A-kinase Anchoring Protein 79/150 Recruits Protein Kinase C to Phosphorylate Roundabout Receptors.

Anchoring proteins direct protein kinases and phosphoprotein phosphatases toward selected substrates to control the efficacy, context, and duration of neuronal phosphorylation events. The A-kinase anchoring protein AKAP79/150 interacts with protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC), and protein phosphatase 2B (calcineurin) to modulate second messenger signaling events. In a mass spectrometry-based screen for additional AKAP79/150 binding partners, we have identified the Roundabout axonal guidance receptor Robo2 and its ligands Slit2 and Slit3. Biochemical and cellular approaches confirm that a linear sequence located in the cytoplasmic tail of Robo2 (residues 991-1070) interfaces directly with sites on the anchoring protein. Parallel studies show that AKAP79/150 interacts with the Robo3 receptor in a similar manner. Immunofluorescent staining detects overlapping expression patterns for murine AKAP150, Robo2, and Robo3 in a variety of brain regions, including hippocampal region CA1 and the islands of Calleja. In vitro kinase assays, peptide spot array mapping, and proximity ligation assay staining approaches establish that human AKAP79-anchored PKC selectively phosphorylates the Robo3.1 receptor subtype on serine 1330. These findings imply that anchored PKC locally modulates the phosphorylation status of Robo3.1 in brain regions governing learning and memory and reward.

Role for A kinase-anchoring proteins (AKAPS) in glutamate receptor trafficking and long term synaptic depression.

Expression of N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent homosynaptic long term depression at synapses in the hippocampus and neocortex requires the persistent dephosphorylation of postsynaptic protein kinase A substrates. An attractive mechanism for expression of long term depression is the loss of surface AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazale-4-propionate) receptors at synapses. Here we show that a threshold level of NMDA receptor activation must be exceeded to trigger a stable loss of AMPA receptors from the surface of cultured hippocampal neurons. NMDA also causes displacement of protein kinase A from the synapse, and inhibiting protein kinase A (PKA) activity mimics the NMDA-induced loss of surface AMPA receptors. PKA is targeted to the synapse by an interaction with the A kinase-anchoring protein, AKAP79/150. Disruption of the PKA-AKAP interaction is sufficient to cause a long-lasting reduction in synaptic AMPA receptors in cultured neurons. In addition, we demonstrate in hippocampal slices that displacement of PKA from AKADs occludes synaptically induced long term depression. These data indicate that synaptic anchoring of PKA through association with AKAPs plays an important role in the regulation of AMPA receptor surface expression and synaptic plasticity.

Ubiquitination regulates PSD-95 degradation and AMPA receptor surface expression.

PSD-95 is a major scaffolding protein of the postsynaptic density, tethering NMDA- and AMPA-type glutamate receptors to signaling proteins and the neuronal cytoskeleton. Here we show that PSD-95 is regulated by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. PSD-95 interacts with and is ubiquitinated by the E3 ligase Mdm2. In response to NMDA receptor activation, PSD-95 is ubiquitinated and rapidly removed from synaptic sites by proteasome-dependent degradation. Mutations that block PSD-95 ubiquitination prevent NMDA-induced AMPA receptor endocytosis. Likewise, proteasome inhibitors prevent NMDA-induced AMPA receptor internalization and synaptically induced long-term depression. This is consistent with the notion that PSD-95 levels are an important determinant of AMPA receptor number at the synapse. These data suggest that ubiquitination of PSD-95 through an Mdm2-mediated pathway is critical in regulating AMPA receptor surface expression during synaptic plasticity.

A-kinase anchoring protein 79/150 facilitates the phosphorylation of GABA(A) receptors by cAMP-dependent protein kinase via selective interaction with receptor beta subunits.

GABA(A) receptors, the key mediators of fast synaptic inhibition in the brain, are predominantly constructed from alpha(1-6), beta(1-3), gamma(1-3), and delta subunit classes. Phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) differentially regulates receptor function dependent upon beta subunit identity, but how this kinase is selectively targeted to GABA(A) receptor subtypes remains unresolved. Here we establish that the A-kinase anchoring protein 150 (AKAP150), directly binds to the receptor beta1 and beta3, but not to alpha1, alpha2, alpha3, alpha6, beta2, gamma2, or delta subunits. Furthermore, AKAP79/150 is critical for PKA-mediated phosphorylation of the receptor beta3 subunit. Together, our observations suggest a mechanism for the selective targeting of PKA to GABA(A) receptor subtypes containing the beta1 or beta3 subunits dependent upon AKAP150. Therefore, the selective interaction of beta subunits with AKAP150 may facilitate GABA(A) receptor subtype-specific functional modulation by PKA activity which may have profound local effects on neuronal excitation.

Regulation of GluR1 by the A-kinase anchoring protein 79 (AKAP79) signaling complex shares properties with long-term depression.

Second messengers regulate synaptic plasticity by influencing the balance between kinase and phosphatase activity. One target of this balance is the phosphorylation state of the AMPA receptor glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1) subunit. Hippocampal long-term depression (LTD) is a calcium-dependent downregulation of synaptic AMPA receptor currents associated with dephosphorylation of Ser845, a cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) site on GluR1. Recruitment of kinases and phosphatases to the AMPA receptor might enable modulation of AMPA receptor function. The neuronal A-kinase anchoring protein AKAP79/150 interacts with PKA and the calcium-dependent protein phosphatase PP2B and is linked to the AMPA receptor GluR1 subunit by synapse-associated protein 97 (SAP97), a membrane-associated guanylate kinase family protein. Here we demonstrate that AKAP79 not only promotes basal phosphorylation of Ser845 but also confers a calcium- and PP2B-mediated downregulation to GluR1 receptor currents. This AKAP79-dependent downregulation is contingent on the local presence of PKA, Ser845 of GluR1, and a PDZ (postsynaptic density 95/Discs large/zona occludens 1)-domain interaction between GluR1 and SAP97, all of which support basal phosphorylation of the receptor. These findings suggest that the AKAP79 signaling complex is sufficient to couple intracellular calcium levels to the PKA phosphorylation state of GluR1. Thus, the integration of intracellular signals relevant for LTD may be transduced to GluR1 by the AKAP79 signaling complex.