Presynaptic Cav2.1 channels and short-term plasticity

Abstract

Short-term synaptic plasticity shapes the postsynaptic response to bursts of impulses and is crucial for encoding information in neurons, but the molecular mechanisms are unknown. Here we show that activity-dependent modulation of presynaptic Cav2.1 channels mediated by neuronal Ca²⁺ sensor proteins (CaS) induces synaptic plasticity in cultured superior cervical ganglion neurons. A mutation of the IQ-like motif in the C-terminus that blocks Ca²⁺/CaS-dependent facilitation of the P/Q-type Ca²⁺ current markedly reduces facilitation of synaptic transmission. Deletion of the nearby calmodulin-binding domain, which inhibits CaS-dependent inactivation, substantially reduces depression of synaptic transmission. These results demonstrate that residual Ca²⁺ in presynaptic terminals can act through CaS-dependent regulation of Cav2.1 channels to induce short-term synaptic facilitation and rapid synaptic depression. Activity dependent regulation of presynaptic Cav2.1 channels by CaS proteins may therefore be a primary determinant of short-term synaptic plasticity and information-processing in the nervous system. [J Physiol Sci. 2008;58 Suppl:S135]