Recent evidence demonstrates that N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) trafficking contributes to synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. Phosphorylation of tyrosine residues, especially NR2B tyrosine 1472, appears to be a mechanism by which NMDAR endocytosis is prevented, suggesting that the tyrosine phosphorylation and surface expression of NMDARs are positively correlated. Previous work from our laboratory and others has confirmed that modulation of tyrosine phosphatase and kinase activity alters the surface expression of NMDARs. However, the changes in NMDAR surface expression described in those studies were in terms of total surface membrane versus intracellular receptors. Within the plasma membrane of glutamatergic synapses, distinct populations of NMDARs exist. Namely, receptors at the surface can be differentiated into synaptic and extrasynaptic pools based on their association with the post-synaptic density (PSD) and availability to glutamate. In the present study, we utilized a subcellular fractionation approach coupled with detergent extraction to prepare synaptic and extrasynaptic NMDARs from adult rat hippocampal slices. Using this method, we examined how tyrosine phosphatase and Src-family tyrosine kinase (SFK) inhibitors modulate the phosphorylation and localization of these different pools of NMDARs. We found that both synaptic and extrasynaptic NMDARs were modulated by tyrosine phosphatase and SFK inhibitors; however subunit- and residue-specific effects were observed. Specifically, phosphorylation of NR2B tyrosine 1472 was associated with enrichment of synaptic NMDARs, whereas phosphorylation of NR2B tyrosine 1336 was associated with enrichment of extrasynaptic NMDARs. Using electrophysiological methods, we also reveal that the biochemical modifications produced by these inhibitors were associated with corresponding changes in NMDAR function.

This study was designed to examine the neuronal mechanisms of ethanol sensitivity by utilizing inbred short sleep (ISS) and inbred long sleep (ILS) mouse strains that display large differences in sensitivity to the behavioural effects of ethanol. Comparisons of whole‐cell electrophysiological recordings from CA1 pyramidal neurons in hippocampal slices of ISS and ILS mice indicate that ethanol enhances GABA A receptor‐mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (GABA A IPSCs) and reduces NMDA receptor‐mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (NMDA EPSCs) in a concentration‐ and strain‐dependent manner. In ILS neurons, these receptor systems are significantly more sensitive to ethanol than those in ISS neurons. To further examine the underlying mechanisms of differential ethanol sensitivities in these mice, GABA B activity and presynaptic and postsynaptic actions of ethanol were investigated. Inhibition of GABA B receptor function enhances ethanol‐mediated potentiation of distal GABA A IPSCs in ILS but not ISS mice, and this blockade of GABA B receptor function has no effect on the action of ethanol on NMDA EPSCs in either mouse strain. Thus, subregional differences in GABA B activity may contribute to the differential ethanol sensitivity of ISS and ILS mice. Moreover, analysis of the effects of ethanol on paired‐pulse stimulation, spontaneous IPSC events, and brief local GABA or glutamate application suggest that postsynaptic rather than presynaptic mechanisms underlie the differential ethanol sensitivity of these mice. Furthermore, these results provide essential information to focus better on appropriate target sites for more effective drug development for the treatment of alcohol abuse.

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor contributes to synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system and is both serine-threonine and tyrosine phosphorylated. In CA1 pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus, activators of protein kinase C (PKC) as well as the G-protein-coupled receptor ligands muscarine and lysophosphatidic acid enhanced NMDA-evoked currents. Unexpectedly, this effect was blocked by inhibitors of tyrosine kinases, including a Src required sequence and an antibody selective for Src itself. In neurons from mice lacking c-Src, PKC-dependent upregulation was absent. Thus, G-protein-coupled receptors can regulate NMDA receptor function indirectly through a PKC-dependent activation of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase (Src) signaling cascade.

