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| Neuroscience
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Dezhi Liao, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience
liaox020@umn.edu |
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 Molecular
and Cellular Mechanisms of Synaptic Plasticity.
Activity-dependent modulation of glutamatergic synapses has been suggested
to play important roles in learning and memory in adult brains, and
the formation of synaptic connections in developmental brains.
This modulation is at least partially mediated through the activation
of “silent synapses,” synapses that contain NMDA receptors
but not AMPA receptors. Such synapses are silent at a normal resting
potential due to voltage-dependent magnesium blockade of NMDA receptors.
Our laboratory mainly uses electrophysiological, morphological and
molecular biological techniques to investigate molecular and cellular
mechanisms of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. Particularly,
we are interested in the cellular mechanisms responsible for the activation
of silent synapses. It has been recently reported that silent
synapses can be rapidly awakened through a rapid acquisition of AMPA
receptors. Our goal is to understand the intracellular signaling
pathways for the rapid synaptic targeting of AMPA receptors. |
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Selected Publications
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 | Wains KM, Lin H, Liao D.
Rac1 induces the clustering of AMPA receptors during spinogenesis.
J Neurosci. 2005 Nov 16;25(46):10627-36. | | Liao D, Lin H, Law PY, Loh HH.
Mu-opioid receptors modulate the stability of dendritic spines.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Feb 1;102(5):1725-30. Epub 2005 Jan 19. | | Lin H, Huganir R, Liao D.
Temporal dynamics of NMDA receptor-induced changes in spine morphology and AMPA receptor recruitment to spines.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2004 Apr 2;316(2):501-11. |
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Liao D., Scannevin R.H., Huganir R.
Activation of silent synapses by rapid activity-dependent synaptic
recruitment of AMPA receptors.
J
Neurosci, 2001, 21(16):6008-17 |
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Ye, B., Liao, D., Zhang, X., Zhang, P., Dong, H., and
Huganir, R. L.
GRASP-1: a neuronal rasGEF associated with the AMPA receptor/GRIP
complex.
Neuron,
2000, 26:603-617 |
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Liao, D., Zhang, X., O'Brien, R., Ehlers, M. D., and
Huganir, R. L.
Regulation of morphological postsynaptic silent synapses in developing
hippocampal neurons.
Nature
Neuroscience, 1999, 2:37-43 |
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Dong, H., Zhang, P., Song, I., Petralia, R. S., Liao,
D., and Huganir, R. L.
Characterization of the glutamate receptor-interacting proteins GRIP1
and GRIP2.
J
Neurosci, 1999, 19:6930-6941 |
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Kim, J. H., Liao, D., Lau, L. F. and Huganir, R. L.
SynGAP: a Synaptic RasGAP that Associates with the PSD-95/SAP90 Protein
Family.
Neuron,
1998, 20:683-691 |
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