CV Science

Claire Meissirel Impact of VEGF on synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease and Depression

Course and current status

From 2016: Chargée de recherche INSERM in the research team entitled "Synaptopathies and autoantibodies" headed by Jérôme Honnorat. NeuroMyogene Institute. Lyon.

Topic: Impact of VEGF on synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease and Depression

2001-2015: Chargée de recherche INSERM in the research team entitled "Neurooncology and Neuroinflammation" headed successively by Marie-Françoise Belin and Jérôme Honnorat. INSERM 842 and INSERM U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, University Lyon 1, Lyon.

Topics: 1/ VEGF and neuronal guidance. 2/ Impact of VEGF on excitatory synaptic function.

Scientific summary

Our current interest:

Increasing evidence indicate that the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor VEGFR2 mediate key neurobiological processes including among others, adult neurogenesis, hippocampal-dependent synaptic plasticity and cognition. Our recent work demonstrates that the impact of VEGF on adult synaptic plasticity and memory involving the hippocampus requires the neuronal expression of VEGFR2. Moreover, we documented a new crosstalk between VEGFR2 and NMDAR that increases NMDAR synaptic responses in hippocampal neurons and triggers the formation of new synapses. Our current interest is to determine whether the VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling is impaired in neurological disorders in which glutamatergic transmission mediated by NMDA receptors is altered, such as Alzheimer Disease and Depression.

Recent Publications

1  -  De Rossi P, et al.  A critical role for VEGF and VEGFR2 in NMDA receptor synaptic function and fear-related behavior.  Molecular Psychiatry  (in press).

2 - Ravassard P, et al. 2015 REM sleep-dependent bidirectional regulation of hippocampal-based emotional memory and LTP. Cereb Cortex  Jan 13.

3 - Mikasova L et al. 2012  Disrupted surface cross-talk between NMDA and Ephrin-B2 receptors in anti-NMDA encephalitis. Brain  135:1606-21.

4 - Meissirel C et al. 2011.  VEGF modulates NMDA receptors activity in cerebellar granule cells through Src-family kinases before synapse formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A  108: 13782-13787.

5 - Ruiz de Almodovar C et al. 2010. Matrix-binding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) isoforms guide granule cell migration in the cerebellum via VEGF receptor Flk1. J Neurosci  30: 15052-15066.