The authors thank Dr. Mike Ehlers and his laboratory members for originally demonstrating the protocol for subcellular fractionation of synaptic plasma membranes. We also thank Wendy Horsfall for management of the mouse colonies. This work was supported by operating grants from CIHR (AJR and AS).

The following protocol conforms to the guidelines of the Canadian Council of Animal Care and has been approved by the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy Animal Care Committee at the University of Toronto.
1. Prepare Required Reagents as Described in Table 1
<ol>
	<li>Add protease and phosphatase (if necessary) inhibitors to all sucrose solutions, buffers and ddH2O at concentrations outlined in Table 1. IMPORTANT: Perform all of the steps at 4&#160;&...

<ol>
	<li>Delint-Ramirez, I., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vivo+composition+of+NMDA+receptor+signaling+complexes+differs+between+membrane+subdomains+and+is+modulated+by+PSD-95+and+PSD-93.">In vivo composition of NMDA receptor signaling complexes differs between membrane subdomains and is modulated by PSD-95 and PSD-93.</a> The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 30, 8162-8170 (2010).</li><li>Wang, Q., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+psychiatric+disease+risk+factors+DISC1+and+TNIK+interact+to+regulate+synapse+composition+and+function.">The psychiatric disease risk factors DISC1 and TNIK interact to regulate synapse composition and function.</a> Mol Psychiatry. 16, (2010).</li><li>Ehlers, M. 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The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

There are several steps in the procedure that are critical for a successful outcome. In step 3, it is important that a consistent degree of homogenization is achieved for each sample. When homogenizing tissue with the motor driven homogenizer, a constant speed is used not only for the rotation of the pestle, but also with the number of strokes. The incubation time during the osmotic shock should be precise, since extended homogenization or incubation in the hypotonic solution will lyse mitochondria and contaminate the SP...

Neurons communicate through synapses, and the quality of this communication is regulated to a large extent by alterations in the composition of proteins at the synapse. In particular, the proteins located in the post-synaptic density participate in neuronal communication by intimately scaffolding neurotransmitter receptors with their signal transduction systems1. Furthermore, lasting changes in the strength of synaptic efficacy are controlled by the addition or removal of receptors at the post-synaptic density1-6. Therefore, the isolation and quantification of synaptic proteins is a necessary and useful technique to gain insight into the ways that neurons respond to stimuli and alter synaptic efficacy7. This article describes a common technique to isolate synaptic proteins from rodent brain tissue by ultracentrifugation on discontinuous sucrose gradients. The synaptic plasma membrane fraction can be enriched and isolated based on its density in sucrose, which has been empirically determined to be similar to 1.2 M sucrose.
Depending on the biological question, subcellular fractions can be separated by continuous or discontinuous gradients of either sucrose or Percoll. Continuous gradients allow for the separation of proteins into multiple fractions; this can be particularly useful to demonstrate the co-localization of proteins within a given fraction8. However, the preparation of continuous gradients is more laborious and is unnecessary for many applications. Discontinuous gradients are comparatively easier to prepare and can be used to separate proteins into a few, generally-defined fractions. Discontinuous gradients that are composed of three sucrose layers of increasing molarity have been widely used to isolate proteins associated with the synaptic plasma membrane (SPM). This synaptic plasma membrane fraction can be further processed to the post-synaptic density fraction (PSD) by detergent treatment and isolation of the detergent-insoluble fraction.
When this process was first described in the 1960&#8217;s9,10, electron microscopy was used to demonstrate the organelles and membranes that roughly define the synaptic plasma membrane and post-synaptic density fractions9-14. These studies demonstrated the inclusion of pre- and post-synaptic membranes and synaptic vesicles in the SPM fraction; after detergent treatment primarily the electron-dense, post-synaptic densities were visible. In the procedure, a hypotonic shock is used to pinch off the synaptic processes from the cell body10. This step takes advantage of the fact that mitochondria are more resistant to osmotic shock and remain intact, and so they sediment at the bottom of the sucrose gradient (Figure 1).
Using this same enrichment technique, the SPM and PSD fractions were first biochemically defined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and sequencing of the major protein components15-17. Subsequently western blot analysis has been used to detect and quantify the levels of synaptic proteins and further define these fractions (Figure 2). We have used this technique in our laboratories to quantify changes in the synaptic levels of the dopamine transporter that occur when the Slc6a3 locus is duplicated in mice18. We have also used this technique in NMDA receptor deficient mice to uncover synapse-specific reductions in proteins that are part of the DISC1 interactome19.
It is evident from western blot analysis that SPM fractions contain synaptic vesicle membrane proteins, endosome markers, mitochondrial proteins, membrane associated synthetic enzymes and signal transduction molecules, as well as integral components of the post-synaptic density and synaptic plasma membranes20-23. Even PSD fractions can have contamination with abundant mitochondrial proteins and it may be necessary to perform a second gradient sedimentation or additional purification steps to remove them13. Recently, quantitative mass spectrometry has provided a list of over 100 proteins in the post-synaptic density alone, as well as an indication of the relative abundance of these components24,25.

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</table>

preparation of synaptic plasma membrane and postsynaptic density proteins using a discontinuous sucrose gradient

Neuronal subcellular fractionation techniques allow the quantification of proteins that are trafficked to and from the synapse. As originally described in the late 1960&#8217;s, proteins associated with the synaptic plasma membrane can be isolated by ultracentrifugation on a sucrose density gradient. Once synaptic membranes are isolated, the macromolecular complex known as the post-synaptic density can be subsequently isolated due to its detergent insolubility. The techniques used to isolate synaptic plasma membranes and post-synaptic density proteins remain essentially the same after 40 years, and are widely used in current neuroscience research. This article details the fractionation of proteins associated with the synaptic plasma membrane and post-synaptic density using a discontinuous sucrose gradient. Resulting protein preparations are suitable for western blotting or 2D DIGE analysis.

The preparation of the sucrose density gradient should result in a clear separation of the three molar solutions of sucrose (0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 M sucrose). See Figure 3A for an example of the gradient before the protein sample is added. If the gradient is prepared too much in advance, or if it is prepared on a bench surface with vibration from other equipment, the gradient will be compromised and proper separation will not be achieved. If a clear separation of the three solutions is not visible, it is adv...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Preparation of Synaptic Plasma Membrane and Postsynaptic Density Proteins Using a Discontinuous Sucrose Gradient at JoVE.com

Preparation of Synaptic Plasma Membrane and Postsynaptic Density Proteins Using a Discontinuous Sucrose Gradient

This article details the enrichment of proteins associated with the synaptic plasma membrane by ultracentrifugation on a discontinuous sucrose gradient. The subsequent preparation of post-synaptic density proteins is also described. Protein preparations are suitable for western blotting or 2D DIGE analysis.

Neuronal subcellular fractionation techniques allow the quantification of proteins that are trafficked to and from the synapse. As originally described in ...

preparation-synaptic-plasma-membrane-postsynaptic-density-proteins

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

30.9K vues.  University of Toronto.  Cet article décrit l'enrichissement de protéines associées à la membrane plasmique synaptique par ultracentrifugation sur un gradient discontinu de saccharose. La préparation ultérieure des protéines de densités postsynaptiques est également décrite. préparations de protéines sont adaptés pour western blot ou analyse 2D DIGE. 