Altered synaptic clustering of GABAA receptors in mice lacking dystrophin (mdx mice)

I Knuesel, M Mastrocola, RA Zuellig… - European Journal of …, 1999 - Wiley Online Library
I Knuesel, M Mastrocola, RA Zuellig, B Bornhauser, MC Schaub, JM Fritschy
European Journal of Neuroscience, 1999Wiley Online Library
Dystrophin is selectively localized in the postsynaptic density of neurons in cerebral cortex,
hippocampus and cerebellum. Here, we show by double‐immunofluorescence staining that
dystrophin is extensively colocalized with GABAA receptor subunit clusters in these brain
regions. To determine the relevance of this observation, we investigated in mdx mice, which
provide a model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, whether the absence of dystrophin
affects the synaptic clustering of GABAA receptors. A marked reduction in the number of …
Abstract
Dystrophin is selectively localized in the postsynaptic density of neurons in cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum. Here, we show by double‐immunofluorescence staining that dystrophin is extensively colocalized with GABAA receptor subunit clusters in these brain regions. To determine the relevance of this observation, we investigated in mdx mice, which provide a model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, whether the absence of dystrophin affects the synaptic clustering of GABAA receptors. A marked reduction in the number of clusters immunoreactive for the α1 and α2 subunits was observed in, respectively, cerebellum and hippocampus of mdx mice, but not in striatum, which is normally devoid of dystrophin. Furthermore, these alterations were not accompanied by a change in gephyrin staining, although gephyrin is colocalized with the majority of GABAA receptor clusters in these regions. These results indicate that dystrophin may play an important role in the clustering or stabilization of GABAA receptors in a subset of central inhibitory synapses. These deficits may underlie the cognitive impairment seen in Duchenne patients.
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