Science Signaling podcast: 25 November 2014

This Podcast features an interview with Catherine Wasser and Joachim Herz, authors of a Research Article that appears in the 25 November 2014 issue of Science Signaling, about modifications to an apolipoprotein E receptor that affect synaptic plasticity and learning. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a lipoprotein that helps transport fatsoluble molecules, such as cholesterol, around the body. In the brain, ApoE delivers cholesterol to neurons by binding to ApoE receptors, which triggers endocytosis of the cargo borne by the ApoE aggregates. ApoE receptors can also initiate intracellular signaling in response to binding to other ligands, such as Reelin. Signaling by the ApoE receptor Apoer2 controls neuronal migration during development, affects synaptic plasticity, and helps break down the βamyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. Wasser et al. report that differential splicing and posttranslational modification of Apoer2 affects synaptic plasticity and learning in mice.