Project title: Identification of astrocyte expressed gene involved in synaptic plasticity

Project summary:
Glia cells were long viewed to support neuronal functions in development, metabolism and insulation, but are in the last decade identified as active partners in the modulation of synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. Outstanding models for the role of neuron-glia interactions during synapse formation and/or plasticity are the hypothalamic Supra Optic Nuclei (SON) and the hippocampus. The group of Stéphane Oliet at the University of Bordeaux is world leading in this field of research. They showed recently that the SON structural changes could be observed in vitro in acute hypothalamic slices. Although some data are available regarding the inductive and permissive factors for this structural plasticity, much of the molecular mechanisms, including the transcriptional program, behind the neuron-astrocyte interactions involved remain unknown. The group of Guus Smit & Mark Verheijen has recently developed a method to identify astrocyte-genes that show expression changes resulting from the presence of neurons. In addition, they have ample experience in micro-array based transcriptional profiling of neuronal tissue, including glia cells, in vivo.

For this collaborative project, we combine the expertise of the Oliet group in SON and hippocampus physiology with the molecular expertise of the Smit & Verheijen group in neuron-glia interactions, to reach the following aims:

• Gene and protein expression profiling of the rat SON and hippocampus during changes in structural and/or functional plasticity during lactation, hyperosmotic stimulation, and induction of long-term potentiation using microarray analysis and mass spectrometry.

• Functional identification of astrocyte-expressed genes that are involved in synapse formation and plasticity, using viral mediated knock down of target genes in in vitro and in vivo synaptic plasticity models.