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The extracellular matrix and synapses

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Abstract

Extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules, derived from both neurons and glial cells, are secreted and accumulate in the extracellular space to regulate various aspects of pre- and postsynaptic differentiation, the maturation of synapses, and their plasticity. The emerging mechanisms comprise interactions of agrin, integrin ligands, and reelin, with their cognate cell-surface receptors being coupled to tyrosine kinase activities. These may induce the clustering of postsynaptic receptors and changes in their composition and function. Furthermore, direct interactions of laminins, neuronal pentraxins, and tenascin-R with voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-proprionic acid (AMPA), and γ-aminobutyric acidB (GABAB) receptors, respectively, shape the organization and function of different subsets of synapses. Some of these mechanisms significantly contribute to the induction of long-term potentiation in excitatory synapses, either by the regulation of Ca2+ entry via N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors or L-type Ca2+ channels, or by the control of GABAergic inhibition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Neurophysiologie und Pathophysiologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Alexander Dityatev

  2. Zentrum für Molekulare Neurobiologie Hamburg, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    Alexander Dityatev & Melitta Schachner

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  1. Alexander Dityatev
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  2. Melitta Schachner
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Correspondence to Alexander Dityatev.

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A.D. was supported by DFG grants Di 702/4-1,-2 and -3.

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Dityatev, A., Schachner, M. The extracellular matrix and synapses. Cell Tissue Res 326, 647–654 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-006-0217-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-006-0217-1

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