Several protein kinases are known to phosphorylate Ser/Thr residues of certain GABAA receptor subunits. Yet, the effect of phosphorylation on GABAA receptor function in neurons remains controversial, and the functional consequences of phosphorylating synaptic GABAA receptors of adult CNS neurons are poorly understood. We used whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of GABAA receptor-mediated miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) in CA1 pyramidal neurons and dentate gyrus granule cells (GCs) of adult rat hippocampal slices to determine the effects of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (PKC) activation on the function of synaptic GABAA receptors. The mIPSCs recorded in CA1 pyramidal cells and in GCs were differentially affected by PKA and PKC. In pyramidal cells, PKA reduced mIPSC amplitudes and enhanced the fraction of events decaying with a double exponential, whereas PKC was without effect. In contrast, in GCs PKA was ineffective, but PKC increased the peak amplitude of mIPSCs and also favored double exponential decays. Intracellular perfusion of the phosphatase inhibitor microcystin revealed that synaptic GABAA receptors of pyramidal cells, but not those of GCs, are continually phosphorylated by PKA and conversely, dephosphorylated, most likely by phosphatase 1 or 2A. This differential, brain region-specific phosphorylation of GABAA receptors may produce a wide dynamic range of inhibitory synaptic strength in these two regions of the hippocampal formation.

