Development and validation of a potent and specific inhibitor for the CLC-2 chloride channel.

CLC-2 is a voltage-gated chloride channel that is widely expressed in mammalian tissues. In the central nervous system, CLC-2 appears in neurons and glia. Studies to define how this channel contributes to normal and pathophysiological function in the central nervous system raise questions that remain unresolved, in part due to the absence of precise pharmacological tools for modulating CLC-2 activity. Herein, we describe the development and optimization of AK-42, a specific small-molecule inhibitor of CLC-2 with nanomolar potency (IC50 = 17 ± 1 nM). AK-42 displays unprecedented selectivity (>1,000-fold) over CLC-1, the closest CLC-2 homolog, and exhibits no off-target engagement against a panel of 61 common channels, receptors, and transporters expressed in brain tissue. Computational docking, validated by mutagenesis and kinetic studies, indicates that AK-42 binds to an extracellular vestibule above the channel pore. In electrophysiological recordings of mouse CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons, AK-42 acutely and reversibly inhibits CLC-2 currents; no effect on current is observed on brain slices taken from CLC-2 knockout mice. These results establish AK-42 as a powerful tool for investigating CLC-2 neurophysiology.

Disruption of GpI mGluR-Dependent Cav2.3 Translation in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is an inherited intellectual impairment that results from the loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an mRNA binding protein that regulates mRNA translation at synapses. The absence of FMRP leads to neuronal and circuit-level hyperexcitability that is thought to arise from the aberrant expression and activity of voltage-gated ion channels, although the identification and characterization of these ion channels have been limited. Here, we show that FMRP binds the mRNA of the R-type voltage-gated calcium channel Cav2.3 in mouse brain synaptoneurosomes and represses Cav2.3 translation under basal conditions. Consequently, in hippocampal neurons from male and female FMRP KO mice, we find enhanced Cav2.3 protein expression by western blotting and abnormally large R currents in whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings. In agreement with previous studies showing that FMRP couples Group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (GpI mGluR) signaling to protein translation, we find that GpI mGluR stimulation results in increased Cav2.3 translation and R current in hippocampal neurons which is disrupted in FMRP KO mice. Thus, FMRP serves as a key translational regulator of Cav2.3 expression under basal conditions and in response to GpI mGluR stimulation. Loss of regulated Cav2.3 expression could underlie the neuronal hyperactivity and aberrant calcium spiking in FMRP KO mice and contribute to FXS, potentially serving as a novel target for future therapeutic strategies.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Patients with fragile X syndrome (FXS) exhibit signs of neuronal and circuit hyperexcitability, including anxiety and hyperactive behavior, attention deficit disorder, and seizures. FXS is caused by the loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an mRNA binding protein, and the neuronal hyperexcitability observed in the absence of FMRP likely results from its ability to regulate the expression and activity of voltage-gated ion channels. Here we find that FMRP serves as a key translational regulator of the voltage-gated calcium channel Cav2.3 under basal conditions and following activity. Cav2.3 impacts cellular excitability and calcium signaling, and the alterations in channel translation and expression observed in the absence of FMRP could contribute to the neuronal hyperactivity that underlies FXS.

Nucleophilic (Radio)Fluorination of α-Diazocarbonyl Compounds Enabled by Copper-Catalyzed H-F Insertion.

The copper-catalyzed H-F insertion into α-diazocarbonyl compounds is described using potassium fluoride (KF) and hexafluoroisopropanol. Access to complex α-fluorocarbonyl derivatives is achieved under mild conditions, and the method is readily adapted to radiofluorination with [(18)F]KF. This late-stage strategy provides an attractive route to (18)F-labeled biomolecules.

Inhibitory interactions between phosphorylation sites in the C terminus of α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid-type glutamate receptor GluA1 subunits.

