Differential phosphorylation at serine sites in glutamate receptor-1 within neonatal rat hippocampus

Stoichiometry and phosphoisotypes of hippocampal AMPA-type glutamate receptor phosphorylation

It has been proposed that the AMPAR phosphorylation regulates trafficking and channel activity, thereby playing an important role in synaptic plasticity. However, the actual stoichiometry of phosphorylation, information critical to understand the role of phosphorylation, is not known because of the lack of appropriate techniques for measurement. Here, using Phos-tag SDS-PAGE, we estimated the proportion of phosphorylated AMPAR subunit GluA1. The level of phosphorylated GluA1 at S831 and S845, two major sites implicated in AMPAR regulation, is almost negligible. Less than 1% of GluA1 is phosphorylated at S831 and less than 0.1% at S845. Considering the number of AMPAR at each synapse, the majority of synapses do not contain any phosphorylated AMPAR. Also, we did not see evidence of GluA1 dually phosphorylated at S831 and S845. Neuronal stimulation and learning increased phosphorylation, but the proportion was still low. Our results impel us to reconsider the mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity.

Participation of hindbrain AMP-activated protein kinase in glucoprivic feeding

OBJECTIVE

To examine the role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the control of glucoprivic feeding by hindbrain catecholamine neurons.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Micropunched hindbrain samples were collected from control and 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2DG)-injected rats for Western blot analysis of phosphorylated (activated) AMPK (pAMPK). Samples also were collected from 2DG-injected rats pretreated with anti-dopamine-β-hydroxylase conjugated to saporin to lesion hindbrain catecholamine neurons. In a second experiment, rats were given a fourth-ventricle injection of compound C (CC) or 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxyamide ribonucleoside (AICAR), an inhibitor and activator of AMPK, to identify a role for AMPK in hindbrain neurons required for elicitation of 2DG-induced feeding.

RESULTS

Systemic 2DG stimulated food intake in controls but not in catecholamine-lesioned rats. In controls, but not catecholamine-lesioned rats, 2DG also increased phosphorylated Thr172 at AMPKα subunits (pAMPKα) in hindbrain micropunches containing catecholaminergic cell groups A1 through the middle region of C1 (A1-C1m). Increased pAMPKα was not observed in the adjacent noncatecholaminergic ventromedial medulla or in the A2-C2 catecholamine cell groups in the dorsal hindbrain. Fourth-ventricle injection of CC attenuated 2DG-induced feeding during the first 2 h of the test, and AICAR alone increased food intake only during the first 60 min of the 4-h test.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate that AMPK in catecholaminergic A1-C1m neurons is activated by glucoprivation. Therefore, AMPK may contribute to the glucose-sensing mechanism by which these neurons detect and signal a glucose deficit in the service of systemic glucoregulation.

Sex-dependent Actions of Amyloid Beta Peptides on Hippocampal Choline Carriers of Postnatal Rats

It is suggested that amyloid beta peptides (Abeta) play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease but their physiological function is still unknown. However, low pM-nM concentrations mediate a hypofunction of a basal forebrain cholinergic system without marked signs of neurotoxicity. In this study, we compared in vitro effects of soluble nonaggregated human Abeta 1-40 and 1-42 either on synaptosomal hemicholinium-3 sensitive choline carriers or on membrane fluidity in hippocampi of male and female Wistar rats aged 7 and 14 days or 2-3 months. The results indicate age- and sex-dependent effects mediated by peptides at nM concentrations but no significant differences between both fragments. Namely, opposite actions were observed in 14-day (the increase in the choline uptake and membrane fluidity) when compared to 7-day old and adult males (the mild drops). Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis revealed that the enhancement of the high-affinity choline transport in 14-day old males occurs via alterations in K (M )and the change was accompanied by a mild increase in the specific binding of [3H]hemicholinium-3. On the other hand, no age-dependent differences were found in females. Rat Abeta 1-40 mediated similar effects on 14-day old rats as the corresponding human fragment. Moreover, higher levels of soluble peptides were detected in immature when compared to mature male brains by means of competitive ELISA. Our study indicates that Abeta could play a role in postnatal sexual differentiation of hippocampal cholinergic system.

Functional expression of neuropeptide Y receptors in human neuroblastoma cells

Expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors in human SK-N-MC neuroblastoma cells was investigated. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed that Y1, Y4, and Y5 receptors were expressed in these cells. Expression was confirmed by Western blot and immunocytochemistry demonstrated abundant presence of all three receptors on cell membranes. NPY peptide was also expressed in these cells, but other members of the larger peptide family (peptide YY and pancreatic polypeptide) were not expressed. Incubation with U0126, a specific mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor, decreased cell number in serum-free medium culture. Since NPY activates MAPK via different subtypes of NPY receptors, results suggest that endogenously expressed NPY may control proliferation of these cells through a paracrine/autocrine mechanism.

The molecular pharmacology and cell biology of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors

Alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate receptors (AMPARs) are of fundamental importance in the brain. They are responsible for the majority of fast excitatory synaptic transmission, and their overactivation is potently excitotoxic. Recent findings have implicated AMPARs in synapse formation and stabilization, and regulation of functional AMPARs is the principal mechanism underlying synaptic plasticity. Changes in AMPAR activity have been described in the pathology of numerous diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and epilepsy. Unsurprisingly, the developmental and activity-dependent changes in the functional synaptic expression of these receptors are under tight cellular regulation. The molecular and cellular mechanisms that control the postsynaptic insertion, arrangement, and lifetime of surface-expressed AMPARs are the subject of intense and widespread investigation. For example, there has been an explosion of information about proteins that interact with AMPAR subunits, and these interactors are beginning to provide real insight into the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the cell biology of AMPARs. As a result, there has been considerable progress in this field, and the aim of this review is to provide an account of the current state of knowledge.

Dopamine Receptor Signaling

The D1-like (D1, D5) and D2-like (D2, D3, D4) classes of dopamine receptors each has shared signaling properties that contribute to the definition of the receptor class, although some differences among subtypes within a class have been identified. D1-like receptor signaling is mediated chiefly by the heterotrimeric G proteins Galphas and Galphaolf, which cause sequential activation of adenylate cyclase, cylic AMP-dependent protein kinase, and the protein phosphatase-1 inhibitor DARPP-32. The increased phosphorylation that results from the combined effects of activating cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and inhibiting protein phosphatase 1 regulates the activity of many receptors, enzymes, ion channels, and transcription factors. D1 or a novel D1-like receptor also signals via phospholipase C-dependent and cyclic AMP-independent mobilization of intracellular calcium. D2-like receptor signaling is mediated by the heterotrimeric G proteins Galphai and Galphao. These pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins regulate some effectors, such as adenylate cyclase, via their Galpha subunits, but regulate many more effectors such as ion channels, phospholipases, protein kinases, and receptor tyrosine kinases as a result of the receptor-induced liberation of Gbetagamma subunits. In addition to interactions between dopamine receptors and G proteins, other protein:protein interactions such as receptor oligomerization or receptor interactions with scaffolding and signal-switching proteins are critical for regulation of dopamine receptor signaling.