The ability of the constitutively active fragment of protein kinase C (PKM) to modulate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-activated currents in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons and acutely isolated CA1 hippocampal neurons from postnatal rats was studied using patch-clamp techniques. The responses of two heterodimeric combinations of recombinant NMDA receptors (NR1a/NR2A and NR1a/NR2B) expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells were also examined. Intracellular applications of PKM potentiated NMDA-evoked currents in cultured and isolated CA1 hippocampal neurons. This potentiation was observed in the absence or presence of extracellular Ca2+ and was prevented by the coapplication of the inhibitory peptide protein kinase inhibitor(19-36). Furthermore, the PKM-induced potentiation was not a consequence of a reduction in the sensitivity of the currents to voltage-dependent blockade by extracellular Mg2+. We also found different sensitivities of the responses of recombinant NMDA receptors to the intracellular application of PKM. Some potentiation was observed with the NR1a/NR2A subunits, but none was observed with the NR1a/NR2B combination. Applications of PKM to inside-out patches taken from cultured neurons increased the probability of channel opening without changing single-channel current amplitudes or channel open times. Thus, the activation of protein kinase C is associated with potentiation of NMDA receptor function in hippocampal neurons largely through an increase in the probability of channel opening.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is an increase in synaptic responsiveness thought to be involved in mammalian learning and memory. The localization (presynaptic andyor postsynaptic) of changes underlying LTP has been difficult to resolve with current electrophysiological techniques. Using a biochemical approach, we have addressed this issue and attempted to identify specific molecular mechanisms that may underlie LTP. We utilized a novel multipleelectrode stimulator to produce LTP in a substantial portion of the synapses in a hippocampal CA1 minislice and tested the effects of such stimulation on the presynaptic protein synapsin I. LTP-inducing stimulation produced a long-lasting 6-fold increase in the phosphorylation of synapsin I at its Ca21ycalmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) sites without affecting synapsin I levels. This effect was fully blocked by either the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist D(2)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (APV) or the CaM kinase II inhibitor KN-62. Our results indicate that LTP expression is accompanied by persistent changes in presynaptic phosphorylation, and specifically that presynaptic CaM kinase II activity and synapsin I phosphorylation may be involved in LTP expression. Synaptic plasticity has been extensively studied in the mammalian hippocampal formation. Long-term potentiation (LTP) is one form of plasticity that has attracted considerable attention as a possible cellular substrate for learning and memory. LTP was first described by Bliss and Lomo (1), who demonstrated that a relatively brief burst of high-frequency stimulation (HFS) produces a long-lasting enhancement of synaptic responses in the mammalian hippocampus. Although presynaptic (2–4) andyor postsynaptic (5–8) changes have been proposed to underlie LTP, the exact localization of these changes remains highly controversial. This has been due in part to the difficulty in resolving presynaptic and postsynaptic events electrophysiologically (9). In this study, we have utilized a biochemical approach to address this issue and attempted to identify molecular mechanisms that may underlie LTP. Numerous studies suggest that protein phosphorylation (specifically by protein kinase C and Ca21ycalmodulindependent protein kinase II [CaM kinase II)] plays a critical role in the induction and possibly the maintenance of LTP (10–12). However, identification of the specific phosphoproteins involved in LTP has been problematic. Synapsin I is a phosphoprotein that has a number of features which make it a likely candidate to mediate persistent presynaptic plasticity (13–15). It is found exclusively in neuronal presynaptic terminals, where it associates with synaptic vesicles (16–18). Considerable evidence suggests that synapsin I plays a key role in neurotransmitter release by regulating the availability of synaptic vesicles for exocytosis (19–24) (however, see ref. 25). According to this model, synapsin I crosslinks synaptic vesicles to the cytoskeleton in a phosphorylation state-dependent manner, thereby limiting the ability of vesicles to move to active zones for exocytosis. Phosphorylation of synapsin I by CaM kinase II reduces its affinity for synaptic vesicles 10-fold, thus removing its constraint on the availability of vesicles for release. We have previously tested the hypothesis that synapsin I plays a role in LTP by examining the effects of pharmacological LTP-inducing, treatments [e.g., b-adrenergic agonists (26) and protein kinase C activators (27)] on synapsin I phosphorylation. Bath application of isoproterenol (14) or phorbol dibutyrate (28) produces a dose-dependent increase in the phosphorylation of synapsin I at its CaM kinase II sites. Furthermore, isoproterenol’s ability to induce synapsin I phosphorylation and its ability to generate LTP-like potentiation share the same brain region specificity (action on dentate gyrus and not CA1) (29). Such data support a role for synapsin I and its phosphorylation in LTP. There are, however, significant limitations to this pharmacological approach. The LTP-like potentiation produced by pharmacological treatments may not be identical to LTP induced by classical electrophysiological techniques (29–32). In addition, the observed changes in synapsin I phosphorylation may be due to non-LTP effects of drug treatment, rather than purely LTP-related mechanisms. Hence, here we have been particularly interested in studying synapsin I phosphorylation following electrophysiologically induced LTP. The typical LTP stimulation paradigm involves delivering HFS to area CA1 through a single stimulating electrode. Using this method, we have been unsuccessful at detecting any LTPassociated changes in synapsin I phosphorylation. We have been concerned that such stimulation may not have induced LTP in a sufficient fraction of synapses for any changes in synapsin I phosphorylation to be detectable. Indeed, studies by two different groups suggest that single electrode stimulation produces LTP in only a limited number of synapses even within subregions of the hippocampal slice (33, 34). In the present study, we have designed a new stimulating electrode array, called the rake, and developed a stimulation paradigm to deliver LTP to more synapses in the slice. We also used the CA1 minislice preparation to remove from our analyses the large unstimulated hippocampal areas (dentate The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked ‘‘advertisement’’ in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. Abbreviations: APV, D(2)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid; CaM kinase II, Ca21ycalmodulin-dependent protein kinase II; EPSP, excitatory postsynaptic potential; HFS, high-frequency stimulation; LTP, long-term potentiation; NMDA, N-methyl-D-aspartate; s-HFS, simultaneous HFS. *Present address: Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139. †To whom reprint requests should be addressed.

