So what are your top 5 papers for 2006?
Here are mine:
1. Spine growth precedes synapse formation in the adult neocortex in vivo. Nature Neuroscience (2006) 9:1117-1124 and Experience-dependent and cell-type-specific spine growth in the neocortex. Nature (2206) 441:979-983. OK, this is cheating, but you have to read them together. Long-term fluorescent imaging of how sensory experience changes spines (the pic is Fig.3s from the Nature paper) with serial EM reconstruction of these spines! Spinogenesis precedes synaptogenesis.
2. Cortex Is Driven by Weak but Synchronously Active Thalamocortical Synapses. Science (2006) 312: 1622-1627. Paired pre- and post-synaptic patch clamp in vivo!
3. Visualizing the Cortical Representation of Whisker Touch: Voltage-Sensitive Dye Imaging in Freely Moving Mice. Neuron (2006) 50:617-629. The title says it all.
4. Whole-cell recordings in freely moving rats. Neuron (2006) 51:399-407. Ditto.
5. Decreases in the precision of Purkinje cell pacemaking cause cerebellar dysfunction and ataxia. Nature Neuroscience (2006) 9:389-397. Relating channel biophysics to disease, and maybe even a cure? Who would have thought.
I have a silly dream that those who actually read this weblog might actually post their very own "Top 5 Papers of 2006", and sign the posts. Hint: use the 'post comments' button.
Nah, it's never going to happen is it?
posted by graham at 8:41 AM
2 Comments:
Graham,
I tried to keep these as closely related to your blog as possible. For a survey of top ion channel papers in 2006, check out: http://www.ionchannels.org/newsletters/ionchannels-2006-lit.html
In no particular order:
1. Synapse-specific plasticity and compartmentalized signaling in cerebellar stellate cells. Nat Neurosci. 2006 Jun;9(6):798-806.
This paper elegantly deciphers the mechanism behind localized calcium and 2nd messenger signaling in aspiny dendrites using simultaneous 2P Glu uncaging and 2P Ca2+ imaging. Check out the last figure!
2. Ectopic expression of a microbial-type rhodopsin restores visual responses in mice with photoreceptor degeneration. Neuron. 2006 Apr 6;50(1):23-33.
This is a big step toward the holy grail of vision restoration. But where is the behavioral data? Keep a look-out for the follow up.
3. The spine neck filters membrane potentials. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Nov 21;103(47):17961-6.
This paper directly demonstrates that spines can compartmentalize synaptic voltage signals in addition to chemical signals, answering a question that has been looming over a decade (see Svoboda, Tank and Denk in Science 1996). Furthermore, it suggests a specific functional significance to activity-induced changes in spine neck length.
4. Rapid photoinactivation of native AMPA receptors on live cells using ANQX. Sci STKE. 2006 Apr 18;2006(331):pl1.
OK. I’m cheating a bit with this one. The research paper just beat the 2006 cutoff.
Photoinactivation of native AMPA receptors reveals their real-time trafficking. Neuron. 2005 Dec 22;48(6):977-85.
These papers describe a new approach to controlling AMPA receptor function with light using an antagonistic photoaffinity label. The results are controversial but this could be the beginning of a whole new direction in photopharmacology.
5. (These three go together)
A clamping mechanism involved in SNARE-dependent exocytosis. Science. 2006 Aug 4;313(5787):676-80.
Hemifusion arrest by complexin is relieved by Ca2+-synaptotagmin I. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2006 Aug;13(8):748-50.
A complexin/synaptotagmin 1 switch controls fast synaptic vesicle exocytosis. Cell. 2006 Sep 22;126(6):1175-87.
These papers are a bit out of context for this blog but the significance is paramount. Collectively, these groups have pushed our understanding of the molecular events leading to synchronous fusion to the next level by defining a major role for the protein complexin/synaphin.
I want to thank Matt for this thoughtful contribution and say there are no papers that are really outside the scope of my weblog. But I would encourage folk not to waste time leaving snide remarks "anonymously" as this will be deleted.
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