The C terminus of AMPA-type glutamate receptor (AMPAR) GluA1 subunits contains several phosphorylation sites that regulate AMPAR activity and trafficking at excitatory synapses. Although many of these sites have been extensively studied, little is known about the signaling mechanisms regulating GluA1 phosphorylation at Thr-840. Here, we report that neuronal depolarization in hippocampal slices induces a calcium and protein phosphatase 1/2A-dependent dephosphorylation of GluA1 at Thr-840 and a nearby site at Ser-845. Despite these similarities, inhibitors of NMDA-type glutamate receptors and protein phosphatase 2B prevented depolarization-induced Ser-845 dephosphorylation but had no effect on Thr-840 dephosphorylation. Instead, depolarization-induced Thr-840 dephosphorylation was prevented by blocking voltage-gated calcium channels, indicating that distinct Ca(2+) sources converge to regulate GluA1 dephosphorylation at Thr-840 and Ser-845 in separable ways. Results from immunoprecipitation/depletion assays indicate that Thr-840 phosphorylation inhibits protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated increases in Ser-845 phosphorylation. Consistent with this, PKA-mediated increases in AMPAR currents, which are dependent on Ser-845 phosphorylation, were inhibited in HEK-293 cells expressing a Thr-840 phosphomimetic version of GluA1. Conversely, mimicking Ser-845 phosphorylation inhibited protein kinase C phosphorylation of Thr-840 in vitro, and PKA activation inhibited Thr-840 phosphorylation in hippocampal slices. Together, the regulation of Thr-840 and Ser-845 phosphorylation by distinct sources of Ca(2+) influx and the presence of inhibitory interactions between these sites highlight a novel mechanism for conditional regulation of AMPAR phosphorylation and function.

Fear learning and extinction are linked to neuronal plasticity through Rin1 signaling.

The amygdala is known to have a crucial role in both the acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear, but the physiological changes and biochemical mechanisms underlying these forms of learning are only partly understood. The Ras effector Rin1 activates Abl tyrosine kinases and Rab5 GTPases and is highly expressed in mature neurons of the telencephalon including the amygdala, where it inhibits the acquisition of fear memories (Rin1(-/-) mice show enhanced learning of conditioned fear). Here we report that Rin1(-/-) mice exhibit profound deficits in both latent inhibition and fear extinction, suggesting a critical role for Rin1 in gating the acquisition and persistence of cue-dependent fear conditioning. Surprisingly, we also find that depotentiation, a proposed cellular mechanism of extinction, is enhanced at lateral-basolateral (LA-BLA) amygdaloid synapses in Rin1(-/-) mice. Inhibition of a single Rin1 downstream effector pathway, the Abl tyrosine kinases, led to reduced amygdaloid depotentiation, arguing that proper coordination of Abl and Rab5 pathways is critical for Rin1-mediated effects on plasticity. While demonstrating a correlation between amygdala plasticity and fear learning, our findings argue against models proposing a direct causative relationship between amygdala depotentiation and fear extinction. Taken together, the behavior and physiology of Rin1(-/-) mice provide new insights into the regulation of memory acquisition and maintenance. In addition, Rin1(-/-) mice should prove useful as a model for pathologies marked by enhanced fear acquisition and retention, such as posttraumatic stress disorder.

An efficient synthesis of (+/-)-grandisol featuring 1,5-enyne metathesis.

An eight-step synthesis of (+/-)-grandisol features a key sequence involving a high-yielding, microwave-assisted enyne metathesis to yield a 1-alkenylcyclobutene that is semihydrogenated to yield a silyl-protected grandisol. Metathesis catalyst screens revealed an intriguing trend whereby substrate conversion correlated strongly with the identity of the ligands on the catalyst. In addition, new reactivity of 1-alkenylcyclobutenes toward hydrogenation is described.

NMDA receptor activation dephosphorylates AMPA receptor glutamate receptor 1 subunits at threonine 840.

Phosphorylation-dependent changes in AMPA receptor function have a crucial role in activity-dependent forms of synaptic plasticity such as long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). Although three previously identified phosphorylation sites in AMPA receptor glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1) subunits (S818, S831, and S845) appear to have important roles in LTP and LTD, little is known about the role of other putative phosphorylation sites in GluR1. Here, we describe the characterization of a recently identified phosphorylation site in GluR1 at threonine 840. The results of in vivo and in vitro phosphorylation assays suggest that T840 is not a substrate for protein kinases known to phosphorylate GluR1 at previously identified phosphorylation sites, such as protein kinase A, protein kinase C, and calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II. Instead, in vitro phosphorylation assays suggest that T840 is a substrate for p70S6 kinase. Although LTP-inducing patterns of synaptic stimulation had no effect on GluR1 phosphorylation at T840 in the hippocampal CA1 region, bath application of NMDA induced a strong, protein phosphatase 1- and/or 2A-mediated decrease in T840 phosphorylation. Moreover, GluR1 phosphorylation at T840 was transiently decreased by a chemical LTD induction protocol that induced a short-term depression of synaptic strength and persistently decreased by a chemical LTD induction protocol that induced a lasting depression of synaptic transmission. Together, our results show that GluR1 phosphorylation at T840 is regulated by NMDA receptor activation and suggest that decreases in GluR1 phosphorylation at T840 may have a role in LTD.

