Estradiol regulates local synthesis of synaptic proteome via sex-specific mechanisms.
Estrogens, specifically 17{beta}-estradiol (estradiol), can modulate synaptic function by regulating the expression and localisation of synaptic proteins. However, the mechanisms underlying estradiols regulation of synaptic protein expression, and whether if they occur in a sex specific manner, is not well understood. In this study, using sex-specific hippocampal slice cultures and mixed-sex primary hippocampal neurons, we investigated whether local protein synthesis is required for estradiol- induced synaptic protein expression. Estradiol rapidly increased the rate of protein synthesis and the number of actively translating ribosomes along dendrites and near synapses in both male and female hippocampal neurons. Importantly, these effects occurred independently of gene transcription. Moreover, estradiol also increased the abundance of nascent proteins localised to synapses, independently of gene transcription. Specifically, estradiol increased the synaptic expression of GluN2B- containing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors and PSD-95 in male and female hippocampus. Mechanistically, mTOR signalling was required for estradiol-induced increases in overall local protein synthesis only in male but not female hippocampus. Consistent with this, mTOR signalling mediated estradiol increases in GluN2B in male, but not female, hippocampus. Conversely, mTOR inhibition, blocked estradiol-induced increased PSD-95 expression in both male and female hippocampus. Collectively, these data suggest that the rapid modulation of local protein synthesis by estradiol is required for changes in the synaptic proteome in male and female hippocampus, and that the requirement of the mTOR signalling pathway in these effects occur in both a sex-specific and protein-dependent manner, with this signalling pathway have a greater role in male compared to female hippocampus.