Effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor on dopaminergic function and motor behavior during aging.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is critical in synaptic plasticity and in the survival and function of midbrain dopamine neurons. In this study, we assessed the effects of a partial genetic deletion of BDNF on motor function and dopamine (DA) neurotransmitter measures by comparing Bdnf(+/-) with wildtype mice (WT) at different ages. Bdnf(+/-) and WT mice had similar body weights until 12 months of age; however, at 21 months, Bdnf(+/-) mice were significantly heavier than WT mice. Horizontal and vertical motor activity was reduced for Bdnf(+/-) compared to WT mice, but was not influenced by age. Performance on an accelerating rotarod declined with age for both genotypes and was exacerbated for Bdnf(+/-) mice. Body weight did not correlate with any of the three behavioral measures studied. Dopamine neurotransmitter markers indicated no genotypic difference in striatal tyrosine hydroxylase, DA transporter (DAT) or vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) immunoreactivity at any age. However, DA transport via DAT (starting at 12 months) and VMAT2 (starting at 3 months) as well as KCl-stimulated DA release were reduced in Bdnf(+/-) mice and declined with age suggesting an increasingly important role for BDNF in the release and uptake of DA with the aging process. These findings suggest that a BDNF expression deficit becomes more critical to dopaminergic dynamics and related behavioral activities with increasing age.

Differential regulation of mammalian brain-specific proline transporter by calcium and calcium-dependent protein kinases.

1. This study examined the role of [Ca2+]I and Ca(2+)-dependent kinases in the modulation of high-affinity, mammalian brain-specific L-proline transporter (PROT). 2. beta-PMA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate), an activator of protein kinase C (PKC), inhibits PRO uptake, and bisindolymalemide I (BIM), a potent PKC inhibitor, prevents beta-PMA inhibition. Down-regulation of PKC by chronic treatment with beta-PMA enhances PROT function indicating PROT regulation by tonic activity of PKC. 3. Thapsigargin, which increases [Ca2+]I levels by inhibiting Ca(2+)-ATPase, inhibits PROT and exhibits additive inhibition when co-treated with beta-PMA. KN-62, a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMK II) inhibitor, but not BIM (a PKC inhibitor) prevents the inhibition by thapsigargin. These data suggest that PKC and CaMK II modulate PROT and that thapsigargin mediates its effect via CaMK II. 4. Thapsigargin raises [Ca2+]I and increases PRO-induced current on a second time scale, whereas the inhibitory effect of thapsigargin occurs only after 10 min of treatment. These data suggest that Ca2+ differentially regulate PROT: Ca2+ initially enhances PRO transport but eventually inhibits transport function through CaMK II pathway. 5. Ca(2+)-induced stimulation exemplifies the acute regulation of a neurotransmitter transporter, which may play a critical role in the profile of neurotransmitters during synaptic transmission.

L-proline and L-pipecolate induce enkephalin-sensitive currents in human embryonic kidney 293 cells transfected with the high-affinity mammalian brain L-proline transporter.

The high-affinity mammalian brain L-proline transporter (PROT) belongs to the GAT1 gene family, which includes Na- and Cl-dependent plasma membrane carriers for neurotransmitters, osmolites, and metabolites. These transporters couple substrate flux to transmembrane electrochemical gradients, particularly the Na gradient. In the nervous system, transporters clear synapses and help to replenish transmitters in nerve terminals. The localization of PROT to specific excitatory terminals in rat forebrain suggests a role for this carrier in excitatory transmission (). We investigated the voltage regulation and electrogenicity of this novel transporter, using human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells stably transfected with rat PROT cDNA. In physiological solutions between -140 and -40 mV, L-proline (PRO) and its six-member ring congener L-pipecolate (PIP) induced inward current. The current-voltage relationship and the variance of current fluctuations were similar for PRO- and PIP-induced current, and the ratio of induced variance to the mean current ranged from 20 to 60 fA. Des-Tyr-Leu-enkephalin (GGFL), a competitive peptide inhibitor of PROT, reduced the rat PROT-associated current to control levels. GGFL alone did not elicit currents, and the GGFL-sensitive substrate-induced current was absent in nontransfected cells. Finally, GGFL inhibited PROT-mediated transport only when applied to the extracellular face of PROT. These data suggest that (1) PROT uptake is electrogenic, (2) individual transporter currents are voltage-independent, and (3) GGFL is a nonsubstrate inhibitor that interacts either with an extracellular domain of PROT or in an externally accessible pore.