Hydroxylase activity of Met471Cys tyramine beta-monooxygenase.

A series of mutations was targeted at the methionine residue, Met471, coordinating the Cu(M) site of tyramine beta-monooxygenase (TbetaM). The methionine ligand at Cu(M) is believed to be key to dioxygen activation and the hydroxylation chemistry of the copper monooxygenases. The reactivity and copper binding properties of three TbetaM mutants, Met471Asp, Met471Cys, and Met471His, were examined. All three mutants show similar metal binding affinities to wild type TbetaM in the oxidized enzyme forms. EPR spectroscopy suggests that the Cu(II) coordination geometry is identical to that of the WT enzyme. However, substrate hydroxylation was observed for the reaction of tyramine solely with Met471Cys TbetaM. Met471Cys TbetaM provides the first example of an active mutant directed at the Cu(M) site of this class of hydroxylases. The reactivity and altered kinetics of the Met471Cys mutant further highlight the central role of the methionine residue in the enzyme mechanism. The sole ability of the cysteine residue to support activity among the series of alternate amino acids investigated is relevant to theoretical and biomimetic investigations of dioxygen activation at mononuclear copper centers.

A modular, air-stable nickel precatalyst.

The synthesis and catalytic activity of [(TMEDA)Ni(o-tolyl)Cl], an air-stable, crystalline solid, is described. This complex is an effective precatalyst in a variety of nickel-catalyzed transformations. The lability of TMEDA allows a wide variety of ligands to be used, including mono- and bidentate phosphines, diimines, and N-heterocyclic carbenes. Preliminary mechanistic studies are also reported, which suggest that [(TMEDA)Ni(o-tolyl)Cl] can activate by either a Ni-B or Ni-Ni transmetalation event, depending on the reaction conditions.

PSD-95 is post-transcriptionally repressed during early neural development by PTBP1 and PTBP2.

Postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95) is essential for synaptic maturation and plasticity. Although its synaptic regulation has been widely studied, the control of PSD-95 cellular expression is not understood. We found that Psd-95 was controlled post-transcriptionally during neural development. Psd-95 was transcribed early in mouse embryonic brain, but most of its product transcripts were degraded. The polypyrimidine tract binding proteins PTBP1 and PTBP2 repressed Psd-95 (also known as Dlg4) exon 18 splicing, leading to premature translation termination and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. The loss of first PTBP1 and then of PTBP2 during embryonic development allowed splicing of exon 18 and expression of PSD-95 late in neuronal maturation. Re-expression of PTBP1 or PTBP2 in differentiated neurons inhibited PSD-95 expression and impaired the development of glutamatergic synapses. Thus, expression of PSD-95 during early neural development is controlled at the RNA level by two PTB proteins whose sequential downregulation is necessary for synapse maturation.

A role for calcium-permeable AMPA receptors in synaptic plasticity and learning.

A central concept in the field of learning and memory is that NMDARs are essential for synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Surprisingly then, multiple studies have found that behavioral experience can reduce or eliminate the contribution of these receptors to learning. The cellular mechanisms that mediate learning in the absence of NMDAR activation are currently unknown. To address this issue, we examined the contribution of Ca(2+)-permeable AMPARs to learning and plasticity in the hippocampus. Mutant mice were engineered with a conditional genetic deletion of GluR2 in the CA1 region of the hippocampus (GluR2-cKO mice). Electrophysiology experiments in these animals revealed a novel form of long-term potentiation (LTP) that was independent of NMDARs and mediated by GluR2-lacking Ca(2+)-permeable AMPARs. Behavioral analyses found that GluR2-cKO mice were impaired on multiple hippocampus-dependent learning tasks that required NMDAR activation. This suggests that AMPAR-mediated LTP interferes with NMDAR-dependent plasticity. In contrast, NMDAR-independent learning was normal in knockout mice and required the activation of Ca(2+)-permeable AMPARs. These results suggest that GluR2-lacking AMPARs play a functional and previously unidentified role in learning; they appear to mediate changes in synaptic strength that occur after plasticity has been established by NMDARs.

