Protein Synthesis and Synapse Specificity in Functional Plasticity

This chapter discusses the role of protein synthesis in the maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) and its associative properties, synaptic tagging and capture, which are cellular correlates of long-term memory. Starting from a brief overview of the early and late phases of LTP, the chapter discusses various existing models for synaptic activity-induced protein synthesis and its roles in late-LTP. The synaptic tagging and capture and cross-tagging theories are given emphasis, along with the elucidation of local dendritic protein synthesis and its significance in the maintenance of LTP. Inverse synaptic tagging, synaptic competition for plasticity-related proteins, and metaplasticity are also covered. The importance of the balance between proteasomal degradation and synthesis of plasticity-related proteins in persistent potentiation is briefly discussed. This chapter touches upon the physiological implications of epigenetic regulation in the control of neuronal functions and the molecular mechanisms within the neurons that translate epigenetic changes into long-lasting responses.