The Caenorhabditis elegans gene T23G5.5 encodes an antidepressant- and cocaine-sensitive dopamine transporter.

A small subset of neurons in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans utilizes the catecholamine dopamine (DA) as a neurotransmitter to control or modulate movement and egg-laying. Disruption of DA-mediated behaviors represents a potentially powerful strategy to identify genes that are likely to participate in dopaminergic systems in man. In vertebrates, extracellular DA is inactivated by presynaptic DA transport proteins (DATs) that are also major targets of addictive agents, including amphetamines and cocaine. We used oligonucleotides derived from the C. elegans genomic locus T23G5.5 to isolate and characterize T23G5.5 cDNAs. Our studies predict that mRNAs from this locus encode a 615-amino-acid polypeptide with twelve stretches of hydrophobicity suitable for transmembrane domains, similar to that found in vertebrate catecholamine transporters. The inferred translation product bears highest identity (43-47%) to catecholamine (DA, norepinephrine, epinephrine) transporters within the GAT1/NET gene family and possesses conserved residues implicated in amine substrate recognition. Consistent with these findings, HeLa cells transfected with the C. elegans cDNA exhibit saturable and high affinity DA transport (Km = 1.2 microM) that is dependent on extracellular Na+ and Cl- and blocked by inhibitors of mammalian catecholamine transporters, including norepinephrine transporter- and DAT-selective antagonists, tricyclic antidepressants, and the nonselective amine transporter antagonists cocaine and D-amphetamine. These studies validate the T23G5.5 locus as encoding a functional catecholamine transporter, providing important comparative sequence information for catecholamine transporter structure/function studies and a path to identify regulators of dopaminergic signaling via genetic or pharmacologic manipulation of C. elegans cDNA in vivo.

Cloning and chromosomal mapping of the murine norepinephrine transporter.

The norepinephrine (NE) transporter (NET), a target of many clinically prescribed antidepressants, regulates noradrenergic neurotransmission by efficiently clearing NE from synaptic spaces after release. To advance our understanding of NET gene structure, regulation, and potential associations with complex behavioral trait loci, we amplified a mouse norepinephrine transporter (mNET) cDNA from placenta total RNA and utilized mNET probes to isolate and characterize the mNET gene. Inferred translation of the major open reading frame of the mNET cDNA predicts a 617-amino acid protein with 12 putative membrane-spanning regions and 94% identity to human NET. The coding exons of the mNET cDNA were found to be spread across >36 kb of 129/Svj genomic DNA, with exon-intron boundaries bearing consensus gt/ag splice sites. Sequence upstream (202 bp) of the inferred translation initiation site matched the sequence of 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends products from brain mRNA with no evidence for intervening introns and is preceded by a TATA box and canonical transcriptional regulatory elements that may play a role in mNET expression in vivo. Probes derived from mNET cDNA identified species-specific MspI restriction fragment length variations within the mNET gene that were utilized to position the gene (Slc6a5) to murine chromosome 8, one recombinant distal to D8Mit15. This site is within a recently defined quantitative trait locus defined for ethanol sensitivity in LSXSS recombinant inbred mice, Lore4. The status of Slc6a5 as a candidate gene for alcohol sensitivity is discussed with respect to studies noting ethanol-induced alterations in brain NE receptors, NE receptor-linked adenylate cyclase, and NE transport.

Substrate-specific regulation of the taurine transporter in human placental choriocarcinoma cells (JAR).

Exposure of the JAR human placental choriocarcinoma cells to taurine leads to a marked decrease in the activity of the taurine transporter in these cells. The ability to induce this adaptive response is not unique to taurine but is shared by other substrates of the transporter as well. Compounds such as betaine and alpha-aminoisobutyric acid which are not substrates for the transporter do not produce this effect. The change in the taurine transporter activity induced by taurine exposure is however unique to the taurine transporter because the activities of many other transport systems remain unaffected under these conditions. The adaptive regulation is not associated with any change in the dependence of the transporter activity on Na+ and Cl-, in the Na+/Cl-/taurine stoichiometry and in the affinities of the transporter for Na+ and Cl-. The decrease in the transporter activity caused by taurine exposure is due to a decrease in the maximal velocity of the transporter, and to a lesser extent, in the substrate affinity of the transporter. The decrease in the transporter activity observed in intact cells is demonstrable in plasma membrane vesicles after isolation from control and taurine-exposed cells. Cycloheximide and actinomycin D block the adaptive response in intact cells to a significant extent, but not completely. Northern blot analysis of mRNA from control and taurine-exposed cells shows that taurine exposure causes a significant decrease in the steady state levels of the taurine transporter mRNA. It is concluded that the activity of the taurine transporter in JAR cells is subject to substrate-specific adaptive regulation and that transcriptional as well as posttranscriptional events are involved in this regulatory process.

