Caspase-2 promotes AMPA receptor internalization and cognitive flexibility via mTORC2-AKT-GSK3β signaling

Zhi-Xiang Xu; Ji-Wei Tan; Haifei Xu; Cassandra J. Hill; Olga Ostrovskaya; Kirill A. Martemyanov; Baoji Xu

doi:10.1038/s41467-019-11575-1

Nature Communications (Aug 2019)

Caspase-2 promotes AMPA receptor internalization and cognitive flexibility via mTORC2-AKT-GSK3β signaling

Zhi-Xiang Xu,
Ji-Wei Tan,
Haifei Xu,
Cassandra J. Hill,
Olga Ostrovskaya,
Kirill A. Martemyanov,
Baoji Xu

Affiliations

Zhi-Xiang Xu: Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute Florida
Ji-Wei Tan: Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute Florida
Haifei Xu: Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute Florida
Cassandra J. Hill: Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute Florida
Olga Ostrovskaya: Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute Florida
Kirill A. Martemyanov: Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute Florida
Baoji Xu: Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute Florida

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11575-1
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Caspase-2 is constitutively expressed in neurons yet its physiological function is not known. Here, the authors report a role for Caspase-2 activity in synaptic plasticity via a reduction in dendritic spine density through cleavage of Rictor suggesting a mechanism to explain the impairments in cognitive flexibility observed in Caspase-2 knockout mice.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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