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. 2016 Nov 28:9:132.
doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2016.00132. eCollection 2016.

Sensory Input-Dependent Changes in Glutamatergic Neurotransmission- Related Genes and Proteins in the Adult Rat Trigeminal Ganglion

Julia Fernández-Montoya  1 , Izaskun Buendia  2 , Yasmina B Martin  3 , Javier Egea  2 , Pilar Negredo  1 , Carlos Avendaño  1
Affiliations

Sensory Input-Dependent Changes in Glutamatergic Neurotransmission- Related Genes and Proteins in the Adult Rat Trigeminal Ganglion

Julia Fernández-Montoya et al. Front Mol Neurosci. .

Abstract

Experience-dependent plasticity induces lasting changes in the structure of synapses, dendrites, and axons at both molecular and anatomical levels. Whilst relatively well studied in the cortex, little is known about the molecular changes underlying experience-dependent plasticity at peripheral levels of the sensory pathways. Given the importance of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the somatosensory system and its involvement in plasticity, in the present study, we investigated gene and protein expression of glutamate receptor subunits and associated molecules in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) of young adult rats. Microarray analysis of naïve rat TG revealed significant differences in the expression of genes, coding for various glutamate receptor subunits and proteins involved in clustering and stabilization of AMPA receptors, between left and right ganglion. Long-term exposure to sensory-enriched environment increased this left-right asymmetry in gene expression. Conversely, unilateral whisker trimming on the right side almost eliminated the mentioned asymmetries. The above manipulations also induced side-specific changes in the protein levels of glutamate receptor subunits. Our results show that sustained changes in sensory input induce modifications in glutamatergic transmission-related gene expression in the TG, thus supporting a role for this early sensory-processing node in experience-dependent plasticity.

Keywords: enrichment; glutamate receptors; input-dependent plasticity; primary afferents; trimming.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Scatter plots of the 66 target mRNAs expression in trigeminal ganglia (TG). The expression profile is plotted as log10 (2ˆ-Delta Ct) in the left and right TG for the Control (A), Enriched (B), and Trimmed (C) groups. Values on the diagonal midline represent equal expression in both sides. Lines above and below the midline indicate the twofold cut-off boundaries of expression; colored circles above (red) and below (blue) these lines identify over- and under-expressed genes, respectively.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
List of the genes sorted according to the presence or absence of ≥2-fold up (red) or down (blue) differences in expression in the left vs. the right TG. C, Control; E, Enriched; T, Trimming.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Lateral differences in protein levels in the TG. (A) Representative immunoblots showing protein levels of GLUR2, NMDAR2B, mGLUR3, and PICK1 in left (L) and right (R) sides of the TG in the same animal from Control, Enriched, and Trimmed groups. β3-tubulin was used as loading control. (B) Variation in protein expression level is given taking the right side as 100%. Left over right side differences in protein levels of GLUR2, NMDAR2B, mGLUR3, and PICK1 in the TG. Error bars indicate SEM. ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01 compared with relative control groups; student’s paired two-tailed t-test.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Side-by-side comparison between groups of GLUR2 (A), NMDAR2B (B), mGLUR3 (C), and PICK1 (D) protein levels in the TG. Error bars indicate SEM. ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01; student’s unpaired two-tailed t-test.
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