Previously pp60v-src, cyclin A, p39mos, and maturation-promoting factor (composed of Cdc2 and cyclin B) have been shown to activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and MAPK kinase (MEK) in cell-free extracts of Xenopus oocytes. The pp60v-src pathway is dependent on a functional Ras signal whereas the cyclin/maturation-promoting factor pathway is not. Here we show that protein kinase C (PKC) is also able to stimulate MAPK in a Ras-dependent manner, but PKC is not necessary for signaling by pp60v-src. In addition, preincubation of extracts with cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) blocks stimulation of MAPK by cyclin, p21V12ras, PKC, or pp60v-src, by at least 50%, but stimulation by c-Mos is unaffected. Furthermore, inhibition of endogenous PKA by the heat-stable PKA inhibitor is sufficient to stimulate MAPK activity in these extracts in the absence of protein synthesis and without dependence on a functional Ras protein. These results suggest that independent pp60v-src and PKC pathways converge at Ras and that PKA acts to block MAPK activation by both Ras-dependent and -independent signals.

1. The patch clamp technique, together with intracellular perfusion of the catalytic fragment of protein kinase C (PKCM), was employed to investigate the role of this enzyme in the intracellular regulation of alpha‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole propionate (AMPA)/kainate receptors in cultured hippocampal neurones. 2. The responses evoked by near‐maximal concentrations of kainate (250 microM) and AMPA (100 microM) were potentiated by the introduction of PKCM, whilst co‐application of the inhibitory peptide fragment PKCI(19‐36) prevented this action. 3. Modulation of kainate responses by PKCM was dependent upon the concentration of agonist applied. Currents evoked by kainate were potentiated at concentrations above those which caused 50% of the maximal response (EC50) and depressed at lower concentrations. Furthermore, okadaic acid, a specific inhibitor of phosphatases 1 and 2A, had a similar effect upon concentration‐response relationships when currents activated by kainate were recorded using the perforated patch technique. 4. In addition, the mean amplitude and/or time constant of decay of miniature excitatory synaptic currents (mediated by AMPA/kainate receptors) was increased by the intracellular injection of PKCM. 5. These observations suggest that the function of postsynaptic excitatory amino acid receptors can be modulated by the activity of PKC as well as by endogenous phosphatases. This regulation may contribute to some forms of synaptic plasticity within the central nervous system.

The balance between catecholamine (CA) release and reuptake is closely regulated and determines the effective level of transmitter at the synaptic cleft. Drugs that block CA uptake have potential utility as antidepressant medications. One such drug is racemic (+/-)-(1' R*,3R*)-3-phenyl-1-[1',2',3',4'-tetrahydro-5',6'- methylenedioxy-1'-naphthalenyl-methyl]-pyrrolidine methanesulfonate (A-7500), a novel polycyclic compound developed at Abbott Laboratories. This compound is known to bind to CA transporters in the central nervous system, however, its effects on an intact neurosecretory system have not been studied. In this regard, norepinephrine (NE) release from bovine adrenal chromaffin cells (BACC) is a classic model system for CA release and is an excellent system in which to examine the effects of drugs which modulate neurotransmitter release. We compared the effects of A-75200 and its two constituent enantiomers, A-74111 and A-74112, to the effects of three well-characterized uptake inhibitors, desipramine (DMI), nomifensine and cocaine. We found that the Abbott compounds inhibit [3H]norepinephrine ([3H]NE) uptake with an EC50 comparable to cocaine. In addition, unlike nomifensine and cocaine, these compounds inhibited nicotine- and K(+)-stimulated NE release, whereas histamine-stimulated release was preserved. Thus, the Abbott compounds block the effects on secretion of two agonists (nicotine and K+) which depend on a depolarization-dependent influx of extracellular calcium. We conclude that in addition to blocking NE uptake by inhibiting the NE transporter, the Abbott compounds may modulate peripheral NE release by inhibiting calcium flux through voltage-gated channels. This study demonstrates the utility of bovine adrenal chromaffin cells for preclinical trials of drugs that affect catecholaminergic neurotransmission.

