Addressing the specificity and function of NG2 cell-neuron synaptic contacts: NG2 cells as modulators of the neuronal network?

在这个项目中，我们将重点关注NG2细胞在调节神经网络中的潜在作用。这将通过检测NG2细胞产生的具有神经调节功能的基因产物，并阐明其在该细胞群中表达的时空异质性。我们将利用我们已经掌握的信息以及通过对神经元- ng2细胞突触体进行深度测序分离出的新候选基因来鉴定局部翻译的mRNA。此外，我们将研究我们最近发现的NG2的活性依赖性裂解（将外结构域释放到脑细胞外基质中）是一种普遍现象，还是在NG2细胞群中显示出区域差异。我们将通过对体感皮层和海马体神经元的电生理分析来研究这是如何影响神经元网络的。在第二个补充部分中，我们将使用基于狂犬病病毒的追踪方法，通过周围的神经网络确定NG2胶质细胞突触接触的起源，并检查其区域和时间异质性，以及这种模式是否受到生理刺激的调节。

In this project we will focus on the potential role of NG2 cells in modulating the neuronal network. This will be by examining gene products made by NG2 cells with neuroregulatory function and elucidating their temporal and spatial heterogeneity of expression in this cell population. We will utilise information we already have in hand as well as new candidates isolated by deep sequencing of neuronal-NG2 cell synaptosomes to identify locally translated mRNA. Furthermore, we will examine whether the activity-dependent cleavage of NG2 that we have recently discovered, which releases the ectodomain into the brain extracellular matrix, is a general phenomenon or shows regional variation in the NG2 cell population. We will examine how this affects the neuronal network by electrophysiological analysis of neurons in the somatosensory cortex and hippocampus. In a second complementary part we will identify the origin of synaptic contacts onto NG2 glia by the surrounding neuronal network using a rabies-virus based tracing method and examine its regional and temporal heterogenity and whether this pattern is modulated by physiological stimuli.