Climbing fiber-evoked endocannabinoid signaling heterosynaptically suppresses presynaptic cerebellar long-term potentiation

J Neurosci. 2006 Aug 9;26(32):8289-94. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0805-06.2006.

Abstract

Endocannabinoid signaling has been demonstrated to mediate depolarization-induced suppression of excitation at climbing fiber (CF) and parallel fiber (PF) synapses onto cerebellar Purkinje cells. Here, we show that CF-evoked release of cannabinoids (CBs) additionally suppresses a presynaptic form of long-term potentiation (LTP) at PF synapses. PF-LTP can be induced by 8 Hz PF tetanization but is blocked when the PF tetanization is paired with 4 or 1 Hz CF coactivation. CF activity can be substituted for by bath application of the CB receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 [R(+)-[2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(morpholinyl)methyl]pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazinyl]-(1-naphthalenyl) methanone]. In the presence of the CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 [N-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-5-(4-iodophenyl)-4-methyl-N-1-piperidinyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide], CF activity no longer suppresses PF-LTP. Presynaptic potentiation can also be obtained by the adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin. WIN55,212-2 blocked this forskolin-mediated enhancement, showing that CB1 receptor activation interferes with the adenylyl cyclase-protein kinase A cascade, which participates in LTP induction. CF activity has been described to promote the induction of postsynaptic PF-long-term depression (LTD) and to impair postsynaptic PF-LTP. Our observation that CF activity blocks the induction of presynaptic LTP suggests that the CF input controls all forms of presynaptic and postsynaptic PF plasticity and that CF activity provides a "safety lock" to prevent an enhancement of transmitter release while postsynaptic AMPA receptor function is downregulated during LTD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators / metabolism*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cerebellum / physiology
  • Endocannabinoids*
  • Evoked Potentials / physiology
  • Long-Term Potentiation / physiology*
  • Nerve Net / physiology*
  • Presynaptic Terminals / physiology*
  • Purkinje Cells / physiology*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Signal Transduction / physiology
  • Synaptic Transmission / physiology*

Substances

  • Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators
  • Endocannabinoids