Neurochemistry international
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Dendritic spine defects are found in a number of cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Amyloid beta (Aβ) toxicity is mediated not only by the fibrillar form of the protein, but also by the soluble oligomers (Aβ-derived diffusible ligands, ADDLs). Drebrin is an actin-binding protein that is located at mature dendritic spines. ⋯ In comparison, SAHA treatment did not affect the density of drebrin clusters or dendritic protrusions in control neurons. Therefore, SAHA likely inhibits ADDL-induced drebrin loss from dendritic spines by stabilizing drebrin in these structures, rather than by increasing drebrin clusters or dendritic protrusions. Taken together, our findings suggest that HDAC is involved in ADDL-induced synaptic defects, and that the regulation of histone acetylation plays an important role in modulating actin cytoskeletal dynamics in dendritic spines under cellular stress conditions, such as ADDL exposure.