CHARACTERIZATION OF TOLLOID-LIKE PROTEIN IN REPTILE AND ITS ROLE IN SYNAPTIC PLA

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Learning and memory is associated with morphological changes such as the birth of new neurons (neurogenesis) or the growth and formation of new dendritic spines or synaptic contacts (synaptogenesis). Such long-term changes in the nervous system involve neurotrophic factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). The actions of the BMPs are regulated, at least in part by members of the Tolloid family of metalloproteases. Tolloid family proteins are pleiotropic, astacin-like metalloproteases. There are four known mammalian Tolloid proteins: BMP-1, mammalian Tolloid (mTLD), mammalian Tolloid-like 1 (Tll-1), and mammalian Tolloid-like 2 (Tll-2). Two members of the family, BMP-1 and Tll-1, allow the potentiation of BMP signaling. We hypothesize that mammalian Tolloid proteins may function as a local potentiator of synaptogenesis during learning by regulating BMP signaling.