentrated and stabilized at given sites such as synapses through interactions with scaffolding proteins and cytoskeletal elements. The transport of receptors first involves directed vesicular trafficking of intracellularly stored receptors followed by their targeting to the plasma membrane. Once expressed at the cell surface, receptors are thought to reach their final location by random Brownian diffusion in the plasma membrane plane. Here, we investigate whether the metabotropic glutamate receptor mGluR5 can also be transported actively on the cell surface. We used single particle tracking to follow mGluR5 movement in real time at the surface of neuronal growth cones or fibroblast lamellipodia, both of which bear a particularly active cytoskeleton. We found that after a certain lag time mGluR5 undergoes directed rearward transport, which depends on actin flow. On actin depolymerization, directed movement was suppressed, but receptors still bound to a rigid structure. By contrast, receptor transport and immobilization was fully suppressed by microtubule depolymerization but favored by microtubule stabilization. Furthermore, mGluR5 could be immunoprecipitated with tubulin from rat brains, confirming the ability of mGluR5 to bind to microtubules. We propose that mGluR5 can be transported on the cell surface through actin-mediated retrograde transport of microtubules. This process may play a role in receptor targeting and organization during synapse formation or during glutamate-mediated growth cone chemotaxis.

Animals↗

Direct imaging of lateral movements of AMPA receptors inside synapses.

Trafficking of AMPA receptors in and out of synapses is crucial for synaptic plasticity. Previous studies have focused on the role of endo/exocytosis processes or that of lateral diffusion of extra-synaptic receptors. We have now directly imaged AMPAR movements inside and outside synapses of live neurons using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. Inside individual synapses, we found immobile and mobile receptors, which display restricted diffusion. Extra-synaptic receptors display free diffusion. Receptors could also exchange between these membrane compartments through lateral diffusion. Glutamate application increased both receptor mobility inside synapses and the fraction of mobile receptors present in a juxtasynaptic region. Block of inhibitory transmission to favor excitatory synaptic activity induced a transient increase in the fraction of mobile receptors and a decrease in the proportion of juxtasynaptic receptors. Altogether, our data show that rapid exchange of receptors between a synaptic and extra-synaptic localization occurs through regulation of receptor diffusion inside synapses.

Animals↗

On the stiffness of the natural actin filament decorated with alexa fluor tropomyosin.

Natural, phalloidin-free, actin filaments were decorated with tropomyosin made fluorescent by reaction with alexa fluor (R) 488 C(5) maleimide. The elastic modulus by stretching of these filaments was then determined and found to span between 38.2 MPa and 61.48 MPa. We tried also to determine the yield strength of the same filaments in the laser light trap operated at 920 mW, the maximum power of the apparatus. Only two out of the 10 filaments tested were broken under these conditions, yield strength being 50.5 and 55 pN, respectively.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

Synaptic structure and diffusion dynamics of synaptic receptors.

Neurotransmitter receptors are concentrated at synaptic sites through interactions with specific scaffolding proteins and cytoskeletal elements, but can also be found in intracellular compartments or dispersed in the membrane. The notion has emerged in recent years that this distribution results from a dynamic equilibrium between the different pools of receptors. This equilibrium is regulated by neuronal activity and interactions with scaffolding proteins. A change in its set point can result in rapid variations in the number of functional receptors at synapses such as seen during plasticity. Trafficking of receptors in and out of synapses has up to now mainly been viewed within the framework of endo/exocytotic processes. After a brief presentation of the structure of excitatory and inhibitory synapses, we review data indicating that the lateral diffusion of receptors in the plane of the membrane is also a key step to regulate receptor stabilization and accumulation at synapses.

Animals↗

Recruitment of the kainate receptor subunit glutamate receptor 6 by cadherin/catenin complexes.

Kainate receptors modulate synaptic transmission by acting either at presynaptic or at postsynaptic sites. The precise localization of kainate receptors as well as the mechanisms of targeting and stabilization of these receptors in neurons are largely unknown. We have generated transgenic mice expressing the kainate receptor subunit glutamate receptor 6 (GluR6) bearing an extracellular myc epitope (myc-GluR6), in forebrain neurons, in which it assembles with endogenous kainate receptor subunits. In transgenic mice crossed with GluR6-deficient mice, myc-GluR6 efficiently rescues the missing subunit. Immunoprecipitation of transgenic brain extracts with anti-myc antibodies demonstrates an interaction with cadherins, beta-catenin, and p120 catenin, as well as with the associated proteins calcium calmodulin-dependent serine kinase and Velis, but not with alpha-catenin. In glutathione S-transferase-pulldown experiments, beta-catenin interacts, although indirectly, with the last 14 aa of GluR6. Transfected myc-GluR6 colocalizes with beta-catenin at cell-cell junctions in non-neuronal cells. Finally, activation of N-cadherins by ligand-covered latex beads recruits GluR6 to cadherin/catenin complexes. These results suggest an important role for cadherin/catenin complexes in the stabilization of kainate receptors at the synaptic membrane during synapse formation and remodeling.

Animals↗

Trimers of the fibronectin cell adhesion domain localize to actin filament bundles and undergo rearward translocation.

Previous studies have shown that small beads coated with FN7-10, a four-domain cell adhesion fragment of fibronectin, bind to cell surfaces and translocate rearward. Here we investigate whether soluble constructs containing two to five FN7-10 units might be sufficient for activity. We have produced a monomer, three forms of dimers, a trimer and a pentamer of FN7-10, on the end of spacer arms. These oligomers could bind small clusters of up to five integrins. Fluorescence microscopy showed that the trimer and pentamer bound strongly to the cell surface, and within 5 minutes were prominently localized to actin fiber bundles. Monomers and dimers showed only diffuse localization. Beads coated with a low concentration (probably one complex per bead) of trimer or pentamer showed prolonged binding and rearward translocation, presumably with the translocating actin cytskeleton. Beads containing monomer or dimer showed only brief binding and diffusive movements. We conclude that clusters of three integrin-binding ligands are necessary and sufficient for coupling to and translocating with the actin cytoskeleton.

3T3 Cells↗

Regulation of AMPA receptor lateral movements.

An essential feature in the modulation of the efficacy of synaptic transmission is rapid changes in the number of AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid) receptors at post-synaptic sites on neurons. Regulation of receptor endo- and exocytosis has been shown to be involved in this process. Whether regulated lateral diffusion of receptors in the plasma membrane also participates in receptor exchange to and from post-synaptic sites remains unknown. We analysed the lateral mobility of native AMPA receptors containing the glutamate receptor subunit GluR2 in rat cultured hippocampal neurons, using single-particle tracking and video microscopy. Here we show that AMPA receptors alternate within seconds between rapid diffusive and stationary behaviour. During maturation of neurons, stationary periods increase in frequency and length, often in spatial correlation with synaptic sites. Raising intracellular calcium, a central element in synaptic plasticity, triggers rapid receptor immobilization and local accumulation on the neuronal surface. We suggest that calcium influx prevents AMPA receptors from diffusing, and that lateral receptor diffusion to and from synaptic sites acts in the rapid and controlled regulation of receptor numbers at synapses.

Animals↗