The extracellular matrix molecule tenascin-R and its HNK-1 carbohydrate modulate perisomatic inhibition and long-term potentiation in the CA1 region of the hippocampus

Perisomatic inhibition of pyramidal cells regulates efferent signalling from the hippocampus. The striking presence of HNK‐1, a carbohydrate expressed by neural adhesion molecules, on perisomatic interneurons and around somata of CA1 pyramidal neurons led us to apply monoclonal HNK‐1 antibodies to acute murine hippocampal slices. Injection of these antibodies decreased GABAA receptor‐mediated perisomatic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (pIPSCs) but did not affect dendritic IPSCs or excitatory postsynaptic currents. The decrease in the mean amplitude of evoked pIPSCs by HNK‐1 antibodies was accompanied by an increase in the coefficient of variation of pIPSC amplitude, number of failures and changes in frequency but not amplitude of miniature IPSCs, suggesting that HNK‐1 antibodies reduced efficacy of evoked GABA release. HNK‐1 antibodies did not affect pIPSCs in knock‐out mice deficient in the extracellular matrix molecule tenascin‐R which carries the HNK‐1 carbohydrate as analysed by immunoblotting in synaptosomal fractions prepared from the CA1 region of the hippocampus. For control, HNK‐1 antibody was applied to acute sections of mice deficient in the neural cell adhesion molecule NCAM, another potential carrier of HNK‐1, and resulted in decrease of pIPSCs as observed in wild‐type mice. Reduction in perisomatic inhibition is expected to promote induction of long‐term potentiation (LTP) by increasing the level of depolarization during theta‐burst stimulation. Indeed, LTP was increased by HNK‐1 antibody applied before stimulation. Moreover, LTP was reduced by an HNK‐1 peptide mimic, but not control peptide. These results provide first evidence that tenascin‐R and its associated HNK‐1 carbohydrate modulate perisomatic inhibition and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus.