Interaction of the C-terminal domain of delta glutamate receptor with spectrin in the dendritic spines of cultured Purkinje cells.

The interaction of neurotransmitter receptors with the underlying cytoskeleton via subsynaptic proteins is an important mechanism for the targeting of the receptors to synapses in the central nervous system. We show that delta glutamate receptors (delta receptors), expressed predominantly in the dendritic spines of cerebellar Purkinje cells, directly interact with spectrin, a member of the actin-binding family of proteins. Moreover, the interaction between spectrin and C-terminal domain of the delta receptor is 50% inhibited by 1 microM of Ca2+ in vitro, compared with that in the absence of Ca2+. These results suggest that delta receptors on the postsynaptic membrane of the dendritic spines of cerebellar Purkinje cells are anchored to the actin cytoskeleton via spectrin, and that Ca2+ elevation in the dendritic spines causes delta receptor declustering by dissociation of the receptors from spectrin. This mechanism for receptor anchoring at postsynaptic sites may regulate synaptogenesis and/or synaptic plasticity.