Astrocyte glypican 5 regulates synapse maturation and stabilization

Synaptic connection maturation and stabilization is a crucial step in neural circuit development; but the molecular signals underlying these processes are not well defined. 

The researchers demonstrate that astrocyte-expressed glypican 5 (GPC5) regulates glutamatergic synapse maturation and stabilization in the developing cortex, identifying a role for this factor in astrocytes in sculpting developing neural circuits.

Deletion of astrocyte GPC5 in thalamocortical synapses resulted in smaller presynaptic terminals, decreased postsynaptic density area, and presence of more postsynaptic partners at multisynaptic connections and are associated by a delay in developmental incorporation of GLUA2-containing AMPARs at intracortical synapses.

They also show that mice lacking astrocyte GPC5 exhibited increased levels of ocular dominance plasticity in adulthood.

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(25)00145-7

https://sciencemission.com/glypican-5-regulates-synapse-maturation