{
  "abstract": "Synaptic remodeling in emotional circuits contributes to the development of stress-related emotional disorders. However, such remodeling generally exhibits considerable heterogeneity across specific neuronal populations and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we identified C1ql2 as a key molecular regulator that governs projection-specific synaptic vulnerability within basolateral amygdala (BLA). Transcriptional profiling revealed that C1ql2 expression is enriched in BLA neurons projecting to ventral hippocampus (BLA→vHPC PNs), but not in those projecting to nucleus accumbens (NAc), and is significantly down-regulated following chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). Gain- and loss-of-function manipulations demonstrated that C1ql2 regulates stress-induced neuronal remodeling in BLA→vHPC PNs, including dendritic hypertrophy, synaptic outgrowth, and enhanced glutamatergic transmission, thereby shaping susceptibility to anxiety-like behavior. We further found that CSDS-induced C1ql2 loss impairs microglial engulfment of BLA→vHPC PNs synapses, leading to aberrant synaptic accumulation. Our findings establish C1ql2-mediated neuron-microglia cross talk that critically regulates circuit-specific synaptic pathophysiology in stress-related disorders.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Jiangxi Institute of Respiratory Diseases and Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedical Innovation, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China",
    "Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Brain Health, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China",
    "Postdoctoral Research Station, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China",
    "Institute of Translational Medicine, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China",
    "Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 13,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Chun-Yan Wang",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-2350-0782"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Wei-Zhu Liu",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-3564-0831"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shuang-Mei Liao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Jing Niu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Han-Qing Pan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Wen-Jie You",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-3966-0310"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ke Zhao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Bao Ma"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ming-Fen Lu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jia-Xin Zou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Ping Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Wen-Hua Zhang",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0230-9856"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Bing-Xing Pan",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6404-4019"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9fq0jqa33xe6b.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1073/pnas.2600854123",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13715764/",
  "id": "9fq0jqa33xe6b",
  "issns": [
    "0027-8424",
    "1091-6490"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2600854123",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "424"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Biological Sciences"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2804|Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223100278",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13715764",
  "pmid": "42905551",
  "published": "2026-10-21",
  "publisher": "National Academy of Sciences",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9fq0jqa33xe6b.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:22:58Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13715764",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2600854123"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "heading:Neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "C1ql2 gates stress vulnerability by regulating microglia-mediated synaptic pruning in the BLA-vHPC circuit",
  "title_text": "C1ql2 gates stress vulnerability by regulating microglia-mediated synaptic pruning in the BLA-vHPC circuit",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:22:58Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9fq0jqa33xe6b",
  "venue": "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America",
  "versions": []
}