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Disruption of MET Receptor Tyrosine Kinase, an Autism Risk Factor, Impairs Developmental Synaptic Plasticity in the Hippocampus
Author(s) -
Ma Xiaokuang,
Chen Ke,
Lu Zhongming,
Piechowicz Mariel,
Liu Qiang,
Wu Jie,
Qiu Shenfeng
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
developmental neurobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.716
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1932-846X
pISSN - 1932-8451
DOI - 10.1002/dneu.22645
Subject(s) - neuroscience , long term potentiation , synaptic plasticity , biology , glutamatergic , schaffer collateral , forebrain , hippocampus , long term depression , metaplasticity , synaptic fatigue , ampa receptor , excitatory postsynaptic potential , glutamate receptor , receptor , central nervous system , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , genetics
As more genes conferring risks to neurodevelopmental disorders are identified, translating these genetic risk factors into biological mechanisms that impact the trajectory of the developing brain is a critical next step. Here, we report that disrupted signaling mediated MET receptor tyrosine kinase ( RTK ), an established risk factor for autism spectrum disorders, in the developing hippocampus glutamatergic circuit leads to profound deficits in neural development, synaptic transmission, and plasticity. In cultured hippocampus slices prepared from neonatal mice, pharmacological inhibition of MET kinase activity suppresses dendritic arborization and disrupts normal dendritic spine development. In addition, single‐neuron knockdown ( RNA i) or overexpression of Met in the developing hippocampal CA 1 neurons leads to alterations, opposite in nature, in basal synaptic transmission and long‐term plasticity. In forebrain‐specific Met conditional knockout mice ( Met fx/fx ; emx1 cre ), an enhanced long‐term potentiation ( LTP ) and long‐term depression ( LTD ) were observed at early developmental stages (P12–14) at the Schaffer collateral to CA 1 synapses compared with wild‐type littermates. In contrast, LTP and LTD were markedly reduced at young adult stage (P56–70) during which wild‐type mice show robust LTP and LTD . The altered trajectory of synaptic plasticity revealed by this study indicate that temporally regulated MET signaling as an intrinsic, cell autonomous, and pleiotropic mechanism not only critical for neuronal growth and functional maturation, but also for the timing of synaptic plasticity during forebrain glutamatergic circuits development.