Actin depolymerizing factor (ADF) is an 18.5-kD protein with pH-dependent reciprocal F-actin binding and severing/depolymerizing activities. We previously showed developing muscle down-regulates ADF (J. R. Bamburg and D. Bray. 1987. J. Cell Biol. 105: 2817-2825). To further study this process, we examined ADF expression in chick myocytes cultured in vitro. Surprisingly, ADF immunoreactivity increases during the first 7-10 d in culture. This increase is due to the presence of a new ADF species with higher relative molecular weight which reacts identically to brain ADF with antisera raised against either brain ADF or recombinant ADF. We have purified both ADF isoforms from myocytes and have shown by peptide mapping and partial sequence analysis that the new isoform is structurally related to ADF. Immunoprecipitation of both isoforms from extracts of cells prelabeled with [32P]orthophosphate showed that the new isoform is radiolabeled, predominantly on a serine residue, and hence is called pADF. pADF can be converted into a form which comigrates with ADF on 1-D and 2-D gels by treatment with alkaline phosphatase. pADF has been quantified in a number of cells and tissues where it is present from approximately 18% to 150% of the amount of unphosphorylated ADF. pADF, unlike ADF, does not bind to G-actin, or affect the rate or extent of actin assembly. Four ubiquitous protein kinases failed to phosphorylate ADF in vitro suggesting that ADF phosphorylation in vivo is catalyzed by a more specific kinase. We conclude that the ability to regulate ADF activity is important to muscle development since myocytes have both pre- and posttranslational mechanisms for regulating ADF activity. The latter mechanism is apparently a general one for cell regulation of ADF activity.

The gamma 2 subunit of the GABA receptor (GABAA-R) is alternatively spliced. The long variant (gamma 2L) contains eight additional amino acids that possess a consensus sequence site for protein phosphorylation. Previous studies have demonstrated that a peptide or fusion protein containing these eight amino acids is a substrate for protein kinase C (PKC), but not cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA)-stimulated phosphorylation. We have examined the ability of PKA, PKC, and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CAM kinase II) to phosphorylate a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 336-351 of the intracellular loop of the gamma 2L subunit and inclusive of the alternatively spliced phosphorylation consensus sequence site. PKC and CAM kinase II produced significant phosphorylation of this peptide, but PKA was ineffective. The Km values for PKC- and CAM kinase II-stimulated phosphorylation of this peptide were 102 and 35 microM, respectively. Maximal velocities of 678 and 278 nmol of phosphate/min/mg were achieved by PKC and CAM kinase II, respectively. The phosphorylation site in the eight-amino-acid insert of the gamma 2L subunit has been shown to be necessary for ethanol potentiation of the GABAA-R. Thus, our results suggest that PKC, CAM kinase II, or both may play a role in the effects of ethanol on GABAergic function.

To date three beta subunits of the GABAA receptor have been identified in rat brain as a result of cDNA library screening. The beta 2 subunit has been reported to have a wide distribution in rat brain based on in situ hybridization studies quantifying beta 2 mRNA. To study the beta 2 subunit more directly, we have raised a polyclonal antibody to a synthetic peptide representing residues 315-334 of the intracellular loop of the beta 2 subunit. The antibody, which had been affinity-purified, recognized the beta 2 peptide but did not immunolabel homologous beta 1 and beta 3 subunit peptides, indicating that this antibody is specific for the beta 2 subunit of the receptor. In western blots of the purified receptor, the antibody recognized a major diffuse band of 54-58 kDa and exhibited minor labeling of lower-molecular-mass polypeptides. In western blots of cortex homogenate, the antibody exhibited nervous system-specific labeling of a 55-kDa band that comigrated with the 55-kDa band of the purified receptor. Quantitative immunolabeling of this 55-kDa polypeptide permitted direct determination of the relative amounts of the beta 2 subunit in different brain regions. The brainstem contained the highest relative specific activity of the beta 2 subunit, followed by the inferior colliculus, olfactory lobe, and cerebellum. Lower levels of immunolabeling were seen in hypothalamus, hippocampus, thalamus, and cortex.