Calmodulin-dependent regulation of the catalytic function of the human serotonin transporter in placental choriocarcinoma cells.

We investigated the involvement of calmodulin-dependent cellular processes in the regulation of the human serotonin transporter in placental choriocarcinoma cells. Treatment of JAR and BeWo cells with the selective calmodulin antagonist 1,3-dihydro-1-[1-((4-methyl-4H, 6H-pyrrolo[1,2-a][4,1]-benzoxapin-4-yl)-methyl)-4-piperindinyl+ ++]- 2H-benzimidazol-2-one (CGS93-43B (CGS)) for 1 h decreased the imipramine-sensitive serotonin transport activity markedly. The inhibitory effect was specific and was reproducible with other calmodulin antagonists. The basal serotonin transport activity as well as the activity that was stimulated by cholera toxin were inhibited to a similar extent. The CGS-induced inhibition was accompanied by a decrease in the maximal velocity and in the affinities of the transporter for Na+ and Cl- and an increase in the affinity for serotonin. There was, however, no change in the Na+/Cl-/serotonin stoichiometry. The inhibition of the transport activity induced by the treatment of intact cells with CGS was observable in plasma membrane vesicles isolated from these cells. Treatment with CGS had no effect on steady state levels of the serotonin transporter mRNAs nor on the transporter density in the plasma membrane. We conclude that the serotonin transporter is regulated by calmodulin-dependent processes in human placental choriocarcinoma cells involving posttranslational modification, most likely phosphorylation/dephosphorylation, of the transporter protein.

Sodium- and chloride-dependent, cocaine-sensitive, high-affinity binding of nisoxetine to the human placental norepinephrine transporter.

Maternal-facing brush border membranes prepared from normal term human placentas possess the norepinephrine transporter. We investigated the interaction of nisoxetine with the human norepinephrine transporter by examining the binding of this ligand to the placental brush border membranes. Scatchard analysis revealed that nisoxetine bound with high affinity to a single class of binding sites in the membranes (dissociation constant = 13.8 +/- 0.4 nM). This value obtained from equilibrium experiments matched the value (11.2 nM) which was calculated using the association and dissociation rate constants. The maximal binding capacity (Bmax) was 5.1 +/- 0.1 pmol/mg of protein. The binding exhibited an absolute requirement for Na+ as well as Cl-. Presence of these ions enhanced the binding affinity without affecting Bmax. Kinetic analyses revealed that the coupling ratio of Na+/nisoxetine was 2, whereas the coupling ratio of Cl-/nisoxetine was 1. The binding was most potently inhibited by the ligands of the norepinephrine transporter (desipramine and nomifensine). The ligands of the serotonin transporter (imipramine, paroxetine, and fluoxetine) showed intermediate inhibitory potencies, whereas the ligands of the dopamine transporter (bupropion and GBR 12909) were the least potent. Among the monoamines, dopamine was the most potent inhibitor, followed by norepinephrine and serotonin. Though both cocaine and its analog RTI-55 were powerful inhibitors of the binding, RTI-55 was approximately 150 times more effective than cocaine. The inhibition of binding by norepinephrine, cocaine, and RTI-55 was competitive. Uptake of norepinephrine measured in membrane vesicles was found to be inhibited by treatment of the vesicles with phenylarsine oxide, a reagent specific for vicinal dithiol groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Isolation of a tripeptide (Ala-Gly-Ser) exhibiting weak acetylthiocholine hydrolyzing activity from a high-salt soluble form of monkey diaphragm acetylcholinesterase.

