Homeostatic regulation of presynaptic NMDA receptor subunit composition modulates action potential driven Ca2+ influx into boutons setting the bandwidth for information transfer

Abstract

N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) play a pivotal role in both short and long-term plasticity. While the functional role of postsynaptic NMDARs is well established, a framework of presynaptic NMDAR (preNMDAR) function is missing. Differences in subunit composition of preNMDARs are documented at central synapses, raising the possibility that subtype composition plays a role in transmission performance. Here, we use electrophysiological recordings at Schaffer collateral - CA1 synapses and Ca2+ imaging coupled to focal glutamate uncaging at boutons of CA3 pyramidal neurones to reveal two populations of presynaptic NMDARs that contain either the GluN2A or GluN2B subunit. Activation of the GluN2B population decreases action potential (AP)-evoked Ca2+ influx via modulation of small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (SK-channels) while activation of the GluN2A containing population does the opposite. Moreover, the level of functional expression of each receptor population can be homeostatically modified, bidirectionally affecting short-term facilitation during burst firing, thus providing a capacity for a fine adjustment of the presynaptic integration time window and therefore the bandwidth of information transfer.