Long-term potentiation in the hippocampal CA1 region does not require insertion and activation of GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors.

Activity-dependent insertion of AMPA-type glutamate receptors is thought to underlie long-term potentiation (LTP) at Schaffer collateral fiber synapses on pyramidal cells in the hippocampal CA1 region. Although it is widely accepted that the AMPA receptors at these synapses contain glutamate receptor type 2 (GluR2) subunits, recent findings suggest that LTP in hippocampal slices obtained from 2- to 3-wk-old rodents is dependent on the transient postsynaptic insertion and activation of Ca(2+)-permeable, GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors. Here we examined whether LTP in slices prepared from adult animals exhibits similar properties. In contrast to previously reported findings, pausing synaptic stimulation for as long as 30 min post LTP induction had no effect on LTP maintenance in slices from 2- to 3-mo-old mice. LTP was also not disrupted by postinduction application of a selective blocker of GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors or the broad-spectrum glutamate receptor antagonist kynurenate. Although these results suggest that the role of GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors in LTP might be regulated during postnatal development, LTP in slices obtained from 15- to 21-day-old mice also did not require postinduction synaptic stimulation or activation of GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors. Thus the insertion and activation of GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors do not appear to be fundamental processes involved in LTP at excitatory synapses in the hippocampal CA1 region.

Activity-dependent depression of local excitatory connections in the CA1 region of mouse hippocampus.

The existence of recurrent excitatory synapses between pyramidal cells in the hippocampal CA1 region has been known for some time yet little is known about activity-dependent forms of plasticity at these synapses. Here we demonstrate that under certain experimental conditions, Schaffer collateral/commissural fiber stimulation can elicit robust polysynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials due to recurrent synaptic inputs onto CA1 pyramidal cells. In contrast to CA3 pyramidal cell inputs, recurrent synapses onto CA1 pyramidal cells exhibited robust paired-pulse depression and a sustained, but rapidly reversible, depression in response to low-frequency trains of Schaffer collateral fiber stimulation. Blocking GABA(B) receptors abolished paired-pulse depression but had little effect on low-frequency stimulation (LFS)-induced depression. Instead, LFS-induced depression was significantly attenuated by an inhibitor of A1 type adenosine receptors. Blocking the postsynaptic effects of GABA(B) and A1 receptor activation on CA1 pyramidal cell excitability with an inhibitor of G-protein-activated inwardly rectifying potassium channels had no effect on either paired-pulse depression or LFS-induced depression. Thus activation of presynaptic GABA(B) and adenosine receptors appears to have an important role in activity-dependent depression at recurrent synapses. Together, our results indicate that CA3-CA1 and CA1-CA1 synapses exhibit strikingly different forms of short-term synaptic plasticity and suggest that activity-dependent changes in recurrent synaptic transmission can transform the CA1 region from a sparsely connected recurrent network into a predominantly feedforward circuit.

Expression and characterization of recombinant tyramine beta-monooxygenase from Drosophila: a monomeric copper-containing hydroxylase.

We report here the development of a robust recombinant expression system for Drosophila melanogaster tyramine beta-monooxygenase (TbetaM), the insect analog of mammalian dopamine beta-monooxygenase. Recombinant TbetaM is rapidly purified from the host cell media in three chromatographic steps. The expression system produces approximately 3-10 mg of highly purified, active protein per liter of culture. Recombinant TbetaM requires copper for activity and has a typical type 2 copper EPR spectrum. While TbetaM efficiently hydroxylates the aliphatic carbon of phenolic amines such as tyramine (the physiological substrate) and dopamine, phenethylamine is a poor substrate. TbetaM is most likely a monomer under physiological conditions, although under conditions of high pH and low ionic strength the dimeric form predominates. The lower oligomeric state of TbetaM may provide an advantage for structural studies over DbetaM, which exists as a mixture of dimer and tetramer.