A high-salt soluble form of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was purified from monkey (Macaca radiata) whole diaphragm by a two step affinity chromatographic procedure using m-aminophenyl trimethylammonium-chloride hydrochloride-Sepharose and procainamide-Sepharose columns. The purified enzyme showed three major protein bands at 80 kDa, 78 kDa and 60 kDa on SDS-gel electrophoresis. [3H]Diisopropyl fluorophosphate ([3H]DFP) labeled enzyme also gave three radioactive peaks corresponding to these three bands. The purified enzyme pretreated with dithiothreitol and subjected to limited trypsin digestion gave a peptide fragment of molecular weight approximately 300 Da showing weak acetylthiocholine hydrolyzing activity as identified by Sephadex G-25 gel filtration. Sequence analysis showed that the active peptide fragment was a tripeptide with the sequence Ala-Gly-Ser. When the purified AChE was labeled with [3H]DFP, digested with trypsin and subjected to Sephadex G-25 chromatography, a radioactive peak that would correspond to the tripeptide fragment was seen. The kinetics, inhibition characteristics and binding characteristics to lectins of the active peptide fragment was compared with the parent enzyme. A synthetic peptide of sequence Ala-Gly-Ser was also found to exhibit acetylthiocholine hydrolyzing activity. The kinetics and inhibition characteristics of the synthetic peptide was similar to those of the peptide derived from the purified enzyme, except that the synthetic peptide was more specific towards acetylthiocholine than butyrylthiocholine. The specific activity (units/mg) of the synthetic peptide was about 29480 times less than that of the purified AChE.

Cholinesterases exhibiting aryl acylamidase activity in human amniotic fluid.

Acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) and butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) in human amniotic fluid were estimated in the presence of selective inhibitors. Amniotic fluid cholinesterases (mixture of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase) purified by procainamide-Sepharose affinity chromatography exhibited aryl acylamidase activity which was sensitive to serotonin inhibition (a property of aryl acylamidases associated with both acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterases) and tyramine activation (shown exclusively by aryl acylamidase associated with butyrylcholinesterase). Tyramine activation was unaffected in the presence of the selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitor BW284C51 whereas it was abolished in the presence of the selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitor ethopropazine, suggesting the presence of both types of aryl acylamidases in amniotic fluid, one associated with acetylcholinesterase and the other associated with butyrylcholinesterase. Butyrylcholinesterase and the associated aryl acylamidase activity in the affinity purified enzyme was selectively immunoprecipitated by a polyclonal antibody raised against human serum butyrylcholinesterase. Estimation of the activity ratio of acetylcholinesterase to butyrylcholinesterase in a few samples of amniotic fluid showed that this could vary depending on the butyrylcholinesterase arising from contaminating blood in the samples. Gel electrophoresis under non-denaturing conditions and enzyme staining showed that butyrylcholinesterase band was detectable on the gel in all the samples whereas acetylcholinesterase band was below detectable levels in normal samples but visible in samples from pregnancies of neural tube defect fetuses. It is suggested that the use of selective cholinesterase inhibitors along with gel electrophoresis and immunoprecipitation studies may be useful in the assessment of cholinesterase activities in human amniotic fluid.

Isolation of a tripeptide showing weak acetylthiocholine hydrolysing activity from a soluble form of monkey basal ganglia acetylcholinesterase by limited trypsin digestion.

Acetylcholinesterase was purified from the soluble supernatant of monkey (Macaca radiata) brain basal ganglia by a three-step affinity purification procedure. The purified enzyme showed two major protein bands corresponding to molecular weights of approximately 65 kDa and approximately 58 kDa which could be labelled by [3H]diisopropylfluorophosphate. When the purified enzyme was subjected to limited trypsin digestion followed by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 or Sephadex G-25 column, a peptide fragment of molecular weight approximately 300 Da having a weak acetylthiocholine hydrolysing activity was isolated. The amino acid sequence analysis of this peptide showed a sequence of Gly-Pro-Ser. When the [3H]DFP labelled enzyme was subjected to limited trypsin digestion and Sephadex G-75 column chromatography, a labelled peptide corresponding to approximately 430 Da was isolated. The kinetics, inhibition characteristics and binding characteristics to lectins of this peptide were compared with the parent enzyme. A synthetic peptide of sequence Gly-Pro-Ser was also found to exhibit acetylthiocholine hydrolysing activity. The kinetics and inhibition characteristics of the synthetic peptide were similar to those of the peptide derived from the purified acetylcholinesterase, except that the synthetic peptide was more specific towards acetylthiocholine than butyrylthiocholine. The specific activity (units/mg) of the synthetic peptide was about 123700 times less than that of the purified AChE.