5-HT2A receptor-dependent phosphorylation of mGlu2 receptor at Serine 843 promotes mGlu2 receptor-operated Gi/o signaling.

The serotonin 5-HT2A and glutamate mGlu2 receptors continue to attract particular attention, given their implication in psychosis associated with schizophrenia and the mechanism of action of atypical antipsychotics and a new class of antipsychotics, respectively. A large body of evidence indicates a functional crosstalk between both receptors in the brain, but the underlying mechanisms are not entirely elucidated. Here, we have explored the influence of 5-HT2A receptor upon the phosphorylation pattern of mGlu2 receptor in light of the importance of specific phosphorylation events in regulating G protein-coupled receptor signaling and physiological outcomes. Among the five mGlu2 receptor-phosphorylated residues identified in HEK-293 cells, the phosphorylation of Ser843 was enhanced upon mGlu2 receptor stimulation by the orthosteric agonist LY379268 only in cells co-expressing the 5-HT2A receptor. Likewise, administration of LY379268 increased mGlu2 receptor phosphorylation at Ser843 in prefrontal cortex of wild-type mice but not 5-HT2A-/- mice. Exposure of HEK-293 cells co-expressing mGlu2 and 5-HT2A receptors to 5-HT also increased Ser843 phosphorylation state to a magnitude similar to that measured in LY379268-treated cells. In both HEK-293 cells and prefrontal cortex, Ser843 phosphorylation elicited by 5-HT2A receptor stimulation was prevented by the mGlu2 receptor antagonist LY341495, while the LY379268-induced effect was abolished by the 5-HT2A receptor antagonist M100907. Mutation of Ser843 into alanine strongly reduced Gi/o signaling elicited by mGlu2 or 5-HT2A receptor stimulation in cells co-expressing both receptors. Collectively, these findings identify mGlu2 receptor phosphorylation at Ser843 as a key molecular event that underlies the functional crosstalk between both receptors.

Regenerating islet-derived 1α (REG-1α) protein increases tau phosphorylation in cell and animal models of tauopathies.

REG-1α, a secreted protein containing a C-type lectin domain, is expressed in various organs and plays different roles in digestive system cells in physiological and pathological conditions. Like other members of the Reg family, REG-1α is expressed also in the brain where it has different functions. For instance, we previously reported that REG-1α regulates neurite outgrowth and is overexpressed during the very early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, REG-1α function in neural cells during neural degeneration remains unknown. First, REG-1α and phosphorylated tau expression were assessed in tissue sections from the hippocampus, representing neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), from patients with AD, and from basal ganglia, representing subcortical NFTs, from patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). We found an association between REG-1α expression, tau hyperphosphorylation and NFTs in human brain samples from patients with these neurodegenerative diseases. Then, the effects of REG-1α overexpression on tau phosphorylation and axonal morphology were investigated i) in primary cultures of rat neurons that express human tau P301L and ii) in a transgenic zebrafish model of tauopathy that expresses human tau P301L. In the tau P301L cell model, REG-1α overexpression increased tau phosphorylation at the S202/T205 and S396 residues (early and late stages of abnormal phosphorylation, respectively) through the AKT/GSK3-ß pathway. This effect was associated with axonal defects both in tau P301L-expressing rat neurons and zebrafish embryos. Our findings suggest a functional role for REG-1α during tauopathy development and progression and, specifically, its involvement in the modification of tau phosphorylation temporal sequence.

Quantitative phosphoproteomics unravels biased phosphorylation of serotonin 2A receptor at Ser280 by hallucinogenic versus nonhallucinogenic agonists.

The serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptor is a primary target of psychedelic hallucinogens such as lysergic acid diethylamine, mescaline, and psilocybin, which reproduce some of the core symptoms of schizophrenia. An incompletely resolved paradox is that only some 5-HT(2A) receptor agonists exhibit hallucinogenic activity, whereas structurally related agonists with comparable affinity and activity lack such a psychoactive activity. Using a strategy combining stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture with enrichment in phosphorylated peptides by means of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography followed by immobilized metal affinity chromatography, we compared the phosphoproteome in HEK-293 cells transiently expressing the 5-HT(2A) receptor and exposed to either vehicle or the synthetic hallucinogen 1-[2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl]-2-aminopropane (DOI) or the nonhallucinogenic 5-HT(2A) agonist lisuride. Among the 5995 identified phosphorylated peptides, 16 sites were differentially phosphorylated upon exposure of cells to DOI versus lisuride. These include a serine (Ser(280)) located in the third intracellular loop of the 5-HT(2A) receptor, a region important for its desensitization. The specific phosphorylation of Ser(280) by hallucinogens was further validated by quantitative mass spectrometry analysis of immunopurified receptor digests and by Western blotting using a phosphosite specific antibody. The administration of DOI, but not of lisuride, to mice, enhanced the phosphorylation of 5-HT(2A) receptors at Ser(280) in the prefrontal cortex. Moreover, hallucinogens induced a less pronounced desensitization of receptor-operated signaling in HEK-293 cells and neurons than did nonhallucinogenic agonists. The mutation of Ser(280) to aspartic acid (to mimic phosphorylation) reduced receptor desensitization by nonhallucinogenic agonists, whereas its mutation to alanine increased the ability of hallucinogens to desensitize the receptor. This study reveals a biased phosphorylation of the 5-HT(2A) receptor in response to hallucinogenic versus nonhallucinogenic agonists, which underlies their distinct capacity to desensitize the receptor.